In the spotlight. . . Five Cedars Farm of Cedartown

( Editor’s Note: First in a series spotlighting local and area farmers, who participate in the Rockmart Farmers Market.)

Five Cedars Farm is a beautiful, well-orga- nized vegetable and fruit farm owned and operated by Hank and Debbie Connelly. Including their hoop house and barn, they have 3 acres of property devoted to farming. What started as 4 rows to produce their own food has turned into an award -winning, full time job that the Connelly’s take great pride in.

Hank and Debbie Connelly met in Washington DC, both working in the corporate world. After retiring, the couple decided to move to Cedartown.

The Connelly’s purchased part of Debbie’s father’s property to build their home. Once the couple settled, her father plowed 4 rows to start their garden. The garden and interest in growing and preserving their harvest continued to expand.

The couple soon decided to place a roadside stand at the end of their driveway to sell their extra crops to the public, just as Debbie’s family had done when she was growing up. Five Cedars Farm quickly became a hit.

Since that time, the couple has built a barn, put in an irrigation system and added a hoop house to their property.

The barn serves as the base of their operation now; this prevents traffic from backing up on the road and allows their customers to see where everything is grown.

Five Cedars Farm does an excellent job ensuring a constant crop of tomatoes each year, planting well over 1,000 plants throughout the season.

There are also tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupes, sweet potatoes, okra, cucumbers, green beans, eggplants, snap peas and a wide assortment of peppers.

Additionally, Five Cedars Farm prepares a range of delicious preserved foods using ingredients grown at their farm.

You can visit Five Cedars Farm any day of the week and every Thursday at the Rockmart Farmers Market in downtown Rockmart.