Meet Farmer Bridget...
My name is Bridget Gildehaus. I was born and raised in Washington, MO. I am married to Dominic and we have 2 grown sons.
We were introduced to the tower garden in the Spring of 2013 and fell in love with the concept of it. Knowing that we could grow our own veggies and know that it was fresh, literally taking from the tower directly to the table. Also the fact that we could have fresh produce year round, either growing inside during the winter months or out on the patio when it is warm was a huge bonus.
The vision of the tower farm came a few years ago and in March of 2020, just as the Covid 19 pandemic was hitting the US hot and heavy, WASHMO Towers was born. Through the process we have been teaching, learning and trying things out. We have been able to bless others with our beautiful produce. It is our hope to produce greens for local restaurants and to see the towers in all the local schools.
Meet Farmer Dominic...
My name is Dominic Gildehaus. I was born and raised in Washington, MO. I am married to Bridget and have 2 sons. Growing up both my parents and grandparents had gardens. I loved helping them pick produce and also watching my grandmothers can it. At home it was not uncommon to "run out to the garden" to grab a cantaloupe or something to snack on. (Our idea of Fast-food, back in the day! lol) So as you can see I always had an interest in gardening. Fast forward to adulthood,
I always wanted to have a garden and at times I did find time to put one in but never had the time to keep up with it. It seemed like when I had the time, mother nature/weather was not in my favor! For me, if I do not have time to do it right, why do it at all? Plus, it was hard to keep up with weeding and cultivating. Not to mention work and family made it difficult to have a garden and we just found it easier to buy our fruit and vegetables. My time was more valuable. Then at age 42, I just had my second back surgery and was given a doom and gloom sentence. Low and behold, a neighbor had reached out to us about the same time and invited us to a wellness event. That night I learned that food can help fuel your body and that everyone has an internal pharmacy that if fed right it will create your own medicines that your body needs to function. I also learned that the food on our grocery store shelves are picked weeks before becoming ripe and gassed to stay fresh all while they are being trucked from 1000's of miles away.
In 2013 we learned about the tower garden, a vertical aeroponic growing system that uses 90% less land, 90% less water and grows 3 times faster than traditional gardening. I can grow year round, inside or outside on the patio. So just like growing up I can literally go to my tower and harvest off of it and have a snack or healthy treat!
The tower farm was a no-brainer for me. I love that I can grow fresh produce year round. I can grow and bless others with our beautiful produce and I have a goal to see a tower in every local school...... Who knows? The sky's the limit!!
Meet Farmer Brandy and Farmer Ken...
We are Ken and Brandy Foss. Our passion as a family for whole food nutrition found us in 2003. I went to nursing school and learned about medicine and disease and it wasn’t until a wake up call with a health crisis in my 20’s that I found solutions through wellness and prevention. When I found out that 75% of all chronic diseases (heart disease, cancer, diabetes and autoimmune disorders) are preventable through proper nutrition, it put me on a quest to learn more. When we know better we can do better! Therefore, it has become a moral and ethical obligation to unapologetically share this great news.
As a nurse, when I heard these statistics...
1 in 3 children born today will have cancer in his or her lifetime
By age 3 children have fatty deposits in their arteries
I became angry! It put me on a mission to reverse these statistics because of the hope of knowing we can repair our body up to 97% every year with proper nutrition.
The WashMo Towers was born from the passion that I could no longer sit back and accept the things that are happening to our children in our community and our world when I know that I can be a solution to the problem.
Our WashMo Tower garden farm was formed out of a need to be a solution to prevent diseases. Kids are getting diseases that adults use to get. Kids are getting diseases that adults never got.
When we found a way to grow dirt, weed, contaminate and pesticide free produce along with it being local, non-gmo and organic it became a win-win for our family and every family we come into contact with.
As parents of four amazing girls, this foundation of growing your own whole food has set them up for a successful future, a legacy that carries on beyond themselves and for future generations to come.
Meet Farmer Sandi...
My name is Sandi McDonald. I grew up in the horticulture business, having worked for 51 years in our family owned business, Hillermann Nursery and Florist.
I have a degree in ornamental horticulture and this has helped fuel my love for everything plants. We started WashMo Towers out of our main greenhouse at the Nursery and it seemed like a natural fit to combine a naturally grown and sustainable food source to help local friends, family and beyond.
I am a Missouri certified plant expert through MOGIA and have been involved in every association in the country in the retail/nursery/garden center industry.
I know that at the heart of WashMo Towers is an opportunity to help people and that is where my heart lies as well.
Contact Us
washmotowers@gmail.com
MEET THE FARMERS
