Collegiate Times

Jason Pall sells his products from Glade Road Growing, a local farm, at the farmers market.

Placing several fresh tomatoes into a customer’s bag, Jason Pall stood beside his farm-grown produce, sporting a tucked-in Glade Road Growing T-shirt to represent his business.

Vibrant red and green chili peppers lay adjacent to purple eggplants, touching the shades of yellow and orange squash, all mimicking colors of the fall season.

Pall, with a tuft of blond hair hiding under a cap, leaned against a splintering wooden table holding a cash box and scale. He conversed with a female buyer about an heirloom variety turnip, revealing the evident passion he holds for growing crops.

Holding a bundle of herbs, hands cracked and speckled with dirt — his worn khakis had a similar appearance — it was clear he had just endured a hectic day of farm work.

Pall, a Blacksburg local, was unaware that his time spent in this town would guide him to an agricultural life. 

“I started volunteering when I was an undergraduate for a local farm that does something similar to what I do now,” Pall said. “Once a week I would go for four hours, and I really enjoyed it.”

Pall moved to Blacksburg nine years ago with his wife to be part of the Virginia Tech community, where they later initiated Glade Road Growing, a small farm across from Heritage Park in Blacksburg specializing in annual vegetables, honey and apples. 

Although he is in no way a novice to the art of growing and farming, Pall’s business is only experiencing its first year at the Blacksburg Farmers Market since June. 

Rain or shine, he expects to be there every Wednesday and Saturday when the market is open. Although he does not own the land he farms on, Pall and his wife own the operation together. Pall makes up about 80 percent of the labor, and volunteers take on the other 20 percent.

With a distant look in his eyes, it is clear Pall has undergone grueling physical labor on the farm — he spends an average of 60 to 70 hours per week growing, washing and marketing his crops, all to make ends meet. 

Jessica St. John, a friend of Pall’s who works on Greenstar Farm, has observed the diligent qualities he exudes around his peers and fellow vendors.

 “He’s definitely a really hard worker, and he’s motivated. He tends to kind of see a lot of different possibilities and how they all work together,” St. John said.

With this being his first small business, he must work day in and day out to ensure successful produce and in turn, lucrative sales.

“You have to do it full time. You’ll never be good at it unless you quit everything and do it,” Pall said. “It’s too much work, and you’ll never stay on top of your system. You have to go all in or get out.”

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A version of this article appeared in the Nov 10 issue of the Collegiate Times.