B & G Produce
Greg Thomas, a Ruston veterinarian, and his neighbor, Bryan Chicola, were both involved in gardening for their families when the Ruston Farmers Market began. With the opening of the market, they decided to take the excess from their gardens for a booth together and named their business B & G, using their first names. They have a variety of produce, ranging from tomatoes to peppers (jalapenos, bell, and cayenne), to zinnias, which they display unusually in Greg’s antique wagon which he trailers in for the market.
Learning from his parents, Thomas got his start gardening when he was a kid working in the family garden in Luling, where he grew up. Thomas says that in that part of southeast Louisiana, they could grow just about anything. He has spent 25 years in Ruston, in his veterinarian practice. He now works for the USDA Public Health, supervising food inspectors.
Bryan Chicola, now twelve years old, has also learned gardening from his family. He says that his father talked him into growing a vegetable garden two years ago in Ruston. He had a great harvest of broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. He also learned some gardening techniques from his Internet research. He spends two–three hours per day with his garden, picking, washing, and tilling. He uses a rear-tine tiller and has even planted purple hull and black-eyed peas which should be ready later this summer.
When asked how the two came to work together, they attribute it to being neighbors. Bryan’s father, Ronald Chicola, and Thomas became friends. Chicola is an engineer turned tuna fisherman. When he goes to college, Bryan wants to study engineering after his father. B and G Produce tries to grow without chemicals, although they do use commercial fertilizer, and have had pretty good luck with this.