YellowTree Farm Flourishes in Heart of Affton

From the street it looks like any other house, but the backyard is something special. Rows of densely planted greens, a greenhouse hot with herbs, a bird pen, rabbit cages: Justin Leszcz has built a farm in the middle of residential Affton.

Leszcz and his wife run YellowTree Farm, an urban farmstead utilizing biointensive farming techniques. He raises animals and grows hundreds of varieties of high quality, often exotic organic vegetables. He sells his produce at the Maplewood Farmers Market and to some of St. Louis’s top chefs.

“This is really about showing people what you can do with such a small space—and you can do it as a one-income family,” Leszcz said.

Leszcz and his wife, who manages the farm’s accounting and busy Web and social media presence, are now expanding their operation to three more locations around the region: in Fenton near Gravois Bluffs, two lots in south St. Louis city and one near Festus at a friend’s organic dairy farm. They are also going to be taking on two interns.

A chef himself, Leszcz said he tries to specialize in plants that no one else grows but that he knows creative chefs would be interested in cooking with, and he works to find ways to use these plants that the chefs can get excited about. Working in this niche market keeps his venture profitable at a small scale. Japanese parsley, for instance, sells for $30 per pound.

YellowTree has been farming in Affton for two years now. It was a lifestyle they came to after Leszcz became jaded with his successful career selling expensive cars. Now he works in the dirt and raises chickens, pigeons, squabs and rabbits (they may be getting ducks soon as well). He forages for wild fruits around the state. And, of course, his family eats well.

“If you like to cook, having the freshest stuff available right outside your front door is pretty convenient,” he said.

You can eat dishes cooked with YellowTree produce at premier St. Louis restaurants such as Farmhaus, Araka, Monarch and Niche. You can visit their website, read the farm's blog or follow it on Twitter.