Our story
Welcome to our farm, we’re so glad you’re here! We are Shane and Metra Weaver, and we manage our farm together while also working full time as nurses. We purchased our farm in November of 2020. At the time we were both traveling as nurses, living in our fifth wheel, and driving back and forth to Florida, where our families still live, in between contracts. During the five years we traveled, we were blessed to see and experience so much our beautiful country has to offer. From the historic cities in and around Delaware, to the Pacific Ocean on the coast of Oregon and the Sierra mountains of California, we have seen so much and are so grateful for that experience! During our travels however, we knew we would one day settle down in a small country town, somewhere in the Southeast, and establish a farm where we could raise our own meat and grow our own vegetables. And that is where we are today!
The first thing we did after purchasing our property was establish our veg garden beds. Our land had previously been hayfields and was extremely depleted of all macro and micro-nutrients. We wanted to establish these beds quickly as we were headed back out for another 3-month travel assignment. So, we decided on raised beds using Charles Dowding’s method of no-till. Laying cardboard over the grass, followed by a thick layer of fallen leaves, and finishing them off with a six-inch layer of compost, we left these beds to sit over winter. Upon our return home the next spring we planted our first vegetables there and have been adding to our garden ever since.
Tended with care
At Fork and Tiller Farm we believe that if we nourish the soil, it will in return, nourish our bodies. Therefore, we focus on regenerative agriculture as a model for how to care for our land. The idea of regenerative agriculture is that you don’t take anything from the soil without replenishing it and allowing it to rest. So, after harvesting a field of corn, we will then sow a carbon rich and/or nitrogen fixing cover crop that will be terminated (or chopped and dropped), which will then give life and nutrients back into the soil. You see, that cover crop will be growing living roots under the ground which feeds all the microorganisms. These microorganisms are what break down nutrients in the ground into a usable form the plants can use to produce a harvest that will be grown for us to consume. The cycle will continue with a layer of compost and then another cover crop that will be chopped down and left to re-nourish the soil each season.
We also grow and sell fresh cut flowers for all occasions whether it’s a baby shower or a birthday party, an anniversary, or a wedding…. we can help.
With our a-la-cart option, you can easily order exactly what you need with no hidden costs.
Our flower bar is an fun option for a bridal or baby shower.
Our CSA subscription is a perfect gift for Christmas or Mother’s Day. With optional delivery, your loved one can receive a bouquet of fresh cut flowers every week during our subscription periods with no effort on their part.
Only an hour NW of Knoxville, TN you will find our farm is worth the drive.
