Like his crops, Mick McGuire has grown as a farmer since he started working the soil only a few years ago.

“The first year I planted broccoli and was amazed it had pretty yellow flowers, not knowing it had gone to seed and that was not a good thing,” the former Hyde School teacher said. “I was a complete novice, but absolutely amazed at what little seeds knew what to do under the right conditions.”

Needless to say, the growing and learning haven’t stopped.

With the help of countless people — especially his girlfriend, Mary Green; daughter, Erin McGuire, and Dick Goodrich of Richmond — McGuire is enjoying his new career in agriculture, which includes working the farm in Richmond and running a newly opened farm market in Bath.

The Times Record recently chatted with McGuire to learn, among other things, how he became interested in farming, why it’s important to practice sustainable agriculture, and … what is his favorite vegetable? Q. Mick, first of all, please provide for us a little background about yourself, such as where you grew up, went to school, etc.

A. I was born and raised in Bath. I was the youngest of seven kids. My mom raised us on her own as my dad died before I was born.

We lived in Hyde Park, which was a great place to grow up as there was always something going on. We were told to go outside and come back home when the street lights came on. We played baseball, capture-the-flag, and kick-the-can — that sort of stuff. Occasionally, I got beat up by a neighborhood kid, but I learned to run fast. We walked to school, even in kindergarten, but it wasn’t uphill both ways.

When I was 12, my mom bought a mobile home and put it on New Meadows Road. I went to West Bath School for seventh and eighth grade. Those were two idyllic and innocent years.

The West Bath gang was great. Recently, Susan Desmond’s mom came into the store and we talked about having skating parties on Desmonds’ pond. She said kids don’t do that anymore. We used to skate on Daltons’ and Sanfords’ pond, as well.

On Saturday nights, we would start a fire, sometimes with an old tire, and skate around. We had some pretty serious hockey games out there.

I finished up at Morse High School and went on to Maine Maritime Academy.

Q. Prior to your new venture into farming, you were a teacher at Hyde School in Bath. What did you teach and what aspects of that profession did you enjoy?

A. I started out as a math teacher/coach, but moved into managing the Hyde Wilderness Program.

The property was situated on 620 acres in Eustis, Maine. It was a perfect match for me because I didn’t like the confines of the classroom. I loved being out amongst the trees, Flagstaff Lake and the Bigelow Range. I loved being with people when I had students and parents up there, and I loved being alone.

I especially enjoyed taking people out into nature who hadn’t done it before. There were some students who might be having difficulties at the school, but I could see them shift gears out in the woods. I could relate to where they were coming from. There is a different energy out in nature and some people allow themselves to feel it. I always felt Mother Nature speaks for herself and tried to provide an environment that would allow that to happen.

There was a lot of work to be done, as well, and the world would shrink down to what had to be done to be safe, warm and well-fed. Everyone had a job and responsibilities to take care of. I could be scattered on campus but focused in the woods — just like some of the students.

Q. When and why did you get interested in becoming a farmer?

A. I have always been interested in being selfsufficient and feel passionately that I, and society as a whole, should conduct our lives in a sustainable manner. I feel that the big picture should always be kept in view; the environmental costs should be factored into all economic costs. Most of us fall short of that ideal. Sometimes I want or need to save money or time and it is not the best thing I could purchase (to achieve that). Or I don’t take the time to recycle something I could have recycled.

Cheap fossil fuels which make up most fertilizers, pesticides and transportation have allowed us to buy food from California or Chile inexpensively. It has come at a cost. I believe fresh local food will become more and more important and the norm. It is a hard trend to break, however.

So after simultaneously going through a divorce and leaving Hyde School, I found myself on a farm in Richmond, Maine. The farm is owned by Mary Green. I came up to take care of some storm damage to the barn and some fencing in July of 2010 and never left. I have been learning to farm since then.

The first year I planted broccoli and was amazed it had pretty yellow flowers, not knowing it had gone to seed and that was not a good thing. I was a complete novice, but absolutely amazed at what little seeds knew what to do under the right conditions.

Since then I have learned by a lot by trial and error. Many calls to local farmers and Eric Sideman of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. I have taken courses from the Department of Agriculture/Maine Cooperative Extension and MOFGA. Nothing is teaching me more than my own mistakes and experience.

One of my favorite quotes I read this spring was: “There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.”

Q. Where is your farm located and does it have a name? Please describe it for us and any historical background that you know of.

A. The farm is located at 23 Plummer Road in Richmond and is now called Shamrock Green Farm. I thought the name had a nice ring to it because my family is Irish and proud of it. My mom was born on St. Patrick’s Day and was named Patricia, as was my oldest sister. My girlfriend’s maiden name is Green and she has put her heart and soul into all aspects of the farm. Going green has also become synonymous with sustainability or simply good for the earth.

When I returned home from my freshman cruise from Maine Maritime, my mother found a business card from a tattoo artist in Newport, R.I., in my pants pocket. Being new sailors, some of my friends and I thought it appropriate to get tattoos. She didn’t ask me if I got a tattoo; she simply made a statement that if I got a tattoo she would break every bone in my body and I genuinely believed her. I told her I did and she asked to see it. When she saw that it was a green shamrock on my right shoulder, she paused for a second and said, “Oh … ah …OK.”

The farm was the original Plummer homestead and the house was built of brick somewhere around the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Q. What crops do you grow on the farm?

A. This year I grew tomatoes, beans, peas, carrots, cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, peppers, hot peppers, spinach, lettuce, Swiss chard, arugula, cabbage, beets, onions, kohlrabi, Kale, eggplant, radishes, turnips, parsnips, eggplant, pumpkins, melons, gourds and garlic. I also grew sunflowers, chamomile and assorted flowers.

I started almost every variety in flats that germinated around the woodstove in the bedroom. We had flats everywhere. Once they were up and needed sunlight, they were moved out into the greenhouse.

I started a greenhouse in early March with my 15-year-old son, Kip. Mary and my daughter, Erin, helped me finish it up. I covered each table in the greenhouse with hoops and plastic and made a greenhouse in a greenhouse. This allowed me to keep the plants warm with a very small heat source.

I started lettuce, Swiss chard and spinach in flats, things most farmers wouldn’t do, just to see what would happen. Most experienced farmers don’t do things like this for very good reasons. I started carrots inside and will never do it again, but I had very early lettuce, spinach and Swiss chard.

I lost all the corn and parsnips when we got eight inches of rain and the melons didn’t survive the early cool.

Next year I won’t plant as much. As a new farmer, I didn’t have a market and was going to offer CSA (community-supported agriculture) memberships. I wanted to provide as much variety to members as possible, but as the season has progressed I have grown in a different direction.

Q. Your farm market is situated at Gilmore’s Seafood on Court Street in Bath. How did that come about? Do you find it is beneficial for both businesses to be located together?

A. A farmer can grow the most beautiful vegetables in the world, but if you don’t have a market you’re in trouble. I was looking for a market and selling a little bit to local stores. Sometimes barely covering the gas.

I was thinking of renting a little stand across from Skillin’s Greenhouse in Brunswick when I got a call from Kevin Gilmore and he suggested his storage shed.

As we tossed the idea back and forth, it really clicked and it just felt like it was a really great way to move forward. Kevin and I used to be co-captains of the Morse High football team, but were just acquaintances back then. Today, we’re close friends.

Kevin’s brother, Ben, who is currently running the fish market, has been as gracious and helpful as one could possibly be. I am immensely grateful and appreciative of the situation.

The situation is absolutely beneficial to both businesses, although almost all in my favor. Gilmore’s has been around for 70 years, so the benefit to my business has been immense.

One good thing about the farm stand/store is that we have had a lot of repeat customers and people who have expressed that they are glad that we are there. Being open seven days a week has allowed me to gain firsthand knowledge on what people are looking for.

I am in the process of being certified organic and I buy produce from other local organic farmers. The store has allowed me to cater to those who prefer organic produce, those who don’t and those in between.

I feel there is some education that takes place in the store, as well. We gave away a lot of garlic scapes this summer and enjoy having people taste different tomatoes. Knowing what the market wants will affect what I plant next year, as well as the amounts and timing of what I grow.

Q. Besides the crops you offer at the market from your own farm, who are your other suppliers and what do they provide?

A. We sold both organic blueberries from Field’s Field, out of Dresden, and good quality wild blueberries this summer. We also sell a few items that people just want, such as lemons and peaches. We have sold Integrated Pest Management peaches from Massachusetts and we buy from Crown of Maine, an organic cooperative out of Vassalboro, as well as a ton of Jersey Peaches.

Presently, I have corn delivered every morning from Spear’s farm in Nobleboro. I have also acquired corn from Pineland Farms in New Gloucester.

My supply lines have gradually improved. One morning I found myself driving my Prius in the middle of Pineland Farm’s cornfield trying to find the harvester to load corn before the store opened up. I have also spent hours in a field at Roaring Brook Farm picking strawberries to keep the store supplied.

My best source of certified organic produce has come from Ben Whatley, who has an organic farm in Topsham. He has brought in a beautiful wide range of tomatoes, lettuce, eggplant, summer squash, Kohlrabi, broccoli, basil and parsley.

Q. What’s your favorite vegetable and why?

A. My favorite vegetable is Swiss chard. I steam it for a few minutes and it is always so tender, even the stalks. I add nothing to it and drink the water it is steamed in when it cools. It is mellow, tastes great and just seems really healthy.

Q. You talked about the farms and organizations that have helped you get started, and continue to provide assistance. Your comments, please.

A. A local farmer who has been a great mentor and offers winter CSAs is Ben Dearnley of Life Force Farm in Bowdoinham. Ben is also MOFGA certified. I first started asking Ben questions when I was helping him pick spinach in his high tunnel where he grew spinach all winter long.

Ben Whatley has not only provided produce to the farm stand, but he has also graciously endured many questions and given knowledgeable information to me.

Craig Collins from Two Sisters Farm in Woolwich was my first mentor and the first to come out and look at my fields. After looking at my soil conditions in the spring of 2011, Craig said, “Now here comes the advice no one heeds, don’t plant crops this year.”

In my earlier days I would of ignored the advice. But I spent another year adding compost and growing cover crops of buckwheat and winter rye. I did plant on 20 percent of one of my fields for practice, but generally took his advice. The advice paid off as a following soil test has shown good conditions and I just had to add lime this year.

I worked at Craig’s farm for payback and on one Sunday the task was slaughtering free-range chickens and although I was the only vegetarian on the crew (though the Gilmores will attest to the fact I eat many fish sandwiches), I ended up the one with the knife and delivered the chickens to the next station defeathered.

Many farms have helped me without realizing it. I made arrangements with Pete Engler and Sarah Trask of Small Wondor Organics to potentially buy some of their products for my store and just looking around their beautiful farm, I learned what a good farm could look like. This is true of Dalziel from Dig Deep Farm in Dresden, as well.

Q. Do you practice sustainable agriculture? And if so, how? Why is it important to do so?

A. Yes, I do. It is good because it produces a better product, protects our drinking water and makes for healthier children. When we concentrate our efforts into creating healthy soil, there is an entire ecosystem down there that benefits.

That unseen world in return will provide all the plants need to grow up big and strong. It takes more work; you have to tune into what nature is all about and, in my case, learn from those who have gone before me.

Q. Mick, what is your contact information for both the farm and market, such as location addresses, telephone numbers, email address? When is the market in Bath open?

A. If you want to see my webpage the way it looked seven weeks ago, it is at shamrockgreenfarm.com. Mary’s stepdaughter, Liz, made us a Facebook page, Shamrock Green Farm, but I have not added any pictures since its start.

I can be reached at 417-2208. Or come see us at Gilmore’s Seafood at 131 Court St.

Q. Is there anything else you would like to add?

A. We are open seven days a week. We are open from 9:45 a.m. until Gilmore’s closes at around 7 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday, 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 5 p.m. on Sundays.

We also sell bread, pies, jams, and we are expanding into cheese and other Maine products.

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