Bee Heaven Farm
Bee Heaven Farm at a Glance
Farmers: Margie and Nick Pikarsky
Where they’re located: Redland
Website: Bee Heaven Farm; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: BeeHeavenFarm
What they grow: Certified organic heirloom vegetables, herbs and spices, edible flowers, tropical fruit, eggs, honey (not certified organic)
Where they sell: Wholesale–local restaurants, selected resellers and market vendors; Retail–Online webstore
CSA: They run a multi-farm CSA
Margie Pikarsky, who runs the five-acre organic Bee Heaven Farm with husband Nick, daughter Rachel and permanent and seasonal employees, was recently honored by state, county and local leaders at the Dade Farm Bureau’s annual Women in Agriculture luncheon. In 2002, Pikarsky formed a coalition of local farmers and launched a CSA program when no one in South Florida even heard of community-supported agriculture. She was named Florida Innovative Farmer at the 2013 Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference; honored by Slow Food Miami in 2015 as a local food pioneer of the farm-to-table movement; and was recognized at Vizcaya’s and edible South Florida’s Dinner for Farmers in 2016 and 2017 for innovative and sustainable farming practices.
What she believes: My philosophy towards farming in South Florida (and really, anywhere): Work WITH your environment and climate – choose to grow things you don’t have to coddle because of incompatibilities with climate, soil pH, diseases and pests.
About her farm: We are USDA-certified organic, and farm according to the USDA organic standard requirements. This means we treat the entire farm as a single system, a living organism to be nurtured as a whole. We grow a lot of greens – salad mixes, arugula, herbs, heirloom kales, chard, beans, tomatoes and lesser-known tropical veggies. I like to search out forgotten heirloom and unusual herbs, vegetables, fruits and spices, to grow out and evaluate for our area.
Outlook on farming: “Traditional” farming in South Florida is dying out. Large farms dedicated to one or a few crops have declined to just a handful. In its place there is a movement towards more diversity, with many smaller landholdings, more nurseries and some urban farming ventures. In the face of ever-increasing land values and development pressure, and unbridled foreign competition, high-value and high-density cropping systems and value-added operations will allow growers to survive and thrive here.
Where to find her: At Sam Accursio's farmstand on Saturdays during growing season. In October, find them at the annual Redland GrowFest! celebration of all local things edible, green and growing.
