17 Jan 22nd-Jan 28th, 2026 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | In her endeavor to promote a more sex friendly culture, in addition to sustainable farming, she decided to combine her two passions and got to work. A diverse selection Visiting Helton’s farm, I was struck by its level of production given its modest size. The great diversity of produce growing was also immediately evident. While some plants were easily discernible, such as the cherry tomatoes growing up a trellis over the aquaponics bed, others were not. When I spotted what resembled a large avocado growing on a vine in one of the raised beds, Helton explained that no, it was not some viny avocado tree hybrid, but in fact, a loofah gourd. “At the farmer’s market stand, we always have what’s fresh, seasonal and harvested that week,” Helton says. Depending on availability, customers will find a variety of produce for sale that may include greens, squash, herbs, alliums, melons and root vegetables as well as produce outsourced from other local farms such as dates from Desert Fruit Farms in Yuma, or beans from Ramona Farms. “It’s more about supporting others and uplifting other Arizona small farms and food producers specifically,” Helton says. She regularly helps other farms liqui- date produce they need to offload. This collaboration allows her to offer more variety at her stand, and benefits the other farms by selling produce that they other- wise may not be able to. In addition to produce, customers can choose from a variety of duck and chicken eggs, sauces, jams, relishes and even T-shirts and tote bags. The Downtown PHX Farmers Market is held every Saturday at The Arizona Center, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Many payment options are available, including EBT, cash, credit and Zelle. Helton also accepts SNAP double-up coins, which allow produce purchases to go twice as far. Supporting the local food economy Helton advocates trading and sharing as integral components of the food economy. “What I’m doing with it retains this sort of moving, breathing structure that keeps farmers moving. I think that’s a big pull in the farming community in that there’s no money in it, it’s all heart and soul. But people get burnt out on heart and soul after a while,” Helton explains. Over time, Helton thoughtfully grew her business. She now employs six part-time “Hoes,” who put their skills to work assisting with social media, running the market stand and making jams and sauces. “I’ve always wanted to scale sustainably. I don’t want to get too big and lose the atten- tion that comes to this kind of grown food,” Helton says. Helton also made use of several programs offered by the city to advance her endeavor. “I got a lot of help from the City of Phoenix. They’ve got a lot of administrative programs, classes on stewardship, how to raise funds,” Helton explains. She completed five programs associated with the City’s Resilient Food Systems Initiative, or RFSI grant. Courses included cooperative business models and aqua- ponics. Having been set up with an aqua- ponics garden via this course, Helton now uses it to help get her seedlings started. “I’m using it as a baby plant incubator,” Helton says. Once the seedlings are more established, she either plants them in soil, or keeps them in the aquaponic tank if they require a lot of water, such as the lettuces. Helton was also awarded a grant by the City of Phoenix to build a greenhouse on her farm. “They definitely have a resilient systems agriculture focus going on at the City of Phoenix. So I’m glad to live in this city and not one zip code over, where maybe this isn’t going on,” Helton says. The greenhouse will be used to grow tomatoes year-round. “Who doesn’t love a homegrown tomato? They are killer, they bring people’s nostalgia back. It makes them more invested in their homegrown food when they taste one tomato that doesn’t taste like water,” Helton said as she offered me one. True enough, the small yellow tomato was firm but not hard, and biting down released the sweetest explosion of tomato juice I have ever experienced. Soon, Helton will be using the tomatoes harvested in the greenhouse to make her own preserves and jarred sauces. “I think that those value-added products are going to bring people closer to their local food system,” Helton explains. In addition to selling produce, seedlings and farm goods at the farmers market, Garden Hoes is charging forward with its backyard farm, free-roaming chickens and sex positive attitude. Helton hopes that her small farm model will spread and further enhance the local food economy. “I’m wanting to be the change I want to see in the world,” Helton says. “I want it to be something that is revolutionary.” That revolution may just start at the farmers market. Garden Hoes Local Farm Goods Saturdays at Downtown PHX Farmers Market 455 N. 3rd St. Helton grows plants from seed, resulting in a wide variety of produce throughout the year. (Melissa Pickering) A Fresh Take from p 14
