Specialty Crop

A wide variety of in-season fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs

4A Market Gardens’ owners Anthonie Conner and his wife, Alexis Ballard, grow produce in two greenhouses and an approximate one-acre outdoor garden. “It’s a hobby I can do all spring, summer, and fall, and make a little money doing what I love,” says Anthonie, who holds down a variety of other jobs, including welding, farm and ranch work, and seasonal employment at a sugar factory.

Anthonie says he battled alcoholism for several years, emphasizing: “Gardening is the best thing that ever happened to me as I worked hard to overcome my illness.” There is an interview with Anthonie on the Growing for Market podcast (https://growingformarket.com/articles/overcoming-adversity-anthonie-conner-4a-market-gardens). Anthonie talks about facing adversity and perseverance to overcome that adversity, strategies for building a small farm business, and how to promote a business, among other topics.