About The
Farmer
Howdy!
My name is Nick Ager, and I’m the founder of Growing Back to Eden.
My life has been shaped by the land for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories is crawling into a neighbor’s yard as a small child, collecting seeds from her flowers, and planting them by our porch. A few months later, flowers were growing there again. Even then, something deeper had been planted in me.
The words of Proverbs 18:16—“A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men”—became real in my life at a young age. By the time I was 18, I had traveled across the country and spent nearly five years managing a world-renowned regenerative garden in Sequim, Washington, owned by Paul Gautschi, founder of the Back to Eden gardening method. Paul became like a father to me during that season, and my time there shaped both my faith and my approach to farming.
A Journey Shaped by Land & Calling
After Washington, I continued consulting for high-profile landowners and managing large-scale properties. I oversaw more than 20,000 acres off-grid in the mountains of Montana, then later worked in the foothills of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. During that time, I also had the opportunity to work alongside Joel Salatin, managing a 200-acre farm for a landowner whose simple, lighthearted online project ended up inspiring thousands of people to step into farming.
In May of 2022, on my birthday, I moved to Florida and began building and running the market garden at Pete Kanaris’ Farm and Nursery, Green Dreams Sustainable Solutions, just north of Tampa. Pete had invited me for years to come south, and the timing finally felt right.
But God wasn’t finished yet!
After two years, I partnered with a friend who wanted to leave city life and pursue farming. Around the same time, I felt a strong calling to a church in Crystal River, Florida. As my friend searched for land nearby, he found a newly cleared five-acre property just eight minutes north of downtown.
That land became the home of Growing Back to Eden.
The Land We’re On Today
Today, Growing Back to Eden is both a regenerative farm and a faith-based ministry. The land feeds families, hosts gatherings, and creates space for people to slow down, connect, and experience God in a natural setting.
We teach classes, host farm-to-table dinners and community events, and open the farm every Saturday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM for our open market and fellowship time. It has become a place where neighbors, families, and visitors come not just to buy food—but to be part of something living and growing.
More Than a Farm
My vision is to continue expanding this work—hosting weekly Bible studies, farm fellowship nights, and perhaps one day even weddings or baptisms in the natural swimming pool here on the property.
I believe God led me here for a purpose greater than farming alone. This place exists to regenerate not only the soil, but the hearts of those who walk through the garden—the very space where God first placed humanity.
Thinking about the future of this land and walking it out with Him fills me with gratitude and expectation.
