JDarby Farm

JDarby Farm, LLC
13650 Hwy 17

Montevallo, AL 35115

205-665-4893

Contact: Joyce Darby

Open on Saturdays during harvest season

Open the first Saturday of the month outside of harvest season

Appointments are welcome for a small fee

If you have driven down Hwy 17, just after turning off of Hwy 22, you have probably noticed the farm on the left with the maze-like fencing and wondered what it was. That fencing is only a tiny portion of Joyce Darby’s ingenuity on her seventeen acre, organically certified farm. The farm focuses on sustainability with a solar powered barn, 300’ well, and irrigation pond. The barn is built is an Amish style and is currently under renovation to be handicapped accessible. Ms. Darby has owned the farm for eight years and has worked the past two years to set up beds for medicinal herbs. One of her main focuses is to work with the oncologists at UAB to push the medical field in stressing the importance of eating well. Currently, an expansion has taken place on the farm, and Ms. Darby has cultivated 12,000 feet of the land to concentrate on not only medicinal herbs, but also basic vegetables and culinary herbs. As a result, JDarby Farm sells crops every Monday at the Montevallo Farmers Market.

During harvest, the farm is open every Saturday for the sale of fresh vegetables and herbs. Some vegetables to look for this season: potatoes, beans, peppers, cucumbers, okra, romaine lettuce, beets, many different varieties of tomatoes, and more. Soon the community supported agriculture program will be available at JDarby Farm. Those who participate will be able to choose from the vegetables in season. JDarby Farm, LLC is worth checking out, either for some organically certified herbs and vegetables, fresh eggs, or just a fun day down on the neighborhood farm. Outside of harvest season, anyone can visit the farm on the first Saturday of the month.

JDarby Farm also has an array of animals that love visitors. The farm family is made up of draft horses and riding horses, llamas and alpacas, chickens, two breeds of goats: Nigerian Dwarf and Nubian, donkeys, and J.R. the mini-horse. The animals play a large role in the farm's sustainability. They are moved from paddock to paddock in three week cycles not only to help their own livelihoods but also to aid in fertilizing and "browsing" the land.

Joyce’s goal is to make JDarby Farm a “neighborhood farm” that will be open to visits from local schools and the community. Ms. Darby also has plans to make one of her greenhouses a learning center for horticulture therapy, with a focus on injured veterans. Joyce Darby is still in the process of evolving the farm to fulfill its full potential. Once she is done though, she says, “We’ll be kicking ass!”

Christy