A third grader who dreams of becoming a farmer has opened his own plants and produce stand. The pop-up stall has since gained some loyal customers in Newport, Pennsylvania.
John-Luke Radle, who’s 9 years old, lives with his parents, Stacey and Joe. His first experience selling produce came in the fall of 2020 after he grew pumpkins in his grandparents’ garden and had some excess left. With a wheelbarrow and a sign by the roadside that read “pumpkins for sale,” he sold the extra pumpkins in a couple of days and was thrilled by the experience.
After this success with selling produce, John-Luke—who helps care for some pet goats and chickens—tried to work in his grandparents’ garden planting vegetables this summer so he could have some extras to sell. Unfortunately, their pet goat Lucky ate most of the vegetables, so he didn’t have a fruitful harvest.
Wanting to nurture his dream of having a stand, Stacey and Joe found a produce stand for sale in the marketplace and bought it.
They then took John-Luke to Snyder County Produce Auction for the first time to purchase quality fresh produce to sell at his new stand.
“He put it out and had a great time sitting outside at his stand, talking to people who stopped to get a couple of veggies,” Stacey, 32, said.
For the rest of his summer vacation, John-Luke returned to the auction every Monday with his parents or grandparents—Nanny Barb and Pappy Bob—to restock his stand, ensuring that the produce he sold was fresh.
Running the stand by himself with guidance from his family, he used his profits from fruit and vegetable sales to restock each time.
John-Luke’s staples include zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers. Occasionally, he stocks broccoli, cabbage, mini bell peppers, sweetcorn, watermelon, cantaloupe, eggplant, yellow tomatoes, and peaches. He likes to figure out what will sell best.
The stand is open daily from morning until sundown, with a coffee can and an “honor system” for money collection when John-Luke is not present.
Initially, the third grader welcomed 10 to 15 customers per day. Now, he sees one or two per day, but still enjoys going to his stand and talking to everyone—getting excited with every new customer.
“He spends most of his extra time sitting there,” Stacey said. “He also tries to ride down on his scooter quickly if he is home and sees someone stop in.”
Despite his love for animals, John-Luke’s biggest nemesis has been Lucky.
“She likes to raid his stand overnight and eat some of the best produce. She is mostly trained now, but every once in a while she still gets in there,” Stacey said.
On the other hand, the chickens are helpful, happily eating any spoiling vegetables that do not sell.
Although the produce season is coming to an end, John-Luke has plans to sell pumpkins this fall, and Christmas trees at the end of the year.
Now that he is back to school, his family are helping him figure out a new routine for buying his produce.
Stacey, who is proud of her son’s efforts, said that John-Luke has learned a lot since setting up the stand.
“He has been hands-on with the entire process and is learning everything, from counting change, to figuring out how much he can spend at the auctions, to how to pick out good produce,” Stacey said. “He is such a hardworking, smart kid; we are so happy with him and how much work he has put in.”
With his small taste of the farming life, John-Luke is saving money from his stand in hopes of buying a farm when he grows up.
“He has always loved animals and dirt,” Stacey said. “He’s wanted to be a farmer since he was very young. He even chose a farm theme for his third birthday party.
“He knows it is a lot of work to be a farmer, but he still thinks it would be something he wants to do.”
However, for now, John-Luke is thinking of erecting a barn on his family’s property so that he can get a lamb.
His mom hopes more people will support him on his journey.
“His stand is located at 456 Lakeview Road in Newport, Pennsylvania,” Stacey said, “so if anybody is in the area and would like to get some produce from a very nice kid, check it out!”
