About Our Farm
Ter-Lee Gardens was started in 1989 by Terry and Loralee Nennich with the goal of providing high quality local produce to customers at a fair price.
Terry was born and raised on a fruit and vegetable farm in southern Michigan and had always hoped to build on his experience. Upon moving to the Bagley, Mn. area in December of 1988, Terry and Loralee, along with their three children, Terry Jr., Tamilee, and Tim, purchased a run-down, former dairy farm and began preparations for Terry’s fruit and vegetable farm dream to be realized.
The summer of 1989 was mostly used to prepare the ground and fields for the next year, while growing some pumpkins and other small acreage crops. In 1990, the first strawberries were planted, along with a few acres of other crops such as pumpkins, cabbage, and sweet corn.
Ter-Lee Gardens' first strawberry crop was in 1991, beginning with sunny weather resulting in an excellent crop. That first year marked the beginning of an ongoing tradition of healthful delicious strawberries available locally in the Bagley/Fosston/Bemidji area. Through the years, we have seen good and bad weather, and have had wonderful and less than wonderful crops, but every year we've been able to provide strawberries to residents in the area and beyond.
Having lived and raised our kids in the community, many of our customers are friends and neighbors, not strangers. Each year we see the joy of pick-your-own fruit passed on from generation to generation as parents and grandparents bring their children and grandchildren out to learn how to pick strawberries and learn about the land. As one of the oldest strawberry farms in the area, we have proven to generations that there is no substitute for experience and hard work.
While the strawberries have always been the most popular crop at Ter-Lee Gardens, we have grown many other vegetables. In the late 1990’s, Ter-Lee Gardens provided cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli to many stores in northern Minnesota as well as to local area customers who would buy produce directly on the farm.
In the fall of 1999, Ter-Lee Gardens joined the Bemidji Area Farmers’ Market in Bemidji, Minnesota with squash, pumpkins, potatoes and a few other vegetables. In 2000, Ter-Lee Gardens began growing a full range of vegetables to sell to the many customers at the Farmers’ Market. With the strawberries ending near the end of July, this keeps us busy throughout the rest of the summer and fall. With our distinctive red and white tented trailer at the Farmers’ Market, we are easily recognizable as a convenient source for many of the freshest and highest quality vegetables available in the area.
Even though our children have grown up, moved on and pursued their own careers, we still continue the tradition of excellence that we started nearly 35 years ago—providing the highest quality fruits and vegetables to local customers at a good price, and we will happily continue this tradition in the upcoming years.
Terry & Loralee Nennich