Meet the Farmer Who Pivoted in Her Fifties From a Law Firm to a Microgreens Farm
Tami Purdue waited until later in life to start her urban agriculture career. Now, she runs a thriving microgreens farm and community garden.
By Lauren David
Modern Farmer
Feb 16, 2024
Excerpt:
Tami Purdue didn’t grow up on a farm or have a background in growing food. For twenty years, she worked as a legal manager for a prominent law firm in Raleigh, North Carolina, working 60-80 hours a week. “Work was my whole world,” she says. “I knew it wasn’t good for my health.” Already in her fifth decade, she was ready for a change and a new career path.
In 2014, a weekend gardening workshop taught by Will Allen of Growing Power changed everything. Her goal for the class was to learn how to improve her soil and figure out how to compost. “Why was my soil so bad that I couldn’t grow tomatoes correctly?” she wanted to know.
Planting a tray of microgreens—nutrient-dense seedlings that are typically ready in three to seven weeks—and taking them home was also part of the curriculum. When her arugula tray successfully germinated, a seed was literally planted. She loved the quick results and cute miniature results. “I can do this,” she thought. So, she continued to grow them, eventually drafting a business plan, out of which Sweet Peas Urban Gardens was born. “I’m a microgreen farmer because of arugula,” she says. “The workshop turned out to be life-changing.”
