Category: Local Farms

If you’re among the many looking to get a flavor of the mushroom boom in Charlotte, and know more about their journey, you need not look further than Urban Gourmet Farms. Located on Griffith road, Urban Gourmet is one of the city’s most reputed mushroom farms known for their self-sustained and organic farming style.

A strict departure from the “packed and processed” style of farming, cultivators at Urban Gourmet Farms believe in quality over quantity, and in the principle that consumers must get the best possible products grown with the best of practices. To that end, the farm does not use any pesticides or chemicals and instead utilizes a climate control system that allows them to simulate the ideal climate required for any particular mushroom species to grow.

All mushrooms within the farm are grown in bags which simulate the ideal humidity and temperature. Furthermore, the mushrooms are grown on organic mediums (substrate), which too are locally sourced as much as possible.

Urban Gourmet Farms cultivate several species of mushrooms – even the seasonal ones are grown within this farm courtesy their climate control systems. Examples include Lion’s Mane Mushrooms, Trumpet Mushrooms, Shiitake Mushroom, Oyster Mushrooms and Maitake (Hen of the Woods) Mushrooms, among others.

Contact Information:

Address: 594 Griffith Rd, Charlotte, NC 28217, USA

Phone: 980-505-1514

Website: https://www.urbangourmetfarms.com/

If you’re looking for a classic, traditional farm experience where you can truly enjoy with your family, then the Hodges Family Farm is the place to be. Located in Charlotte’s Mecklenburg County, the family-owned and operated farm is one of the biggest in the Queen City since the establishment of the Hodges House in 1908.

Spread across a massive 187-acre tract of farmland, the farm used to grow cotton and was used as a dairy farm. None of those activities are now pursued however, and the farm is now used as an educational one. That said, they still grow minor crops and have a thriving livestock-raising system.

The farm itself is a visual treat that showcases remnants of the elements of the era in which it originates. The Hodges House sits at the center of the farm – right between a large set of several agricultural structures, both contributing as well as noncontributing.

The Hodges Family Farm remains a private one throughout the year – however it does host some events that are public and free to attend. Activities include spring festivals (filled with activities like blowing bubbles and egg hunts), fruit-picking (the farm held its first ever strawberry-picking event in 2018), and of course the Annual Pumpkin Patch.

Contact Information:

Address: 3900 Rocky River Rd E, Charlotte, NC 28215, USA

Phone: 704-608-8897

Website: http://hodgesfarmnc.com

If you’re looking for a true and classic family farm where you can have a good time with your family, Hall Family Farm is the place to go. Located in Charlotte’s Ballantyne area, Hall Family Farm is a family-owned and operated farm that has been successfully in business for the past 70 years – and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

While the farm originally grew cotton (something that they no longer do), they offer a wide variety of produce, from strawberries in the spring, to seasonal vegetables in the summer, to corn and pumpkin in the winter – and much more. One can buy these in their in-farm sales tent.

The services of this farm do not stop at food, however. Hall Family Farm offers several family activities, picnic tables and hayrides, along with children-specific activities. They also offer several refreshments and snacks in their sales tent for visitors to enjoy.

Contact Information:

Address: 10713 Providence Rd West, Charlotte, NC 28277

Phone: (704) 562-4021

Website: http://hallfamilyfarm.com

If you’re looking for a farm that’s a little set apart from the rest, you should definitely give Ross Farms a try. Located in the Queen City itself, Ross Farms is a perennial nursery that specializes in growing high-quality flowering plants. While they do not (and in fact cannot) grow hard-core gardening plants, they do have a very wide collection of perennials, which in fact make up 99% of everything they produce.

Ross Garden has perennials for all sorts of gardens, tastes and varieties. In addition to growing classic perennials such as hosta, phlox, peony and veronica, among others, they offer special perennials that specifically attract certain animals and insects, such as finch and honey bees. They also offer ornamental and designer plants, as well as groundcovers for decorative purposes. Ross Farms grows several hard-to-find varieties of plants as well.

No matter what sort of perennial you’ve been looking for, there’s every chance you will find it here.

Contact Information:

Address: 9424 Community House Road, Charlotte, NC 28277

Phone: (704) 543-6388

Website: https://www.rossperennialfarm.com

If you’re partial towards food that is absolutely natural, there’s no place like All Natural Farms. Located in Rutherfordton, All Natural Farms LLC specializes in producing and supplying premium quality organic meat. A family-owned and operated business, the farm, spread over 50 Acres, produces a wide variety of meat such as (but not limited to) grass fed lamb, Grass and grain finished Beef, free range chickens and Pasture Raised pork.

The farm raises their own meat, and makes it a point to not include any sort of antibiotics or added hormones. Their meat is flash frozen and vacuum sealed and thoroughly inspected and certified by the USDA.

Contact Information:

Address: Charlotte Regional Farmers Market, 1801 Yorkmont Rd, Building B, Charlotte, NC 28217

Phone: N/A

Website: http://allnaturalfarms.org

If you’re looking for a farm that offers a very wide range of products, you should definitely put Windcrest Farm at the top of your list. Founded by Ray and Mary Roberts Tarlton (who are also the co-owners and managers of Final Touch Construction Services), Windcrest is a family-owned and operated farm that is spread over an area of 14 acres and located in Monroe, 30 miles south of downtown Charlotte.

The farm is dedicated to biodiversity and sustainable agriculture principles and to that end, makes it a point to grow products and plants that are friendly to the ecosystem and to the customers. The farm grows over 250,000 flower, herb and vegetable plants every year, and includes rare plant varieties as well. True to their motto, all of their flowers and produce are Certified Organic by the USDA, using amendments that meet the standards of the National Organics Program (NOP), organic fertilizers and natural methods of pest control.

Besides farming, the farm supplies home gardeners and farmers markets, and conducts hand-on classes to guide gardeners and farmers at the beginning of their career on learning the tenets of sustainable agricultural practice.

Contact Information:

Address: Monroe, NC

Phone: 704-764-7746

Website: http://www.windcrestorganics.com

If you’re looking for a great farm with good produce, Poplar Ridge Farm is the place you should go to. Located 24 miles south of Uptown Charlotte, Poplar Ridge Farm small-yet-very-popular farm that offers some of the best produce in the Charlotte, NC area.

An Organic Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm that is certified by the USDA, Poplar Ridge Farm was founded by Marianne Battistone and Philip Norwood – athletes who have been involved in and made great contribution to the field of advanced nutrition and organic food movement since their teenage years. The family-owned and managed farm grows a wide variety of herbs and produce, which it sells through online orders and on-farm market stands, and also supplies to high end restaurants in Charlotte’s metro area. Rather than focusing on wholesale sales and farmers markets, Poplar aims to serve the local community and makes the local area its sole focus.

Contact Information:

Address: 1619 Waxhaw Indian Trail Rd S, Waxhaw, NC 28173

Phone: 704-843-5744

Website: http://www.poplarridgefarmnc.com/