Farmer Profile: Garden-Fresh Farm

Yulin Wu grew up on his family’s farm in northern China and spent much of his free time helping his parents on the land. “I learned from my parents that farming is hard work but it was rewarding,” Yulin says. “I always have a love for growing produce that I enjoy and share with friends and neighbors.” He started his own backyard garden after relocating to the United States and quickly gained confidence in his vegetable production. “My backyard garden became small to me,” he explains. “I started to look for a piece of land for my organic gardening business right around the time of the forming of Good Hope Farm.” In 2017, Yulin launched Garden-Fresh Farm and is now in his third growing season.

Learning to farm in an urban setting was an adjustment from Yulin’s rural upbringing, and as one of Good Hope’s first farmers he experienced both the growing pains and triumphs of starting a farm. “We had some ups and downs over the past years and lost some crops to bugs and weeds,” he says, “but is has been a wonderful experience”. Learning new agricultural practices and technologies has helped Yulin find success in his business while still remaining committed to sustainable farming methods. “I think the biggest benefit of urban farming is to remind people of our agricultural roots,” Yulin says. “I learned that if you take care of the land, the land will take care of you.”

Both Yulin and his wife enjoy the opportunity that farming gives them to be in nature. “Farming at Good Hope Farm is a good departure from our daily office,” Yulin says. “We work on the farm after work and during weekends; it allows us to exercise and relax.” While better quality of life motivates Yulin to farm, he also recognizes it as a way to give back to his community. He enjoys promoting healthy eating and offering vegetable varieties that are unavailable in stores. “I grow a variety of veggies and a big chunk of them are catering to Asian community here,” Yulin says. “We take great pleasure of providing friends and the community with healthy, fresh, and occasionally exotic produce.” Look for some of Yulin’s tomatoes, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes in your Good Hope Farm CSA box! If you didn’t get a chance to register this year, be sure to sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Facebook to receive information on next year’s CSA program.