Q&A With Klein’s Farm & Garden Market Owner

As a young boy, Matt Klein loved the daily routine of toting sweet corn, tomatoes and other produce with his dad to the family’s farm stands in Elgin.

“That’s how I learned how to drive a truck,” recalls Matt Klein, owner of Klein’s Farm & Garden Market.

Today, the third-generation farmer runs the Burlington-based farm as well as two vegetable and flower stands in Elgin with his wife, Chris; sons, Alex, Sam and Jonathan; and Alex’s wife, Krista.

Together, they grow a wide range of produce, from sweet corn and tomatoes to melons, cucumbers and green beans, as well as larger-than-average hanging baskets, planters and bedding plants. Many start from seed inside 11 on-site greenhouses.

Klein talks with Partners about the family business and planting from seed.

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What is the history of Klein’s Farm and Garden Market?

It started in the early ’60s. My grandfather and grandmother were dairy farmers and also raised crops. They let my dad, Randy, have some land and help pay his way through college, where he met my mother, Judy. They continued the vegetable operation here in Burlington. I was the oldest of four children, and all of us were somewhat involved when we were young. As I got older, I worked on the farm. I went away to college, unsure what I wanted to do, but after college, I decided to come back to the farm.

Why do you start most of your plants from seed?

I feel we have control of it as much as possible by growing our own plants from seed. It involves more risk, but we can manage our plants basically from start to finish ourselves, and we can choose varieties based on flavor. For example, we have 40 or 50 varieties of tomato plants because different people want different types of tomatoes, and there’s a market for every one of those varieties.

What’s the seeding process like?

For the crops that need transplanting, such as tomatoes, melons and peppers, we’ll seed those in our greenhouse. Some we do by hand, but we have a seeding machine that helps us because we do thousands of tomatoes and thousands of peppers. It’s still labor-intensive to water and take care of them. Then, we have a machine that helpers ride on in the field to transplant the plants in the field. There are also many crops we can direct-seed right in the field, like sweet corn, green beans and pumpkins.

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Does growing from seed pose any challenges?

It does require a lot of patience. The most difficult thing we encounter is scheduling when to seed because we usually have to seed multiple plantings. We have to get it all timed so that it comes in perfect. We generally seed tomatoes the first of April and plant them when they’re about 10 inches tall in mid-May.

Any advice for growers like yourself?

Talk to other growers who have been doing it for many years. That’s probably your best bet. Then, set yourself apart from the stores because you have to make your product or your experience worth it for people to make that extra trip. Choose varieties that taste good and maybe ones large commercial growers aren’t taking time to grow. They’re looking for value products that ship well and have nice color.

Can you offer any growing tips for customers?

I would recommend seriously looking at smaller, independent garden centers or people with farms who grow their own plants because a lot of times, the plants that come through the big box stores have been grown to withstand shipment and time. So, they may not be acclimated to your area. Local plants are generally going to be better adapted to your area, meaning they’ll perform better.

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