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COLUMBUS—One of the original vendors at the Columbus Farmers Market, Charlene’s Garden is a small family vegetable farm owned by Jeff and Charlene Searcy, along with their son AJ, in Sunny View, NC. Their table and tent are usually the first ones visitors pass when they enter the market, and they have been a fixture there for twenty-plus years. 

“About twenty-three years ago, I got a call they were starting a Farmers Market in Columbus, and we decided to give it a try,” says Charlene. “When the Market started, there were just a few other vendors. And we all threw our baskets out on the side of the road and hoped for the best.

“Eventually, the Polk County Community Foundation bought us a scale we all shared, and everyone took their vegetables to the center of the market to weigh them. Now it’s grown, and we all have booths, tables, and our own scales.”

Jeff has been farming for over four decades and grows a variety of vegetables on approximately 40 acres. They have several varieties of heirloom tomatoes, corn, okra, sweet potatoes, and a wide variety of vegetables and melons. 

“The Columbus Market was a good fit for us because, at the time, I needed a place where I could work and bring kids,” Charlene says. “At the time, my son AJ was just little, and he would pitch in and help. He now runs our booth at the Travelers Rest Farmers Market.” 

They also offer a self-service farm stand near the Green River Bridge, selling cantaloupes, watermelons, chiles, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, hot peppers, leeks, okra, summer squash, sweet corn, sweet peppers, sweet potato, tomatillos, tomatoes, and winter squash. Some melons and vegetables are only available at certain times of the year.

Charlene’s Garden is located at 385 Cooper Gap Rd Mill Spring, and its booth is at the Columbus Summer Farmers Market every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to noon at 40 Courthouse Square.