Turning a Backyard Garden into a Thriving Farm in Alaska
She used the microloan to buy a walk-in cooler so she can immediately move her product from field harvest to refrigeration, preserving the freshness and quality.
By Tracy Robillard, NRCS
USDA Farmers Gov Alaska·
Mar 21, 2025
Excerpt:
This Friday meet Carey Restino, owner and operator of Homer Hilltop Farm in Homer, Alaska. Starting with a simple backyard garden nearly two decades ago, Carey now has a thriving farm business that has more than quadrupled in size. Her 15-acre farm is situated on Diamond Ridge overlooking the pristine, blue waters of Kachemak Bay, and provides a steady source of nutritious, organically grown food and flowers to the community.
“I grew up on a subsistence farm, we grew just about everything we ate,” Carey said. “I found myself as a single mother with two kids and thinking, ‘What on earth am I going to teach them that’s valuable?’ and I did some soul searching.”
Farming was her answer. Homer Hilltop Farm began with a few raised beds, where Carey and her two toddlers could experience the joy of getting their hands in the soil, exploring what foods they could grow, and hoping to glean a youthful lesson or two about hard work and nature. Her son, Liam, and daughter, Théa, are now adults and are still integral members of the enterprise.
Source: https://cityfarmer.info/turning-a-backyard-garden-into-a-thriving-farm-in-alaska/
