Tims Family Farm

The Tims Family Farm has been a family business for nearly 40 years. The younger of the brothers Robert works farm operations, while big brother Tom is responsible for sales and marketing. They operate a store in Ripley and also sell their produce at farmers' markets in Jackson and downtown Memphis. Mom Jean oversees the small store at their farm with the help of her brother Tom Stewart. Cousin Mike Tims is also involved along with Tom’s wife Stephanie and Robert’s friend Karen who manage two stalls at the Memphis Farmers Market. A total of eight people help to run the day-to-day operations plus a small crew at the farm.

Located in Ripley, Tennessee, the Tims start all their crops from seed relying on seasonal rains for irrigation. All produce is picked by hand, a big job since 30 acres are in production. (The other 35 acres are leased out for soybeans and cotton production.) Their focus is on tomatoes. Three varieties are grown—Mountain Spring, Mountain Fresh and Floralina. All are hybrids resistant to fungicide. This year they are growing 25,000 tomato plants, along with several other crops such as peppers, eggplants, corn, picklers, melons, peas, beans and squash.

Brothers Tom and Robert are key to the success of the business. Robert grew up on the farm and stayed to carry on, whereas Tom tried his hand as a California forest ranger for a while then worked in the Las Vegas casino business for 25 years. His love of the land drew him home to rejoin his family.

Expect to see the Tims Family Farm at the Memphis Farmers Market until October 28, the end of the Mid-south growing season. They’ll be bringing cool weather crops once the heat of the summer winds down. “We’re taking a breather now for the next phase of plantings before early fall,” Robert says. “We’ll have a late crop of broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, pumpkins and other late season crops such as mustard and turnip greens.”

“The future for small produce farmers is in retail, especially markets like the Memphis Farmers Market, “ says Tom. “This market has really helped us out a lot.”

You can visit the Tims every Saturday at their stalls 10 and 12. Their produce will tempt you with its flavor, variety and quality.