Meet the farmers

Hello! My name is Hannah Alabi and I am the owner of Kaleidoscope Gardens. I started Kaleidoscope Gardens in 2014 by transforming a Milwaukee City-owned vacant lot into an intensive garden. I have grown the business little by little each year since then. My love of farming lives in the hard-work, delicious food, and interaction with people that love and support local food.

I graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2009 with a degree in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. I worked as a naturalist for a couple years, but always knew I wanted to integrate my love of food, gardening, and positive environmental change. After my dad passed away I knew I needed tangible work and was hired as a Farm Intern with Loon Organics Farm in Hutchinson, Minnesota. I lived and worked for two seasons at Loon Organics and learned an incredible amount about farming, running a business, and marketing produce. I also took advantage of opportunities to learn from other nearby farmers during official and unofficial field days, potlocks, and farm tours. I had additional training by attending many years of the MOSES Midwest Organic Farming Conference and completing a Beginner Farmer course with the Land Stewardship Project.

I believe there is an endless amount to learn about farming. Each year I feel myself settle a little deeper into the art of growing food. It is my pleasure to share my work with you!

kaleidoscope gardens is transforming once again! We have started a new partnership with Jack Lavin. Our new partnership will allow us to once again offer seasonal produce in addition to growing plants for your home and community gardens!

Hi, my name is Jack Lavin. It is an honor and a pleasure to join forces with Hannah and Kaleidoscope Gardens. I joke that I was born bald, bearded, with dirt under my fingernails and a scythe in my hand! Well, the scythe came later.  

For most of my life I have been growing something, in pots, raised beds, city lots, and now a quarter acre. Small scale has been a blessing because it allows for continual experimentation while seeking the highest quality. I believe that nature sets the standard for quality and I seek to follow her in agriculture. Deep mulching, compost production, and intensive diversified planting beds are some of the nature inspired methods that I practice.

My goal is certainly to grow chemical-free, nutritious food that tastes good, is nourishing, and affordable, but the process is equally important. It is a blessing to sit still in a field in the darkness before the sun rises, move and work all day, return to stillness and watch the sunset.  Small scale natural agriculture is unique in that the product and the process are equally healing and beneficial for both the humans and the earth. Thank you for supporting us as we seek to deliver the highest quality produce and plants that we can.