Hello!
We are so glad you found our website.
We are Deb and Candy.
The owners of Barefoot on the James, LLC.
Barefoot on the James started quite a few years ago in Arlington, Virginia. As long-time daughters and grand daughters of avid gardeners/farmers, we know first hand that home grown produce is much better than anything that can be bought in the grocery store. Plus, there is a sense of accomplishment in growing your own food. It is also good for the soul to get your hands dirty!
Where Our Story Begins
While living in a row home close to The Pentagon, we turned the entire backyard into a garden. We started using the Square Foot Gardening method, which pairs compatible vegetables in small spaces and builds stackable gardening bins out of wooden pallets.
Our harvest was great, and we enjoyed fresh veggies each summer. One year we had so many habanero peppers we were leaving baskets on all the neighbors’ front porches! We ventured out and got one and then a second garden spot at the nearby community garden. The men that had gardened there for years snickered when we showed up until we were harvesting broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, squash, and more. “Hmmm,” they said, “you girls know what you are doing.”
Now that we have more growing space, we love growing something new each year while continuing to grow peppers, tomatoes, squash, and more. This spring, we have also ventured into flower gardening and will soon harvest about 500 tulips. A little later this year… look for info on our sunflowers!
While in North Virginia, Deb decided she wanted bee hives. Another thing we learned from our fathers and grandfathers is that the honey bee is so essential for our food sources, and we have to do our part to help sustain them.
Unfortunately, our tiny yard was not large enough for a hive, so a friend in Alexandria said, “come put them in my yard.” (We considered adding a ladder and putting bee hives up on the roof of that row home!) Venturing into beekeeping, including several classes with some master beekeepers to learn the ropes was the next step.
After that, Deb became active in the Northern Virginia Beekeepers Association. The rest is history. We have had several bee hives since then.
Retirement from nine-to-five jobs to the country brought more space, time, and new friends. Chickens and ducks! Along with learning about raising poultry, we learned about predators. That was definitely NOT the best experience we have had in the venture.
We recently located a few of our surviving ducks in a different location. We love our chickens, but the girls are only egg producers, no meat. They are fed high-grade non-GMO food and free range daily. They are very vocal and social and come running whenever we go outside. Do they love us or the mealworms?
We love the Scottsville community and the opportunity to participate in town activities, and we look forward to a successful growing season and meeting new people.
