This week’s Social Enterprise Profile features The Farmer’s Garden, an online place started by Maureen Farmer to make in-person connections between gardeners, want-to-be gardeners and people interested in healthy eating across the United States. Registration to become a member of The Farmer’s Garden community is free. Members can search and post free classified ads to trade, sell or give-away excess homegrown produce, tools, gardening space or other gardening related items and activities with people in their local area. Food banks and individuals can also post wanted classifieds for surplus food, garden tool, gardening space, etc. We had a chance to speak to Maureen about The Farmer’s Garden:

Why did you start your business and how did you get it started?

I started vegetable gardening in 2006. The following year I became a master gardener and developed a passion for growing vegetables and herbs. I usually grow more produce than I can eat. I noticed that people seem genuinely pleased to receive a bag of mixed greens or a zucchini and their happiness reflects onto me. As the saying goes – one of the most difficult things to give away is kindness because it usually comes back to you. My current profession is web application developer. To increase my skill set, I decided to teach myself another programming language. To become a proficient programmer, you need to actually dig in and starting wring code. To make learning PHP more interesting, I decided to create a gardening-related website.

What do you sell?

The Farmer’s Garden is an online place to make in-person gardening-related connections between people across the US. Members can search and post classified ads to give-away, share or sell excess homegrown produce, tools, gardening space and other gardening related items and activities with other members in their local area. Food banks and individuals also have the option to post wanted classifieds. In the future, members will be able to share advice, recipes, photos and videos.

Who are your customers?

Our target members are gardeners, want-to-be gardeners and people interested in eating healthy. Over 35 million households in the US participate in food gardening.

How do you measure success?

Initially, I will measure success by the number of active members in our community and the feedback I receive from members who have made successful transactions via The Farmer’s Garden website classified ads. After the business becomes profitable, I plan on donating a portion of the profits to food panties across the country. They will be able to use this money to purchase fresh produce from local farms and donate it to their customers.

What part of your business are you most passionate about?

I’m most passionate about providing a way for more people to have access to gardening space, homegrown produce and the opportunity to experience just how delicious freshly harvested vegetables and herbs taste.

What value do you bring to the community that you are a part of?

I’m an avid gardener and I understand what it’s like to get carried away and plant more than you can eat during a successful harvest season. I’ve also experienced how great it feels to see the smile on someone’s face when you offer them something that you’ve grown.

What sets your business apart from others?

There are websites that offer land, produce or tool sharing. The Farmer’s Garden offers all of these services in one place. I also want to create communities of local gardeners across the country. There’s a good chance that someone you’ve never met before who lives just a few streets away would really enjoy trading excess produce with you or be willing to lend you a gardening tool for a day. You might even make a new gardening friend.

What is the biggest challenge that you are facing right now with your business?

My biggest challenge is recruiting a critical mass of members who live near enough to each other to create successful, active gardening communities across the country. Our tag line is “Growing Community, One Tomato at a Time”.

Why do you think that social enterprise is important?

I think people need to help each other and give back to their communities. A social enterprise can provide a good or service that people directly can use with the added benefit of transforming and creating happier, healthier communities. It’s good to have a successful, profitable business, but I think it’s even better when you share your profit to make a positive change in society. At The Farmer’s Garden, our mission is to enable more people to have access to home gardens and healthier food.

What role has reSET played in your business development?

I originally had the idea for The Farmer’s Garden in 2009. I created the first version of my website as a hobby. In September 2012, I entered a Start Up Weekend business competition in Hartford, CT. I pitched my idea and by popular vote it was chosen to be one of the ideas that would be developed that weekend. At the conclusion of the competition, my team and I were thrilled to have won the Social Enterprise award. This led me to believe that with a lot of hard work, I could grow my idea into a successful business.