Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a CSA?
• What sorts of foods do you grow?
• What does the membership include?
• How much food does a member get each week?
• How long is your season?
• Can I pick which items I receive?
• Why isn't there more fruit in the shares?
• Can members visit the farm?
• How do I pick up my produce?
• What happens if I cannot pick up my box?
• What happens if I cannot give you 48 hours notice to suspend my subscription?
• What happens if I forget to pick-up my box?
• What is your cancellation policy?
• What happens if your crops fail?
• How much does it cost to become a member?
• Can I try this out for a short time to see if I like it?
• I want to join! How do I sign up?

What is CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a direct partneship between the consumer and the farmer. The CSA member buys a share of the farm at the beginning of a growing season. In exchange, we work to grow the highest quality vegetables, herbs, and fruits we can. Every week, the produce is picked and immediately delivered to local drop off sites, where members pick up their shares. This arrangement is ecologically sound because it reduces the long-distance trucking involved in much of today's produce delivery. In addition, all the produce is organically grown. This method of growing food is healthier and more environmentally sustainable for the consumer, agricultural worker, and the land itself.
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What sort of foods do you grow?
Take a look at our harvest schedule.
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What does the membership include?
Your membership payment purchases a "share" of our season's harvest. You then receive your choice of a weekly or alternate week box of our Austin grown seasonal fresh produce. As a member, you also receive a periodic newsletter with a description of that week’s harvest, recipes and advice on how to prepare vegetables. In the spring and fall of each year we also have an open house at our home and farm so you can see where your food is grown and meet the people who produce it. We periodically have u-pick items available to CSA members. Our CSA does not have a work requirement, but members are always welcome to contact us if they would like to volunteer to work on the farm.
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How much food does a member get each week?
Vegetable boxes are usually enough for a family of 2-4 for a week depending on eating habits. Each week the vegetable boxes are filled with on average 8-12 seasonal, organically grown vegetables, fruits and herbs. Members receive a wide variety of foods harvested at their peak of freshness, ripeness, flavor, vitamin and mineral content. The box contents change over the course of the season. We grow over 75 different types of vegetables. Since our farm is located only 5 miles east of downtown Austin our produce only travels a few miles. Many varieties we grow are not found in grocery stores because they do not ship well.
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How long is your season?
We grow year round, and our CSA season is 50 weeks. Our family takes a week off in August and another in December.
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Can I pick which items I receive?
This is not a delivery service, but share holding in a working farm. We grow everything in its season and pick it at its best. The share is a balanced mix of what the farm has available in the field. Our members tell us they love getting surprised each week, and they enjoy trying things they wouldn't otherwise have tried. Many of the pick-up sites have 'trade boxes', where one member can leave one item and another can pick up double of an item they love. We leave each trade box with a couple of items in it; please only take an item if you are leaving one.

We try to keep the CSA boxes filled with the most popular items, and keep a balance when selecting what to grow and put into the shares each week.
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Why isn't there more fruit in the shares?
We are primarily a vegetable and pecan farm. Our fruit we obtain by cooperating with other local organic fruit growers.
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Can members visit the farm?
Yes! We have an open house/potluck during the spring and fall months. We love showing off our farm, but it is also our home and we must balance tours with a very busy work schedule. Please contact us if you are in visiting and we may be able to accommodate you.
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How do I pick up my produce?
Johnson's Backyard Garden delivers to several locations in Austin. On delivery day, members go to their pick-up site and get their shares for the week. For specific pickup sites and schedules, click here. Many of our sites are at members' homes, so we ask that you pick up no later than 7:00 PM.

Please break down the farm box, and leave it there in a neat pile. This way we can reuse the wax boxes and keep costs down.
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What happens if I cannot pick up my box?
If you let us know at least 48 hours in advance, we can suspend your delivery and start it up again on the date you request. You will still receive all of the vegetable boxes in your subscription. We can also arrange for a pick-up at an alternate site on another distribution day.
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What happens if I cannot give you 48 hours notice to suspend my subscription?
If you miss the 48 hour deadline for suspension notice, we can take it to our local soup kitchen (Salvation Army Social Services in Austin) and give you a receipt for tax purposes. Please email us if you would like to use this option.
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What happens if I forget to pick-up my box?
Unfortunately, we do not give replacement boxes if you miss a pickup. This is because we ask the CSA site host to donate any leftover vegetable boxes to a neighbor or to a family in need.
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What is your cancellation policy?
In the CSA model, members are seen as active farm partners, sharing the risks and rewards of the harvest. Should you choose to cancel your subscription, we cannot offer a refund. The CSA partnership sustains our farm, individual members, and the community at large. Given this no-refund policy, we advise that new members initially sign up for a trial 4-week membership before committing to a longer subscription.
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What happens if your crops fail?
Because weather always affects the rates of plant growth or maturation, and insects or diseases can always interrupt production or damage quality, farming can be a risky business. When a crop is delayed or destroyed to some degree, we may supplement our harvest with produce grown at another local organic farm.
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How much does it cost to become a member?
For members paying ten weeks at a time, the share cost is $28.50 per box. For members paying four weeks at a time, the share cost is $30.00 per box. As long as we have availability members can join at anytime.
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Can I try this out for a short time to see if I like it?
Yes! For those new to our farm, try a four-week membership to see if you like it.
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I want to join! How do I sign up?
Click here to fill out our online membership application.
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