Kona Sown is a small farm and learning garden in Kealakekua Mauka. It is also the home of Melissa, Joe and Joshua Emond. Joe and Melissa both grew up right down the road in Honaunau valley surrounded by agriculture. Joe worked on his family’s coffee, mac-nut and horse farm. Melissa was raised on an inspired acre with her landscape contracting family that specialized in bamboo, fruit trees, pond building and sustainable practices. Melissa and Joe met and became friends as pre-teens and eventually married in their 30’s. Melissa runs Kona Sown, tending the farm and teaching. Joshua, the youngest son keeps the lawns mowed and the edges crisp while attending high school. Juaren, the oldest son, is now in college. Joe runs 3J’s Plumbing and helps with creative solutions for the challenges of farming in Hawaii.

 

Kona Sown has been an evolving dream. Melissa’s excitement for farming and willingness to work hard landed her jobs and internships with some of Kona’s legendary farmers and teachers. The Crocker Family Farm, Sun Bear Produce with Harvey and Melinda Sacarob, and at Kawanui with Gerry Herbert and Nancy Redfeather. She has also been a mentee of the Hawaii Island Seed Growers Network for the past 4 years. All of these mentors shared their passion and knowledge which has become the foundation of Melissa’s work. Melissa spent the last 12 years teaching gardening and life skills at two elementary schools, Innovations Public Charter school and Honaunau Elementary. Now, she is bringing her passion for teaching and growing home to Kona Sown. 

 

At Kona Sown we grow the foods we love to eat, crops that improve the soil, as well as some fantastic flowers! We select, save and replant the varieties that thrive in our area. Lettuce, eggplant, tomato, broccoli, herbs, beans, strawflowers, zinnias are some of our favorites to grow and save seed from! We offer educational opportunities that focus on soil health, exploring the seasonality and growing climate of Kona as well as methods of selecting and saving seeds we love to grow!

 

Kona Sown has a few unique characteristics that make it an ideal place to grow, teach and save seed. We have an abundance of beautiful fertile soil that is teaming with life. We continually focus on maintaining and improving our soil. We are at 1700 feet elevation, which gives us cool temperatures and an abundance of rain, yet we are just outside of Kealakekua town making us accessible to our community. Being located on the Kona side of the Big Island our rainy season is opposite the rest of the state. Our rainy season coincides with the long growing season which allows plants to reach maximum growth and set seeds as we typically (but not always) dry out and transition into the fall. Kona Sown, though just one acre, has the infrastructure that allows a diversity of crops to be produced and maximized. We have an orchard, kitchen garden, cover and mulch cropping areas, a screen house, summer gardens, processing and packing area and a nursery.

 

With all of this infrastructure newly completed, Kona Sown has fledged and is now

a working farm!