Meet Our Farmers: Broken Shovel Kiwi Farm
Farmer Robert Williams shows us around Broken Shovel Kiwi Farm.
Broken Shovel Kiwi Farm is one of a kind: the only vendor at our markets growing and selling hardy kiwis. Farmer Robert Williams is the one-man show behind Broken Shovel, a hardy kiwi enthusiast put on earth to spread the word about the incredible little berry. “What I want to emphasize is it’s not just that [hardy kiwis] taste great,” Robert told us, “The health aspect is what got me interested. The fact that hardy kiwis taste great is like a bonus, but the health aspect is what’s really important.”
The seed was planted around 2010 when Robert stopped by a grocery store in Poulsbo. As he was heading in, a woman walked out arms full with a flat of a unique looking berry. Always one to follow his curiosity, Robert asked the woman what she was carrying. She explained these were Chinese gooseberries, (one of many, many names hardy kiwis are known by), and she buys them for her husband who has several health issues. Recalling the exchange later on, Robert decided to do some research, and learned that not only are hardy kiwis good for you, they’re perhaps the most super of the ‘super foods’ one of the richest sources of vitamin C with prodigious immune-boosting capabilities. Why he wondered, isn’t everyone eating these?
When he learned that a Bainbridge Island plant nursery was having a sale of hardy kiwis, Robert found himself driving over and purchasing a couple for his home in Burien. His interest deepened, one thing leads to another, and he now has 59 plants growing on his property. The first few years of hardy kiwi farming were a bit of a learning curve. Robert has zero background in farming, let alone this unwieldy crop that few people have even heard of, but he continued honing his skills. “I’ve always told myself, ‘don’t let your ignorance stand in the way of your enthusiasm,’” he told us with a chuckle. “In this case, I think my ignorance was much higher than I realized.”
In 2016 Robert purchased property in Mossy Rock to expand his operation, vowing this time to “do it correctly.” Armed with five years of experience and a hard-learned understanding that hardy kiwis must be pruned early and heavily in order to be tamed, (“hardy kiwis don’t always want to do what you want them to.”), Robert set about planting 36 seedlings at the new property. Today he has 140 plants, all happily trellised.
Robert sells nearly all of his kiwis at the farmers market. The hardy kiwi season is short, October to early November, but he makes the most of it. During his four weeks at market, Robert can be found earnestly extolling the virtues of hardy kiwis to groups of customers surrounding the Broken Shovel stand. He sells out almost every weekend.
