Walking through Erica Morris’ garden along State Highway 18 north of Chandler, it’s almost like being transported to another world.
“We’re doing edible landscaping. So half of it is edible, half of it is ornamental,” she explained, pointing out all the many plants and flowers.
The garden starts in her front yard and spreads over to the side yard. She has fig trees, elephant ears, hibiscus, berries for the birds, and a variety of produce, ranging from tomatoes to chickpeas and everything in between.The garden has been growing over the last two years, with Morris digging out the bermuda grass herself and using cardboard for solarization. She’s also planted microclover to help feed the soil All of this goes to fill the shelves of her small, self-service farmstand, Scissortail Meadow Farmstand.
“It’s been on my radar to do a farmstand for four or five years and we were in Edmond before and I probably maybe could have made something work,” Morris said. “But once we moved out here, I got the garden going the first year and built on it and this is like the first second full year of having a garden and we just kind of went for it.”
She and her husband put out the stand in April and began stocking it in May. It carries a collection of produce and cut flowers, and they’ll add eggs soon. Morris said she also puts out seedlings in the spring and hopes to have native plants for sale in the fall.
“We started from scratch with our flock, so we got them in the spring, all as babies. And now we’re up to almost 80. So we’ll have plenty of eggs,” she said.
Self-service farmstands are a growing trend, not only in the area, but across the country. They operate on an honor system, with many having a cash box or QR codes for various payment apps.
Crystal Earp, who lives on 980 Road off Highway 18 south of Chandler, said she got the idea for her self-service farmstand from TikTok. She offers a variety of baked goods in The Cluck and Crumble, which sits at the end of her driveway. Occasionally, the stand also has farmfresh eggs and seasonal produce from her garden “I was like, that’s a really cool thing to do. And with us being on a paved road, we almost have the perfect setup for it,” she said. “And so I like to bake. I don’t really like having the baked goods around the house. And that was kind of just a way for me to, you know, do it, but not.”
It took her and her sisterin- law about three to four weeks to get everything set up, including painting the bright yellow armoire and Earp said it’s a great way to have a small business on the side.
“It’s kind of a new thing, and I think it’s cool because it’s a way for people to have a hobby, but also do the things that they like to do and make a little money on the side too. And support local,” she said, adding she is only open on the weekends and usually makes around $100 a week.
Earp said it was like an experiment because they didn’t know how the stand was going to do.
“I’ve had some people look at me like I’m crazy. Like, you’re gonna put it down there, people are just gonna steal stuff, but so far and that has not happened,” she said.
Starting a self-service farmstand for eggs started as a way for Meeker resident Kenneth Whitaker to get rid of his excess eggs. His stand went up about five months ago.
“I just started out with a few chickens, eggs for ourselves. And then we started hatching the eggs. So then we had more and more babies. So, then we were getting anywhere from 24 to 30 eggs a day. And ended up we’d have eight to 10 dozen on the counter,” he said. “If I got an abundance of eggs, why not just put them out there and offer them, offer them to everybody else for sale. And I don’t think $4 is a bad price.”
He built the stand himself, and it sits right next to the driveway on his property off 990 Road and Highway 177. Whitaker spread the word in Chandler 411 and the local group chat for those who live on or around 990 Road.
“People just come by and get the eggs and drop the money in, or they pay on Cash App, and it’s been pretty good. I mean, it pays for the feed and stuff,” he said. He also holds an egg license, allowing him to sell at farmers’ markets.
He is currently working on a greenhouse so he can start growing produce.
Whitaker calls his property a hobby farm. He currently has about 70 chickens, with around 30 laying hens. He also has a cow and a bull that he purchased as calves, a blind horse, three rescue dogs, as well as other horses, goats, and a donkey. Most of his animals he purchased from Jones Auction.
“I’m basically retired. I’ve had nine back surgeries. So this is like my you know, this is it. This is where I’m at, and I was like, ‘I just gotta stay busy,’” he said.