Farm Spotlight: Night Owl Garden

Written by Dan Jackson

Photo by Keri Friedman

Photo by Haley Simpson

Sometimes when we least expect it, new doors crack open for us, revealing serendipitous opportunities that perhaps only existed beforehand as a dream. Though COVID-19 came with its extreme challenges and uncertainty, for some, it served as a catalyst for change. In the case of Nicky, Dude, and Aurora Edwards, this newly opened door revealed the moment they’d been envisioning. Owning and operating their own farm, Night Owl Garden!
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“Dude has been interested in regenerative farming for many years. When the pandemic shifted my job to be full time remote, we realized we had the opportunity to look for property and start making the dream a reality,” recalled Nicky. So, in September of 2022, this family of farmers moved onto their own farm in North Plains, OR and began their first garlic crop in the fall.

With the decision to charge ahead toward their long-desired dream, it was important to have a vision for their new business. Nicky explained that their, “ultimate goal is to stop the degradation of the soils and wildlife in our area through better farming practices.” Night Owl Garden aims to allow the natural areas of their property to remain wild. Though it is important to manage the land for fire safety, their goals are to refrain from too much interference with the innate processes of nature! Night Owl Garden now has “two large market gardens in different areas of the property and an integrated solar irrigation system.” Looking toward the future, their long-term goals are to marry the concepts of water conservation and land use in a way that is complementary to their organic gardening practices.

Of the numerous products that Night Owl Garden has to offer, their primary crop is garlic. However, they also grow a wide range of produce including spring greens and lettuces, summer tomatoes, peppers, corn, and cut flowers! As fruit lovers, Nicky explained that they also have “an old fruit tree orchard on the farm and we have planted more than 100 new fruit trees, so we will be able to offer many varieties of fruit including apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, plums, pears, and apples in the future.” So, sit tight and hold on for those delicious fruits that are sure to make their way to the Rocky Butte Farmers Market!

As first-time family farmers only in their second year of operation, Night Owl Garden has found that one of their biggest challenges is simply, “capacity.” With operating a farming business, while one partner fulfills the duties of a full-time job, keeping up with the many projects that arise from owning and operating a farm has proven to be difficult, to say the least. But Nicky and Dude understand that these types of obstacles come with the territory.

Though it can be tough, Nicky and Dude are able to remain grateful for the opportunity to be living their farming dreams in the first place. What keeps them motivated through difficult times are the near constant projects that allow them both to exercise their creativity. “Dude has enjoyed creating things his whole life and there is no better opportunity than a farm to create something truly beautiful and endlessly rewarding,” says Nicky. Not to mention, the ability to generate access to healthy foods for family, friends, and the Rocky Butte community gives Night Owl Garden immense satisfaction, further serving as a driving force to continue pursuing their dreams.

Choosing the right market to be involved in was an extremely important decision for Night Owl Garden to make as a new business. When asked about the Rocky Butte Farmers Market, Nicky recalled that they, “appreciated that Rocky Butte was a younger market and prioritized emergent farmers.” And that’s one of the greatest aspects of this market community. Supporting new and unique vendors in the market space to generate more synergy and access between community members and local products.

​Night Owl Garden has enjoyed seeing the same customers return to their booth each Saturday for a resupply on their produce. Making new and grateful friends has been extremely rewarding for this team so be sure to stop by on Saturdays from 9AM – 1PM at the corner of NE 80th Avenue and NE Siskiyou street to make new farmer friends with the folks at Night Owl Garden!

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Photo by Haley Simpson