Photo by Morgan Wujkowski
Florida’s Gulf Coast is known for its pristine beaches and white sand. However, what many people don’t see is what’s happening inland. A quiet agricultural movement is currently taking root. Across the area, front yards are transforming into productive, urban garden spaces, proving that fresh food doesn’t need rural acreage to thrive. A local urban farm, called Hoot & Harvest, sits at the heart (and roots) of this movement. This compact farm showcases how focusing on local growing can nourish both people and community, one seed at a time.
Photo by Morgan Wujkowski
The Roots of Hoot & Harvest
Hoot & Harvest is a garden oasis. It sits two miles outside of Gulfport. Partners Anne Gloeckner and Joe Morris launched their urban farm two years ago on Gloeckner’s property. They grow on 1,500 square feet of land. The couple transformed Gloeckner’s front yard from standard suburban to urban-farm space. And they grow biodynamically cultivated vegetables, herbs, and edible plants. Biodynamic farming treats the farm as a living, self-sustaining ecosystem. It focuses on soil vitality, biodiversity, and natural rhythms with no synthetic chemicals.
“We discovered an urban farmer in New Port Richey who was farming front yards and it inspired me to convert my front yard into a garden,” said Gloeckner. “When I had people stopping me in the yard or knocking on my door to buy produce, is when I knew this could be a viable business and also help build community.”
The duo highlights biodynamic growing practices, creating symbiotic relationships with all creatures in their yard. They don’t use any pesticides or herbicides in their growing, and they pack their own soil blocks for their seeds, plant starts, and saplings.
Photo by Morgan Wujkowski
Growing From Seed
Everything at Hoot & Harvest grows from seed. Gloeckner transformed her backyard into a full blown nursery that Morris tends to daily. Each soil block is hand-pressed and incubated in their climate-controlled, indoor grow room before being transplanted outside. The grow room also helps them get a jumpstart on the growing season, where they cater to what they and customers like to eat.
“Growing from seed allows us to guarantee that our plants are grown following organic growing practices only,” said Gloeckner. “We even make our own soil mix. We pride ourselves on being able to grow and offer strong healthy plants that aren’t reliant on synthetic fertilizers or treated with pesticides and herbicides.”
This practice dramatically reduces the risk of plant disease and pests — common causes of failed crops when home-growing in Florida’s weather roller coaster. Gloeckner and Morris also take advantage of Pinellas County’s free mulch program. The mulch is hot-composted to kill any residual roots and helps conserve soil moisture.
Twice a year, they amend their garden soil with the mulch. This ultimately improves soil structure, increasing nutrients, and boosting water retention.
Photo by Morgan Wujkowski
Gulfport Tuesday Fresh Market
The Hoot & Harvest team are champions of sustainable, local food. As regular vendors at the Gulfport Tuesday Fresh Market, their work aims to reconnect residents with where their food comes from. They prove that even in an urban setting, anyone can grow their own healthy vegetables. Right now, Gloeckner and Morris only produce for Gulfport’s market. However, that’s enough to keep them busy every day of the week. Crops are cut, washed, spun, dried, and packaged on Mondays. You know what you’re buying is freshly-picked and the vegetables scream freshness.
“Gardens grow community,” said Gloeckner. “And you can make a lot of food on a little property. We are producing food to take to our community.”
Pro tip: Get there early. Much of the produce, especially the broccoli, bagged salad mixes, and mustard green bouquets sell out first thing. For $1, customers can purchase plant starters. And herbs are often be found for a buy three, get one free deal.
“Good food should be affordable,” Gloeckner said. “We show people how to grow their own food by getting them started with strong healthy plants that will produce throughout the growing season.”
What’s Next
This year, Hoot & Harvest will be the exclusive pepper plant supplier of the Pinellas Pepper Fest on April 13 and 14. Pepper Fest is a free event to attend, full of vendors, and is one of the hottest (literally) events all year. To prepare, the couple has planted more than 55 varieties of peppers requiring nearly 4,000 hand-planted seeds — a big undertaking, that excites both Gloeckner and Morris.
At a time when much of our food travels hundreds, if not thousands, of miles before reaching our plates, Hoot & Harvest offers a quieter, more rooted alternative. Hoot & Harvest continues to grow more than produce — they’re cultivating knowledge, resilience, and a stronger sense of community.
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