A to Z Farm Produce
Moscow, Idaho
By Terri Schmidt, Co-op volunteer writer
Keith W. Holzman’s passion for growing food began at an early age. When he was six years old, he grew vegetables on his family’s farm, filled a red wagon with his harvest, and pulled it around to sell produce to neighbors. He was able to create his own 1.5-acre farm, A to Z Farm Produce, when he and his family moved to Moscow in 2009.
When I visited Keith, we walked through light snow to get to his greenhouse, where he grows lemons, limes, kumquats, oranges, rosemary, and a giant aloe plant all through the winter. He said, “I grow cactus plants and citrus in the winter because I just love growing things and need to be growing something.” He has a great set-up on his cell phone that allows him to control the heat, fan, and light in his greenhouse from anywhere in the world, which is very useful since he loves to travel and has been all over the United States, Mexico, Canada, Asia, and Europe.
When outdoor planting weather arrives, Keith grows an amazing array of fruits and vegetables – apples, pears, plums, berries, currents, potatoes, carrots, beets, squash, purslane, peppers, corn, beans, onions, bok choy, tomatoes, leeks, nuts, and more. He plants some unique items to avoid interfering with what other local growers are doing – things like dragon tongue beans, honey nut squash, seckel pears, American chestnuts, and jostaberries. Last fall he also planted 600 garlic bulbs.
Keith plots out a map for each garden season, being sure to rotate crops to keep them healthy. Since 2016 he has been keeping records of when plants produced, how much was harvested, climate impacts, etc. In early September, he starts watching the weather to see how it affects plants. He learns something new every year. Keith also saves seeds—soaking, air drying, and vacuum sealing them.
The soil at Keith’s farm is very fertile, and he takes steps to protect and nurture it. He has not rototilled for ten years; the soil is so well composted that rototilling isn’t necessary. The improved earth is about a foot deep now. Cornstalks are left to decompose each season to contribute to the soil; they take about 1.5 years to break down and Keith waits at least three years to replant the same crop in the same area, so many areas of the farm are benefiting from a lattice of stalks. Keith says that digging root vegetables also loosens the soil.
Additionally, no pesticides or chemicals are used on the farm. Keith noted the advantage of eating naturally grown food is that “I know what’s in it. We just don’t know what those chemicals do to our bodies."
Keith adds, “I hope people enjoy my produce. I’ve heard stories that everyone loves my garlic and peppers. I encourage people to keep buying local.”
The Holzman family is multi-faceted. Keith has been an EMT, police officer, and firefighter; he currently works as a general contractor. His wife, Gabriela, works for the Moscow School District, for HOPE School in Spokane, and for Stanford Hospital in California. Their son Joshua, age 27, went to the Culinary Institute of America in New York and became a chef, emulating Keith’s mother’s side of the family, who have long been involved in the restaurant business. Their son Noah, age 22, attends the University of Idaho, has worked multiple jobs ranging from mechanics to retail sales, and also plays bass, following in the footsteps of his Dad, who played electric guitar, and his grandfather, who ran an orchestra.