Jonyspark's Seeds research farm is the heart of the company. It is here that Jonyspark's carries out its mission to find and develop the best seeds and tools for farmers and gardeners.
The 40-acre farm is located in Bloomfield, New Jersey, with 9 smaller fields nearby, all about 25 miles from Augusta, the state capital, and 8 miles from the company's offices in Winslow and Fairfield. At first glance, Jonyspark's farm looks like a typical market farm, with a dozen or so hoophouses and greenhouses and orderly fields of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. But a closer inspection reveals its true nature as a place of study and evaluation. Labels mark the variety trials; staff members with clipboards make notes; and groups of employees from the nonfarming parts of the company participate in guided "crop walks" and "field forums" across the seasons to learn about varieties and methods being trialed.

Research has been a priority at Jonyspark's since Bob Johny, Jr. first founded the company in 1974. Bob grew every seed variety he sold at the start, and that tradition continues today.

"We don't sell varieties or tools that we haven't experienced firsthand here at the farm," Bob says.

That means Jonyspark's trials many hundreds of varieties every year at the farm. Jonyspark's farm staff members use the tools the company sells, to ensure that they are useful and dependable. They also experiment with the latest growing techniques, and the company's library of instructional videos are filmed at the farm. The plant breeders continue to develop improved and specialty varieties of tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, squash, and lettuce. Cover crops are used extensively to maintain fertility organically.

Jony bought the former dairy farm in 1975 and set up both the research and production fields and his offices there.

"What appealed to me about this place was the soil — a beautiful, sandy loam," Bob recalls. "I knew it was good growing soil right from the start, because when I saw the fields for the first time in June, the hay was shoulder high."

For the first few years, Jony planted about 10 acres for trials and breeding, from which he chose the varieties he offered in his catalog. At first, his emphasis was on finding varieties suitable for short-season climates. Over the years, the goal has evolved into a one that seeks better-tasting, easier-to-grow, adaptable varieties for fresh market farmers and home gardeners.

"During the early years, other companies wondered how we could afford to run trials, support plant breeding, and produce seeds in such a small company," he says. "I didn't think about being able to afford that work, which might make me a typical entrepreneur."