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Our History
From about the 1940’s to the early 1970’s
my two cousins, J.C. and J.D. Dellinger both ran their own
successful mail order sweet potato business in Gleason, TN
(my hometown). They had three varieties: Nancy Hall, Puerto
Rican, and Centennial. Mr. J.D. and I talked a lot about
this business before he passed away in the late eighties.
He was an excellent gardener. Mr. J.C. passed away when I
was very young. My father talked a lot about both of them
being excellent gardeners. My father and mother both were
master gardeners as well. My grandfather, Charlie C. Branon
built a successful mail order potato business in the 1940’s
and 50’s. He only had two varieties: Nancy Hall and Puerto
Rican. My mother and her brothers and sisters helped him
grow and ship plants. My family had a small acreage of
potatoes until I was a teenager. Merril Brock, Sr., my
wife’s grandfather, and M. F. Brock, Jr. (her father) both
of Martin, TN had several acres of sweet potatoes in the
late 1930’s until about 1955. They also raised their own
plants. Several thousand bushels were shipped by railroad
and semi-trailer. Hearing these family members talk about
their potato fields and mail order business inspired me to
give this a try. Our family started growing and shipping
plants in 1985. My wife Donna, our son Jeffery and daughter
Andrea and myself and a few neighbors were our crew. The
seed stock we started with was from a competitor. Those
seeds were destroyed many years ago. For more than ten
years now, our plants have been State certified. The
Tennessee state inspector from the Dept. of Agriculture
checks our plant beds, fields and our winter storage
facility for disease and pest. We have certification papers
on file year round. Our potatoes are checked several times
per year. We are proud to say we have never had a sweet
potato weevil on our farm. Many growers, small and large,
are very concerned about this pest. According to our cold
winter climate, sweet potato weevils can’t winter in our
ground. We have accumulated our nine potato varieties from
other certified dealers in North Carolina, Georgia and a
lifelong friend in Tennessee.
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