06/17/2026
After spending the morning harvesting garlic and getting thousands of bulbs carefully arranged on curing racks and pallets, we moved on to preparing beds for sweet potato planting. Everything was going according to plan for once. About an hour later, we heard an incredibly loud crash from across the farm. The kind of sound that immediately makes your stomach drop.
We ran to the shipping container and discovered that the lean-to roof had completely collapsed, crashing down directly onto the garlic curing area. Thankfully, nobody was underneath it when it happened. Had the timing been just a little different, the outcome could have been much worse. Material can be replaced. People can’t.
Now it’s time for damage control. Ashley’s dad, who originally built the structure, is carefully taking it apart piece by piece because the collapsed roof is simply too heavy to lift safely as a single unit. Once it’s dismantled, the plan is to build a smaller temporary cover to protect the garlic from the rain that’s in the forecast this week and throughout the curing process.
Farming has a way of reminding you who’s really in charge. One minute you’re celebrating a successful garlic harvest, and the next you’re staring at a pile of twisted metal wondering how you’re going to salvage the day. Thankfully everyone is safe, the garlic appears to be mostly intact.
P.S. The farm store is still open today as planned.