HARTFORD, Conn. -- While there’s still plenty of debate swirling around the age-old question, Hartford resident Travis Stewart is certain what came first for him: the egg.
Then came the chickens.
The self-proclaimed Backyard Farmer on Preston Street, whose operation includes two raised-bed gardens with kale, mint and other vegetables; an aquaponic setup with 50-plus tilapia and duckweed; a hydroponic system growing Swiss chard, tomatoes and cucumbers, and a coop with 17 chickens and three rabbits, started five years ago when he and his daughter, Akilah, hatched an egg as part of a science project. Two eggs, actually.
Those two chicks, Sunny and Moon, grew to adulthood and led Stewart and his wife, Kaysle Brooks, to build an 8-by-8-foot coop and stock it with more chickens.
What followed was a steady supply of eggs.
“We offered some to some people, then we started selling the eggs,” Stewart said. “Friends of mine started coming to me to say they love the farm fresh eggs.”
That’s when Stewart decided to make daily videos that provide people a window into what his life is like.
“No tutorials, just about how I’m living in Hartford,” he said.
Stewart and Brooks then expanded their operation into growing fresh vegetables in the backyard. Around that time, Stewart, a fit martial arts instructor, started feeling more and more fatigued. He also began experiencing piercing, unrelenting back pain. A visit to the chiropractor only made things worse.
Finally relenting to his wife’s prodding to get checked out, Stewart learned he had multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. Though the diagnosis was shocking, he did not panic.
“I was like, ‘OK, what do I do now?’ I have it. I can’t worry about it. I said, ‘What do I do now?’
“I’m on this path. I’m not going to fight it. I had cut everything [in the backyard]. We still had this gardening stuff.”
So Stewart, 43, continued to focus on his garden as he battled cancer, which currently is in remission. He’s quick to point out he saw a terrific specialist and went through chemotherapy. But he also credits gardening with saving his life.
“It’s magical; it’s spiritual,” he said. “You have a seed. You put the seed in the ground, and just by faith you know that with everything you did, it is going to produce and grow. If you do everything right, you don’t have to worry about anything. Just let nature happen. That’s beautiful.
“It’s growing; you get so excited. It grows and expands. From one seed, you get a whole bunch of different fruits or vegetables. I did this with my own two hands.”
His videos, which he posts on social media, including Facebook, went from providing a window into his life to cajoling others into doing what he does with whatever space they have.
“My platform now is me saying, ‘You can do it, too,’” he said. “If you want to learn anything, learn how to grow a seed, even if it’s just in a pot or whatever. You don’t have to do a big operation. Don’t compare yourself to me, because I’m different from you.”
While farming’s reputation is that it’s notoriously labor-intensive, that’s not the case with Stewart’s setup.
“My backyard is designed for laziness,” he said. “Not because I want to be lazy. … But I can come back here and be done in 5 minutes. I don’t have to do much with this.”
In his never-ending quest to improve and expand on his operation, Stewart linked up with the Knox Urban Farming Program as well as local leaders such as Kamora Herrington to plant the seeds of knowledge in other residents that backyard farming is not only possible but achievable.
Knox, which also provides free seeds to Hartford residents for farming and gardening, is “a gold mine,” Stewart said. He takes every chance he gets to promote organizations such as Knox, Hands of Hartford and the Hartford Food System through his frequent videos.
Patrick Doyle, executive director of Knox, said Stewart’s work fits perfectly with a couple of Knox’s missions.
“He does amazing work on his property with his farming,” Doyle said. “A big chunk of our work is about urban farming and gardening and really helping people in the city that want to grow food either for themselves or to sell as a farmer or small business person. We’ve got space and programming to help them to do that. …
“He’s just such a positive person and brings such good energy to what he’s doing. That’s great to have with our community of farmers.”
Herrington doesn’t mince words in talking about Stewart.
“He is an amazing human being,” Herrington said. “Everybody needs to know about him and what he’s doing. … Along with creating an entire ecosystem that can be and will be self-sustaining, he’s doing what made sense. … You look at the martial arts piece, you look at the farming piece, and he’s figuring it out with what he’s got. …
“He’s a lifelong learner. … I want my son to be with him more … learn how to be a man, learn how to be a human being who is in control of his environment.”
Stewart says he grows everything for his family and anyone who wants to be a part of it.
“It was never for money,” he said.
He also uses his backyard farm as a means to connect with his children, Nathaniel, 12, and Akilah, 15.
Akilah wants to be a veterinarian, Stewart said, hence the rabbits. And when he goes into the backyard to do some work, he beckons his kids to help.
“Whatever you can do in the moment, do it,” Stewart said. “Come out here with your kids, get some free seeds, plant it and watch the miracle happen. … Get involved. Drag your kids outside. Get into the sun. Get into the soil. Have that conversation. Listen. … Tell them, ‘Let’s plant something together. I want to have a relationship with you.’”
