We’re honored to share that New Leaf Produce is featured in the latest issue of CH2 Magazine!
From our vertical hydroponic farm based on St. Helena Island to our commitment to fresh, local, and sustainable food to our Beaufort neighbors and partners, this article captures the heart of what we do — and why we do it.
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A huge thank you to the CH2 Magazine team for spotlighting our story and mission. Grab a copy or read online to learn more about how we’re growing the future of farming in the Lowcountry!

With your help, we made it through the nomination period of the Island Packet/Beaufort Gazette's Lowcountry Best Awards. Now we need your help to win our category!! 

1. Click here: http://votelowcountry.com/
2. Register (it makes you do this to prevent cheating)
3. Vote for New Leaf Produce in the Shopping > Farm/Farmers Market Category. Voting opens Monday 6/2/25 at NOON and closes on Friday 6/20/25 at 5pm EST. 
You can vote EVERY day until 6/20/25. Winners will be announced 9/21/25. 
Of course, vote also for all your local BFT County faves in various categories after you vote for Selma and NLP! 
Official Rules: https://www.shoplowcountrysbest.com/official-rules

Thank you in advance! 

Summer has arrived and the farm is growing! We want to take a moment to reflect on this past quarter. If you've met Selma and her team, you know that the hydroponic container (and the larger farm that is Somersett Farm) always requests attention. Our weekly Saturday Markets on the Farm are increasingly popular; thank you Beaufortonians for supporting us! We're in a continual cycle of seeding, transplanting, harvesting, and marketing on the farm, but we are also growing into new areas to serve our community (stay tuned). Every week we love getting our hands and feet dirty to ensure there's artisanal lettuce, root vegetables, and gourmet herbs ready for you, so you can #skipthesupermarket. Requests are welcomed; contact us to be added to the mailing list or share your crop wants with us in person on the Saturday markets; we'll try our best to get the most popular produce wishes into our growing cycle. 

During the past three months, we've engaged with interested local media to help share our story, resulting in a Post & Courier feature, a video with SK Designs' Lowcountry Conversation, and an upcoming feature with CH2/CB2 Magazine (stay tuned for the July issue and socials). We're so grateful for the local writers and talented photogs for helping to get the word out about us. 

On a fun note: one of our local restaurant partners Locals Raw Bar, created The Selma cocktail (ask for it!). We're also sharing new recipes on our social media about how to use our produce this Summer. Is there a vegetable or herb that you're not sure how to use? Ask us! We're foodies and we cook what we grow and want to inspire and guide you. 

We're also reaching out for new volunteers for the farm; we're contacting local school systems (classroom chats and inviting summer camps to schedule tours) and senior groups. We're also experimenting with soil-based seedlings for customers' gardens to go to market.

We're also continuing to build relationships with new local fine dining establishments and creating small-batch offerings like chefs' cut gourmet garnish boxes and compound butter; this week we launched two bespoke flavors for Gay Fish Company, a fellow friend on St. Helena Island: Old Bay & Lemon and a Garlic Garden Herb flavor, only available at Gay Fish Company's retail spot (well worth visiting!). Note: there is a special pop-up at Gay Fish Company on Thursday, July 3rd where you can snag not only our produce (and butter), but delicious fresh-caught shrimp and fish: SAVE the DATE and come early -- it is a wildly popular 4th of July meal prep event. 

You can look forward to exciting new vegetables this Summer. Thank you, again, for your generous support. Share New Leaf Produce with your friends and neighbors this Summer. We'd love to meet them! 

p.s. A special shout-out to our volunteers, mentors, and regular customers...We couldn't do this without your time and cheerleading. 

#NewLeafProduce #BeaufortSC #StHelenaSC #familyownedbusiness #smallfarm #hydroponicfarm #verticalfarm #pesticidefree #herbicidefree #eatlocal #supportlocalfarmers #womenfarmers #foodstability #skipthesupermarket #packthepantry 

We're excited to share this with you: we were featured on SK Signs, Designs & Marketing's "Lowcountry Conversation" segment, which highlights Beaufort County businesses. Huge props to Shawn and Anthony for helping our neighbors take a virtual, vertical farm tour exploring hydroponic, pesticide-free, nutrient-rich growing. See how high-tech sustainable agriculture works!

We'd like to invite you to explore further: visit our bi-weekly market on the farm or order online and schedule delivery to your door.

119 Scott Hill Road #StHelena
843-252-3695
www.NewLeafProduceSC.com

#hydroponicfarming #familybusiness #sustainablefarming #farmingofthefuture #BeaufortSC

ST. HELENA ISLAND — A wall of lettuce was rolled aside to make way for rows of colorful edible flowers as Selma Davis looked through her hydroponic farm like a librarian confidently sifting through shelves of books. She picked a piece of bright green arugula. "Give that a try. It is the most unbelievable arugula," Davis said. "It's spicy because it's older."

The bushels of arugula are among dozens of greens grown vertically within a large shipping container dropped by a crane on St. Helena Island farmland. On the inside, the 320-square-foot structure is high tech, using water to produce large yields of pesticide free greens and vegetables through a method called hydroponics. Hydroponic farms grow plants within a controlled, indoor environment without the use of soil. Instead, plants’ roots are submerged in nutrient-rich water and grown beneath LED lights.

The container would be easy to miss while driving along the rural roads of St. Helena Island. Farmland plowed, planted and harvested for generations surrounds the 10 acre property. There are no permanent buildings on Davis' land, only a shed, an RV and the white container with the farm's logo painted on the side: New Leaf Produce.

New Leaf Produce began as a passion project for Davis whose venture into hydroponic farming came at a time of transition in her life. She left a 25-year career in education during the uncertainty and stress of COVID-19, but was unsure of her next steps. Scrolling through TikTok one day, Davis came across a 30-second video from a company called Freight Farms that offered a glimpse at hydroponic farming. The Boston-based business specializes in agriculture technology and as of November 2022, had over 600 Freight Farm containers operating around the globe.

Davis paid $135,000 her own high-tech container, sold her home in town, bought farmland, dug a well and got to work. In March of 2023, she planted her first seed. In the beginning, the container checked a lot of boxes for the mother of four. It offered a career change, helped Davis grow her hobby of backyard gardening, and helped her to develop food sovereignty during a time of supply chain uncertainty.

"My reasoning has really changed over time," Davis said. "Now I'm leaning in because of the community it brings. I've met so many incredible people through this process. I've made lifelong friendships. That pivot was important for me to grow. "New Leaf Produce has grown an estimated 14,000 pounds of vegetable over the past two years. Davis sells directly from her farm at 119 Scott Hill Road and wholesale to local restaurants like Beaufort based Locals Raw Bar.

She has big plans for the future. In September 2024 New Leaf Produce was approved for a solar panel grant. Davis recently bought a barn that will be shipped in pieces to her farm in coming months. She also plans to host educational youth sessions at the farm. "It's really all about community," Davis said. "I can't wait to see who else this brings into my life."

Jessica Wade covers Hilton Head Island through The Post and Courier’s Beaufort County Bureau. A native of eastern Nebraska, she previously reported on development and local government with the The Omaha World-Herald. [email protected]; 843-998-3879 // Full article.