Hometown Farmer: 21-Year-Old Runs Garden - Siouxland News - KMEG 14 and FOX 44

(MERRILL, IA) - At the age of three, Clint Brown grew a passion for gardening. Now, at 21-years-old, Clint and his family run C. Brown Gardens in Merrill, Iowa.

He runs his own business growing every variety of tomato you can imagine with his parents and friends backing him up planting and picking for the Farmers Market.

Clint Brown started his garden business when he was just beginning high school. His mom, Audrey, said he had a love for planting at an early age.
 
"When he was 4-years-old and he wanted to plant his first tomato and his first peas and so it's just kind of snowballed, but you'd see him out here in his little boots and his t-shirt and he's planting," said Audrey Brown.
 
Clint convinced his parents he was fit to be a gardener.
 
"I was getting tired of school and I knew I was getting better and better at this," said Clint Brown.
 
Clint nurtured his garden day after day. Now 21 and four greenhouse buildings and 1,000 tomato plants later, Audrey said Clint has his eyes set on sprouting.
 
"People that are my age that have actually done this, they're looking on and saying, 'Wow!' You know, that's the accomplishment," said Audrey.

"So many of the young people don't realize the work that he's gone through to get here and what he does every week to get here."
 
And that's where friends and family step in: lending a hand to plant, pick, and pack up his garden. On one given day, Clint and his crew picked 1,000 pounds of tomatoes. That just goes to show you how much hard work it takes to get these from the farm  to the farmers market.
 
"People want to purchase it. You know, that they're excited about it, saying, 'Oh! Look at this! Oh! Look at that!,' when the carrots are ready. 'Oh! Look at that!' you know. 'Oh they taste so good!' And that, that is the reward," said Audrey.
 
Clint's dad, Steve, has a part of the business raising cattle. He sells beef at the market along with Clint's produce.
 
"He's been a joy to watch as far as he's developed from when he's been young to when he's making decisions now as an adult and realizing that you take the good with the bad," said Steve Brown.
 
Olivia asked Clint, "Do you mind sweating?"

"If I minded that, I wouldn't be doing this," he said.

Clint studies all the different tomato varieties and seed books. Audrey said people have come up to Clint and said he should teach a class about growing tomatoes.