Organic Farm Grows Next to Orthodontic Office

Most mornings, before Michael Garvey starts his day adjusting braces as an orthodontist, he spends some time on his farm, located just steps from his office.

His half-acre farm, located near the intersection of the Page Extension and Route 94 in St. Peters, has chickens, bees and vegetables.

"It's fun," he said. "I'm certainly not making money doing it, but I'm enjoying it."

On Fridays he harvests his organic produce and packs it up to take to the St. Charles Farmers' Market, where shoppers are glad to find locally-grown organic options. He also sells produce at his wife's resale shop, Garvey Decor.

"Some people last week were really glad I was there," he said. "They'd been trying to find organic stuff and bought $15 worth, which was a wonderful sale."  

Garvey started farming organically in an effort to protect his bees. He has a hive at his office, another at a duck club in Old Monroe and a third off of Greensbottom Road. 

"Many things are killing off our bees today and bees pollinate, jeez, one-third of what we eat," he said. "So I started researching what chemicals you can use and there are very few insecticides that won't kill bees."

Garvey uses insecticidal soaps and neem oil to ward away pests, but it's a challenge to keep his plants healthy. He's growing a range of heirloom vegetables from Lebanese white marrow squash to hot peppers to pickling cucumbers. The rest of his property is covered in clover.

This is the first year Garvey is selling produce at the St. Charles Farmers' Market. In previous years he sold items through a local produce stand in Harvester.

He plans to sell local honey as well, emphasizing the benefits of local honey for allergy sufferers. "I may promote it as Dr. Garvey's Allergy Buster," he said.