Meet one of our newest local growers, Dylan Fagden of Sandy Seed Farm! The farm is located in Spanish Valley near Old City Park on just 1/16th of an acre. Dylan, originally from Idaho, has lived in Moab since November 2020. He previously worked on an organic vegetable farm in Logan, Utah, which sold produce at the Park City farmers’ market.
Through the magical grapevine of small-town Moab, Dylan heard of an opportunity to grow food on a parcel of private property whose owner was no longer interested in farming. He established a mutually beneficial business relationship with the owner, compensating him with fresh produce, and Sandy Seed Farm was created.
The farm is currently a one-man operation, with Dylan starting the seeds, transplanting, growing, harvesting, processing, marketing, managing orders, and delivering to Moonflower Community Cooperative on Tuesday mornings. He also operates a CSA (community supported agriculture) program with about 10 shares and is developing relationships with some of the restaurants in town, such as Desert Bistro. He grows everything using organic practices, using no synthetic fertilizers or pest control. He also farms using “no till” practices, which helps reduce erosion and preserve the microbes that build soil health. Dylan says, “Usually, unless the weeds are actively competing in-row with a crop, I’ll let them be until they flower, and then whack them right before they seed. Bonus organic matter with zero seed cost!”
While Dylan has found managing the CSA to be logistically challenging in some ways, being a one-man show, the co-op has been a steady and reliable market for him. He doesn’t have to worry about trying to sell to unpredictable shoppers at a farmer’s market in the blazing Moab heat, potentially being left with wilting unsold produce. He can bring us whatever he has ready to harvest, and we are able to store it in our walk-in cooler until it is sold. This also provides our owners and customers with a source for local produce they can shop any day of the week.
As one can imagine, the challenges of growing vegetables in the hot, dry Moab summer abound. While the growing season is long here, many vegetables go to seed quickly in the heat, and there is a very small harvest window. Dylan has to harvest early in the morning or late at night so the produce remains fresh enough to sell. He also does all of his washing and packaging/bagging of the produce outside and has come up with some creative infrastructure to keep produce cool in the process.
With a background and degree in outdoor recreation management, Sandy Seed Farm is currently a profitable hobby for Dylan. Despite the usual trials of our extreme climate, he says it’s already been more successful than he’d expected. Luckily, it’s still fun, so we can expect to see more of his produce this season! Keep an eye out for kale, spinach, arugula, beets, summer squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes from Sandy Seed Farm!
Follow Sandy Seed Farm on Instagram: @sandyseedfarm