Matts Organic Gardens

Matt’s Organic Gardens Sharing the Passion BY MICHELLE KOCHPHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHELLE KOCHAPRIL 17, 2019 A man’s silhouetted hand directs needle-nosed tweezers, as he teases out an onion seed from the plastic seed dispenser cradled in the other hand. Selecting just one, he places it into a single circular opening of an improvised wooden grid. Homemade and terrifically clever, it rests atop the surface of the soil in the pot he’s focused on, getting the spacing just right. Dozens more empty pots and trays await their turn. “It’s a labor of love,” says Matt Ernst. The grandson of Jack Stacy, who ran this nursery and vegetable growing enterprise following his brother Mike’s passing, Ernst is excited in resurrecting his grandfather’s mission of organic gardening, but also in educating the public, particularly our youngest Cape Codders, on the joy of gardening and raising their own food. Glancing at its location on Upper County Road in Dennis Port, the two heatable greenhouses and two unheated production hoop houses that comprise Matt’s Organics are nearly hidden from view by the commercial buildings in front. At the abutting property next door are the office and garages housing the trucks and equipment that power Mike Stacy Landscaping. Originally his Great Uncle Mike’s operation, then grandfather Jack’s, it now belongs to him, Matt Ernst. “I’ve always had my fingers in the dirt here, either feeding the chickens we keep, or helping with the watering. During high school, I worked with my grandfather taking care of the vegetables and selling from my own little lean-to farm stand and pitching in at some farmers’ markets,” says Ernst. “After attending the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at UMass Amherst, I’ve run Mike Stacy’s Landscaping, doing traditional lawn and yard care and garden design as my primary work for the past decade.” Jack Stacy, his grandfather, is known for growing a gorgeous selection of organic vegetable and herb starter plants for the home gardener, as well as for the impeccable produce that he sold at area farmers’ markets from 2004 until 2015. Three years ago Ernst began the process of restarting Stacy’s business model, and is thrilled that Jack is often there to lend a hand and be a sounding board. By the summer of 2019, Matt’s Organics production should be humming, with new tweaks and add-ons on the way. Presently Ernst oversees about 18 employees: a full-time crew of ten at Mike Stacy’s, three to five at the greenhouses; his wife Jan and even their two young daughters, who do what they can to help. “My real unsung hero, though, is Diane Waters. She is the backbone here, doing payroll, administration, scheduling, A/P, A/R, taxes and other things here and there, too.” He says of this stellar employee (who also goes by “Mom”), “We wouldn’t exist without her and that’s all there is to it.” Beginning early in the new year, Ernst, his wife and a few part timers began the sowing indoors in the bays of the one-time industrial garage space now turned seed emporium. He says, “I was fortunate to find some retired people who love growing as much as we do.” Rows of labeled trays nestle under a grow light system designed by Jack, providing the light and temperature necessary for sprouting. The rich musk of the soil and the varied palette of green shoots unfurling atop its deep brown-black surface are welcome scents and sights during some of the coldest days of the year. Boxes of seed packets stand at the ready, adjacent to a blotter-sized calendar with planting dates meticulously penciled in. “We tend to favor Johnny’s and High Mowing seeds,” says Ernst. “This year we’re more organized than ever in keeping good records.” Wanting to get an early jump on things, his onions, shallots, leeks, kale, broccoli, cabbage, celery and chives are well underway. Peppers, chervil and chamomile will be among the other 70 or so choices offered for sale, plus more unusual varieties like anise and artichokes. Ernst says, “We open