Shop
Silhouette of a goat inside a square frame, representing a farm logo for agricultural branding.

About Us

Meet Your Farmers

Life has a funny way of leading you somewhere you never expected. For us, that place was a greenhouse in Georgetown, Tennessee. Our story didn't begin in farming, it began building careers we loved in classrooms and design studios. When the opportunity came to begin a new chapter on our family's farm in Georgetown, we said yes… not to being closer to our children and grandchildren, but to a new adventure!

What started as a new season of life quickly became something much more meaningful. Today, we're grateful to spend our days growing fresh, locally grown produce, connecting with our community, and building relationships with the families, chefs, and neighbors we have the privilege of serving. Fresh-Tech has become so much more than a greenhouse—it's a place where good food, meaningful connection, and community come together.

Meet the Farmers

By Brad & Tara Smith, Owner/Operators

Brad & Tara

Everview Ridge Farms, home of Fresh-Tech Growers

Brad

After a number of years pursuing separate careers in education and design, we find ourselves launching into a new journey together: tower farming. When our daughter and son-in-law purchased a farm in the Georgetown area, and asked us to move up here from Florida, we said “yes”! Being with two of our three children, and seven of our eight grandchildren is a joyful consideration.

Read More

We always enjoyed visiting The Land Pavilion at EPCOT in the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, where we first learned of aeroponic growing technology. Later, I was exposed to tower growing through my landscape architectural planning and design work in the senior living arena. When one of my clients suggested that I visit the Urban Smart Farms’ installation at the Orange County Convention Center – I was hooked!

Gradually, relationships with the Tower Farming team developed, and finally, we decided to take the plunge, developing an operation at the family farm. We formed the Fresh-Tech Growers brand, and had our first harvest in the summer of 2022. We’re looking forward to developing relationships with many of you as together, we grow.

Tara

When Brad and I first began considering retirement options, nothing seemed appealing. I was a busy Elementary Principal and Brad had his own company in landscape architecture and site planning. We were hardly sedentary and were ready for the next adventure that involved connecting with other people.

Read More

I lived on a farm during my high school and college years. I was very accustomed to growing vegetables while raising our children after Brad and I married. As our daughters began their own garden as adults, that same love of growing plants was re-instilled in them.

We certainly saw evidence of all forms of homesteading as a result of the pandemic or perhaps as a dissatisfaction with status quo. We saw this restlessness yielding good fruits as young people launched out on their own, learning from their grandparents about gardening practices, and providing their own children a different lifestyle.

When our daughter and son-in-law invited us to live on their newly purchased farm, suddenly all the pieces seem to fit together for us. We researched best practices of farming, livestock, gardening, and composting. We visited farms of all kinds, learning wisdom from others in preparation for our new multi-generational journey.

Perhaps aeroponic gardening in a greenhouse is gentlemen farming, a phrase our friend coined. We see it as a way we can continue to be active, serve and connect with our community year-round, as we nurture seeds . . . and relationships.

Our Practices

  1. In our greenhouse, we use aeroponic growing technology to produce incredible lettuce, leafy greens, microgreens, vegetables, and even edible flowers!
  2. We start our seeds in a soilless medium called rockwool, which provides plant roots with oxygen and consistent moisture, encouraging rapid, healthy growth.
  3. After about 3 weeks, we place the seedlings into our towers where they grow in an air or mist environment, without the use of soil.

This innovative approach provides plants with the ideal amount of nutrition and hydration. Our proprietary plant food contains the pure earth minerals essential to healthy plant development, providing an all-natural “shortcut” for plants, which typically must source nutrients from decomposing organic matter in soil. The result is greater nutrient uptake and superior growth for a range of plants.

Image placeholder indicating a missing photo, often used in web design and content management systems.
Image placeholder indicating a missing photo, often used in web design and content management systems.
Image placeholder indicating a missing photo, often used in web design and content management systems.
Image placeholder indicating a missing photo, often used in web design and content management systems.
Image placeholder indicating a missing photo, often used in web design and content management systems.
Image placeholder indicating a missing photo, often used in web design and content management systems.
45