Plants for People Project with Hillside Botanicals
Campaign Introduction:
Envision a space painted in greenery. The damp, familiar scent of rich soil. The pleasant buzz of busy pollinators, and perhaps the occasional quack from a happy duck as it roams the pasture. This is the vision for the Hillside Botanicals plant nursery that is coming to life, right here in the Heart of Vermont. Join our campaign today and help us bring more plants to more people!
- Our Story
- Contributors
- Updates
- Discussion
Campaign Story
Where it all started:
Our journey started in 2016 as recent college graduates looking for meaningful ways to live in communion with a healthy planet and be of service to our community. So began a lot of study (think organic farming, herbal medicine, permaculture…), getting our hands in the soil, and starting to set deeper roots in Central Vermont.
In 2018, we took our gardening hobbies and growing knowledge to establish a small medicinal herb and hemp farm on family land situated on a quintessential Vermont hillside.
Today, Hillside Botanicals produces a wide variety of certified organic medicinal herbs, hemp, and herbalist-formulated wellness and CBD products using ingredients sourced from our hillside fields and the surrounding landscape. We see our human health as dependent upon the vitality of our environment, which is why we strive to use only regenerative cultivation and wildcrafting methods that yield high-quality crops, healthy soils, and encourage a healthier future for all beings. In 2020 we made a deeper commitment to our values by becoming Real Organic and Bee Friendly Farming certified. We’re constantly learning as young farmers and herbalists and believe we can weave community wellness through regenerative farming, skill-sharing, and celebrating our relationship to the land.
Where it’s all going (with your help!):
As we’ve grown with our business, we’ve witnessed the revitalized interest in our community in gardening and local food, homesteading, natural wellness, and preserving our rich natural resources. We see an opportunity to support folks in getting their hands in the dirt, connecting to nature, and promoting community resilience through organic and regenerative farming.
The Plants for People Project encompasses the development of a retail nursery and workshop space at our farm homestead. Our goal is to provide a broad variety of certified organic culinary and medicinal plants to our local community and also create an accessible space for educational workshops related to organic gardening, herbal medicine, and holistic wellness. We have already started work on this project, which includes constructing a 21’x96’ greenhouse frame, but there remains significant infrastructure needs to get the space ready for plants to thrive. We’re talking a high-efficiency heater, fans, lumber, electrical service installation, irrigation equipment, nursery supplies... the list goes on! So, we need your help.
Every dollar raised in this campaign goes towards completing the nursery infrastructure so we can start providing you, our community members, with the highest quality organic plants and information for your gardening adventures. Just as nature’s ecosystems, we’re all reliant on one another to truly thrive. That is why we invite you to share this campaign with five of your friends! We have some awesome rewards to offer our donors, just to sweeten things a bit more!
Thank you for supporting our campaign and believing in a healthier future for people and planet! Together, we’re creating resilient landscapes for the next generation.
Campaign Contributions
Name | Location | Date |
---|---|---|
Matthew Simpson | Claremont, NH | April 24, 2022 |
Willow Griffith | Royalton, VT | April 24, 2022 |
Kelley St. John | Buffalo, NY | April 24, 2022 |
Caithlin Madigan | Brooklyn, NY | April 24, 2022 |
Anonymous | Tully, NY | April 22, 2022 |
Abi & Tim Gershon | West Brookfield, VT | April 22, 2022 |
Linda Ploof | Colchester, VT | April 21, 2022 |
Bryn Keenhold | Middlesex, VT | April 21, 2022 |
Presley Focia | Wetumpka, AL | April 20, 2022 |
Maia Binhammer | Bellingham, WA | April 18, 2022 |
Anonymous | Randolph, VT | April 15, 2022 |
Morgan Easton | Braintree, VT | April 14, 2022 |
Anonymous | Randolph, VT | April 14, 2022 |
Anonymous | Randolph, VT | April 14, 2022 |
Katrina Hohowski | west brookfield, VT | April 13, 2022 |
Nicole Stuart | Randolph, VT | April 12, 2022 |
Daniel Toner | Somerville, MA | April 12, 2022 |
Genevieve Drutchas | Worcester, VT | April 12, 2022 |
Karen Dolliver | Brookfield, VT | April 12, 2022 |
Deb and Jim Luchsinger | Cortland, NY | April 11, 2022 |
JAMES NOBLE | Randolph Center, VT | April 11, 2022 |
Joan Miles | Randolph, VT | April 11, 2022 |
Dorie Seavey | Woodstock, VT | April 11, 2022 |
McKenzie Connors | Syracuse, NY | April 10, 2022 |
Anonymous | Danbury, CT | April 10, 2022 |
Anonymous | Cazenovia, NY | April 10, 2022 |
Nancy Hatch | Tully, NY | April 10, 2022 |
Barbara Lane | Southwick, MA | April 10, 2022 |
Evan Silverberg | Brooklyn, NY | April 07, 2022 |
, | April 07, 2022 | |
Jen Baumann | Randolph, VT | April 05, 2022 |
Justin St. John | Homer, NY | April 04, 2022 |
Linda St John | Cortland, NY | April 04, 2022 |
Julie Maccarone | Randolph, VT | April 03, 2022 |
Miranda Resnick | Hardwick, VT | April 03, 2022 |
Matthew Simpson | Claremont, NH | April 03, 2022 |
Lily Shaw | Tully, NY | April 03, 2022 |
Nathan Ober | Hagerstown, MD | April 01, 2022 |
Tom & Sandy Cooch | Braintree, VT | March 29, 2022 |
Amanda Ukasick | Randolph, VT | March 29, 2022 |
James Allard | Chelmsford, MA | March 29, 2022 |
Colby Mowery | Huntington, WV | March 29, 2022 |
Michael Epchook | South Royalton, VT | March 29, 2022 |
Rachel andJack | Waterbury Center, VT | March 28, 2022 |
Chelsie Brown | Braintree, VT | March 28, 2022 |
Robert Leeson | Randolph, VT | March 28, 2022 |
Kyla Bedard | RANDOLPH CENTER, VT | March 28, 2022 |
Anonymous | Windsor, VT | March 28, 2022 |
Steve Harrison | Avon, VT | March 27, 2022 |
David Cooch | Portland, OR | March 27, 2022 |
Edith Connellee | Waitsfield, VT | March 26, 2022 |
Deborah Durkee | Brookfield, VT | March 26, 2022 |
Mary Ellen Gillard | Gaithersburg, MD | March 26, 2022 |
Liam Madden | Town of Rockingham, VT | March 26, 2022 |
Ashley Bedini | Stowe, VT | March 25, 2022 |
Lisa Olson | Randolph Ctr, VT | March 25, 2022 |
Nicole Karam | Victor, NY | March 25, 2022 |
Nancy LaRowe | Norwich, VT | March 24, 2022 |
Gavin Boyle | Glendale, CO | March 24, 2022 |
Heidi van Gulden | West Brookfield, VT | March 24, 2022 |
Trevin Mowery | Charleston, SC | March 24, 2022 |
Susan Zani | Randolph, VT | March 24, 2022 |
Susan Zani | Randolph, VT | March 24, 2022 |
Lindsey Schell | Bethel, VT | March 24, 2022 |
Katelyn Briggs | Nevada city, CA | March 24, 2022 |
Anthony Amell | Fort Collins, CO | March 24, 2022 |
Tim Aldrighetti | Bethel, VT | March 23, 2022 |
Mariel Brown-Fallon | Cincinnati, OH | March 23, 2022 |
Thomas Bricmont | Fort Collins, CO | March 23, 2022 |
Brandon Baumann | Randolph, VT | March 21, 2022 |
Lorena Linero Lopez | Rye, NY | March 21, 2022 |
April Doolen | Randolph, VT | March 21, 2022 |
JAKE ZANI | RANDOLPH, VT | March 21, 2022 |
Martina ODonnell | W Brookfield, VT | March 21, 2022 |
Frances Rose Subbiondo | Randolph, VT | March 21, 2022 |
Karen Dolliver | Brookfield, VT | March 20, 2022 |
Thomas Jacobs | Moretown, VT | March 20, 2022 |
Molly Poirier | Chichester, NH | March 20, 2022 |
Claire Smith | Plymouth, MI | March 20, 2022 |
Anonymous | Walpole, MA | March 20, 2022 |
Fern Strong | Randolph Center, VT | March 20, 2022 |
Nicole Bourassa | Underhill, VT | March 20, 2022 |
Lara Dickinson | Piedmont, CA | March 20, 2022 |
Alexandra Geary | Denver, CO | March 19, 2022 |
Jordin Carpenter | Williamstown, VT | March 19, 2022 |
Eric Hedeman | Burlington, VT | March 19, 2022 |
Patricia Harris | Durango, CO | March 19, 2022 |
Anne Tezak | Reading, MA | March 19, 2022 |
Anthony Fiorillo | Brookfield, VT | March 19, 2022 |
Patricia Aldom | Hartland, VT | March 18, 2022 |
Joan Carman | West Brookfield, VT | March 18, 2022 |
Larissa Rayher | Sudbury, MA | March 18, 2022 |
Ellizabeth Michel | Burlington, VT | March 18, 2022 |
Marcus Harrison | Lancaster, VT | March 18, 2022 |
Melinda Lund | Tully, NY | March 17, 2022 |
Kim & Jeff Grout | Randolph, VT | March 17, 2022 |
Barb & John Baumann | Randolph, VT | March 17, 2022 |
Susan Montgomery-Grout | Randolph, VT | March 17, 2022 |
Yitzchok Joseph | Park City, UT | March 17, 2022 |
John Grout | Plainfield, NH | March 16, 2022 |
Galen Tracy | Bend, OR | March 16, 2022 |
Jen Risley | Keene, NH | March 07, 2022 |
Campaign Updates
-
4/7/2022
Moooooving Towards 75%
One more week to go!
In case you missed it, here’s @insta_nbacon moooving into some pretty cold water this weekend because we made it to 50% of our crowdfunding goal! 🌟
Fun Fact: I (Sarah) failed to capture the first plunge because I lost service halfway through the livestream (duh, rural living), so Nathan took not one but two trips to the river in a cow suit! 🤣🥶
Words can’t express our gratitude 🙏🏽 Let’s get to 100!
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4/7/2022
It Takes a Village!
Where we started one week ago, versus where we are now!
We started digging for the electric last Friday and by the end of the day had the conduit and meter panel installed. On Monday we installed our heater, pulled the electrical cables (and had to make an unexpected trip to the electrical supply shop 😑). One week later we have power throughout the greenhouse, new tables, a new door, propane tanks delivered, and the intake vents and exhaust fan installed. 🎉
We absolutely and unequivocally could not have made it this far without everyone who has contributed to our campaign so far. Thank you, thank you, thank you 🙏.
A massive thanks also goes out to Sarah’s parents, Rich and Cindy who came to help this week on their “vacation.” It takes a village!
We’re over 85% funded, and still have time to get to our crowdfunding goal! Keep sharing! 🙏🌟
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5/11/2022
Opening Day
✨Opening Day is May 15 ✨
We’re so excited to welcome you to our new plant nursery, this Sunday from 10am-4pm! We have many veggies, flowers, and of course herbs that would love to go home to your gardens, and more on the way! We’ll also have the full lineup of Hillside apothecary goods available, as well organic seeds from @highmowingorganicseeds for all those friends that prefer some direct sowing action. 🌿
Normal business hours for the rest of the spring and early summer season coming next week! 📆
Pre-order customers, be on the lookout for an email confirming when your order is ready for pick up!
Campaign Discussion
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Help Hillside cross the finish line 1:1
Support Hillside Botanicals now! Every dollar you give will be matched by an anonymous donor (up to $250).
$250 matched of $250
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Help Hillside cross the finish line 1:1Support Hillside Botanicals now! Every dollar you give will be matched by an anonymous donor (up to $250).$250 matched of $250
Rewards
$75
Have a Nursery Table Named After You
In honor of your support, enjoy full naming rights to one of the 16ft nursery tables we need to build. Choose to name it after yourself, or whatever creative title you can come up with. We'll get a metal tag made and display it in your honor!
$100
$50 Gift Card to Hillside Botanicals Online Store
Choose from an amazing variety of farm direct wellness products and certified organic dried medicinal herbs available on the Hillside website! Always handcrafted with love. Free shipping on orders over $75.

$150
Garden Tilling Service
Let us help you get your garden going with garden tilling service. $150 includes travel to your home or garden site (up to 25 miles from Randolph Area) and up to 1 hour of tilling. Bed shaping and nutrient amendment recommendations can also be provided.

$250
1:1 Herbal Consult with Sarah at Humble Hummingbird
Receive a 2 hr comprehensive herbal wellness consult with Sarah, trained Clinical Herbalist and owner of Humble Hummingbird L3C. Includes a full wellness assessment, individualized protocol with nutrition, herbal formula, and lifestyle suggestions, and custom herbal formulas (2 week supply). Consultations are available via video chat or phone. Learn more at: www.humblehummingbirdvt.com.

$500
$250 Gift Card to Hillside Botanicals Online Store
Choose from an amazing variety of farm direct wellness products and certified organic dried medicinal herbs available on the Hillside website! Always handcrafted with love. Free shipping on orders over $75.

$1,000
Naming Rights to Hillside Botanicals Nursery Greenhouse
In honor of your immense support, enjoy full naming rights to the Hillside plant nursery greenhouse. Choose to name it after yourself, or whatever creative title you can come up with. We'll get an engraved sign to hang for all to see.

1 review for Plants for People Project with Hillside Botanicals
Colby Mowery (verified owner) –
Love to see it! I’ll have to check everything out next time I cruise through VT! Keep up the awesome work.