Jo Grows
The combination of microgreens and a desire to eat healthier during the COVID pandemic sprouted a business for Jo Parker, founder of the Bradenton-based Jo Grows.
When people became more focused on growing their own foods during the pandemic, Parker decided to try her hand at gardening to feed more nutritious food to her family.
At first, she struggled with the task of starting a garden, due to the Florida heat and the usual growing pains any new gardener experiences. Yet as she learned more, she got better and realized how much she loved it.
She also found out from family members that some of their relatives in Haiti also had green thumbs. “My sister was telling me, ‘Oh, it just runs in the family,’ and I actually had no idea,” she says.
The epiphany that connected a joy of gardening and healthy eating to running a business occurred after Park successfully grew banana peppers and prepared them in her air fryer with Buffalo dip. “I remember saying out loud, ‘Oh, man, I wish I could have more of that.’ It was like a light bulb went off and was, like, ‘Hello! You grew it yourself! Go get more in the back!’”
That’s what hooked her, and she’s since expanded her garden four times to its current 20- by 20-foot size.
It prompted Parker, who has a career background in social services, toward starting Jo Grows, which specializes in microgreens and helping others start gardens.
Microgreens are veggie greens that typically are harvested when they are only an inch to three inches tall, larger than a sprout. At the microgreen stage, these plants are packed with nutrients, even more than when they are in their full form. Microgreens are easy to grow and typically are ready within a week or so of planting.
At first, Parker sold her microgreens to co-workers but then expanded to the Bradenton Market in downtown Bradenton on Saturdays, where it’s a family affair. That’s because she’s related to several other vendors including her brother-in-law who sells barbecue, her mother-in-law selling cheesecake, and a cousin-in-law selling fried chicken. All of them are located close to each other in the market, so the area is nicknamed “Family Row.”
When Parker contacted market managers about having space there to sell microgreens, they loved the idea, she says.
The microgreens that Jo Grows sells include peas, leeks, a spicy salad mix, spinach and radish, beets, and others. Each type of micro-green has its own flavor. If you visit Parker’s booth, you may find her daughters, ages 6 and 7, helping to greet you, bag what you buy, and process your payment.
There are oh-so-many ways to use microgreens, Parker says, including putting them on sandwiches, in salads, on fish or pizza, and just about any other combination you can think of. The one caution she gives is to not cook them, as that could take out some of their nutritional value.
In addition to helping people set up their own garden as part of her business, Parker shares gardening tips on her Instagram and TikTok accounts.
In the future, Parker would like to do more public speaking in schools to educate students about healthy eating and gardening.
