Couple Ditches City Life to Operate Small Organic Farm in Lewis County

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Rhiannon and Corey Weidmann, the owners and operators of Vienna Gardens, an organic farm in Silver Creek, said that when they were living in Virginia and working as a hairstylist and a chef, respectively, they never would have imagined owning a farm in rural Washington, but they couldn’t be happier with where they are now.

At Vienna Gardens, named after Rhiannon’s late mother, various types of organic crops are grown on about a quarter acre and the gardens are home to 48 pasture-raised, egg-laying hens that are more like pets, Rhiannon said. The Weidmanns sell most of their produce at four farmers markets around Southwest Washington — Centralia, Castle Rock, Toledo and Morton. 

“We love working for ourselves and we love what we do and we love growing food for people, but we also really love the community. We have really come to find out how much we are appreciated and how much other small farms are appreciated,” Rhiannon Weidmann said. “It’s not just about the food, it’s about how it’s grown and where it comes from.” 

The couple, now in their early 30s, moved to Seattle in 2015, but after less than a year in the city, decided that the crowded and expensive aspects of city life were not for them. They came across a farmhouse and barn, built in the mid-1930s, on 5 acres of land and got to work restoring the house and readying the land for planting.

After about a two-year transition and preparation period, the couple started farming full time and have been doing so for about two years now. Rhiannon Weidmann said that a lot of what drew them to start Vienna Gardens was the desire to have easy access to fresh, organic and nutritious produce to incorporate into their meals. 

“We eat something that we grew every day if not every meal. It’s a good portion of our diet until about December. I feel a lot healthier. I can tell a difference between January when we are not really eating anything from the farm versus right now. I have more energy, I feel better, my mood is more uplifted,” she said.

During the transition period to full-time farming, the couple still had their apartment in Seattle and Rhiannon would work as a hairstylist four days a week then travel down to Silver Creek to help Corey with the farm and house renovations and nanny a couple of days a week.

“It was a weird, always-working situation to make our dreams come alive and make our house what it is since it’s an older farmhouse. It was definitely an experience,” she said.

Some of the challenges they have faced during their farming experience include learning which crops thrive in Southwest Washington and which crops sell best at farmers markets. 



“It’s a good life to live. We’re always learning — which is awesome,” she said. “We would like a vacation — but not really — because we are enjoying everything so much.” 

Rhiannon takes produce to the four farmers markets four days a week while Corey stays home and plants and tends to the garden. On non-market days ,the couple works in the garden together.

“If you would’ve said ‘you’re going to be farming in five years’ I would have thought ‘you’re crazy,’” said Rhiannon.

A typical day for the Weidmanns starts at about 5:30 a.m. The chickens are fed, then work begins in the garden, usually planting of some kind, until around 5 p.m. Rhiannon said making lists of what needs to get done each day helps them stay on track.

“If something gets pulled out of the ground we immediately plant something in its place. It’s a constant rotation,” said Rhiannon.

Looking toward the future of Vienna Gardens, Rhiannon said that they would like to continue to grow as much organic food as possible. She said that for now, the farmers markets are working out perfectly, but in the future, they would like to start up a community-supported agriculture (CSA) system as a way to distribute more crops to the community.

“One of our goals is to eventually hold classes so people can come out and we can show them how to build a (garden) bed easily. People don’t need a quarter acre to grow food, they just need a couple of square feet and they can grow a lot in that,” said Rhiannon.

Those interested in buying some of the organic produce grown at Vienna Gardens can stop by any of the four farmers markets — Centralia, Morton, Toledo, and Castle Rock — that they regularly attend or email any questions to viennagardenspnw@gmail.com