DUBLIN, Ga. — Alexis Edwards has a hydroponic lettuce garden in her backyard in Dublin.
"It's grown all in water. It never touches any dirt. We don't spray any pesticides. It gets fed by nutrients like iron, calcium, potassium, 24/7," Edwards said.
She and her husband Colby started R&G Farms 12-years-ago, making lettuce year-round and building partnerships with school districts.
"We sell to our schools here in Laurens County. We sell to all the Dublin City schools and we also sell to Baldwin County in Milledgeville," she said.
Once COVID-19 caused schools to close, Edwards says their business took a major hit.
"On a weekly basis I would probably sell 100 cases or more a week and there's 12 heads in a case, and now I'm probably down to selling 15 cases a week. So a huge, a huge cut," she said.
They couple has maintained their business with Emory Hospital in Atlanta and a few local restaurants. Edwards says it's important to know where your food comes from when a pandemic hits.
"They think just grocery stores and pharmacies are an essential business, but your farms are an essential business. Your farms are the ones that are still trying to get the food out there to you," Edwards said.
Even though time may feel a bit uncertain at the moment, she says farmers are always preparing for the future.
"This has hit us hard, but we can't just shut down and stop growing. We have to continue to grow and be ready for when this is over," she said.
Edwards says they're offering curbside pick up for anyone who'd like to buy some lettuce.
She says the Laurens County community has really rallied behind them to help get the word out.
People who would like to pick up some lettuce can send a message R&G Farms on Facebook or send an email to lettucelady47@att.net
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