Manic Organic commenced in 1999 as the result of a desire to farm organically on Aquidneck Island. With more desire than experience, the sum total of which consisted of one season's apprenticeship on an organic farm in upstate New York, Nicole started her dream on a wing and a prayer and half an acre of land in Portsmouth. The land had been a family farm for years and was ripe and ready for new ideas. Mary Chase Hanks, the landowner, when she spoke to Nicole about using her land simply said "I have a tractor you can borrow, a greenhouse and a barn; why don't you just start something and see how it goes?" From such a suggestion, Manic Organic was born.

That first season, while waitressing at night and farming by day, Nicole managed to produce her first crops: specialty salad mix, heirloom tomatoes, tricolored beets, Italian greens, and much more. She learned what would grow in the worst drought in 50 years and what wouldn't. She designed an irrigation system, started all her own plants from seed, learned how to operate a tractor, and marketed whatever she grew at the Middletown Aquidneck Growers Market and to a couple of local restaurants. After all the trials and tribulations of that first year, Nicole was hooked. It wasn't just the farming but the idea of a local small business that made people's lives better and healthier that kept her going. Manic Organic gave people and their families a connection to their food and how and where it was produced.

Nicole broadened her horizons by attending organic farming conferences that winter and spread the "manic" word through school tours, garden club tours and connections with local chefs. The year 2000 brought an expansion of acreage and new experiences with hiring labor. Two local girls helped to build Manic Organic's reputation through their hard work and dedication and Nicole learned how to give better directions after all the artichoke plants were ripped out because they were mistaken for some sort of killer weed. More restaurants were added to the flock as Manic Organic expanded marketing efforts to Providence. The Ford pickup was packed to the gills twice a week and Nicole learned the ins and outs of the trade and met a lot of talented chefs truly committed to buying locally. Some of them such as Casey Riley of Castle Hill and Ted Gidley of The Clarke Cooke House are valued customers to this day.

2001 brought a big expansion of operations as Manic Organic expanded from a couple of acres to five, almost taking advantage of all of the farm's potential seven acres. That would be the challenge for 2002 and beyond. The most exciting part of 2001 was the purchase of a Case International 50 horsepower tractor with a front end loader. Some girls want diamonds, some pearls but to Nicole a tractor was all that and more. With a farm loan, she purchased a chisel plow and a rototiller as well. Now the challenge was learning how to use it all. Manic Organic's reputation was starting to grow and the annual Mother's Day plant sale was allowing her to keep her greenhouses full and productive. The Stonewall Stand out in front of the farm had been a roadside stand for years and it had become a destination again, starting with plant sales in the spring and continuing with organic vegetable sales well into the fall of the year. Mary's raspberry jam and vinegar made from raspberries planted by her dad on the farm years ago was always a big draw.

2002 brought an expansion of marketing as Nicole took advantage of her growing customer base to start a CSA program. CSA or Community Supported Agriculture is a subscription vegetable program that allows the farmer some capital in the spring as people pre-buy their vegetables generating seed money when the farmer really needs it. The program runs weekly from June to October and members get a weekly box of whatever is in season, recipes and a newsletter to fill them in on farm activities. The 15 brave souls, many of whom are still members to this day, got an earful of manic activities that year. They must have liked what they heard and ate because they told their friends and the CSA has been growing steadily up to a present membership of 150. 2002 also brought the challenge of starting a Newport extension of the popular Aquidneck Growers Market. The humble site was the vacant lot next to Puerini's Restaurant where Nicole had moonlighted for years. The lot was about 50 square feet into which crammed four growers and a lot of ideas. The City of Newport was unprepared for the enthusiasm and after three subsequent years of alternate sites finally gave in and allotted the market a permanent site in 2006 on Memorial Boulevard up from the Newport beaches. With good visibility and adequate parking the market is really taking off.

2003, 2004 and 2005 were years in which Manic Organic stretched its legs. Greenhouses were erected, some for in ground growing of tomatoes, flowers and winter greens and some for plant propagation as Manic Organic plant sales continued to grow in volume each year. All the acreage on the farm was planted. Fruit trees and more raspberries were planted. More equipment was purchased including a cultivating tractor of Nicole's own, a 1950's Cub with cultivators originally owned by Mike and Polly Hutchinson of Casey Farm in Saunderstown. Every year brought new challenges and a hardworking crew of young women always rose to the occasion. Sarah, Alix, Hilary, Ericka, Katie, Alex, DeeDee, Amanda, Becky, Paula, Lisa and many more over the years helped Manic Organic to expand and grow. Many of them have since started their own farming endeavors making Nicole proud and reminiscent of her own apprenticeship experience with Katie Smith in New York who remains a role model to this day. Unfortunately, Nicole felt herself outgrowing the farm and Portsmouth which was experiencing a lot of development pressure.

With a land opportunity on Main Road before Four Corners in Tiverton, Manic Organic made plans to move its base of operations over the bridge in 2006. After two seasons of adverse weather conditions in Tiverton, in 2008 Manic Organic will continue but at a slower pace to allow to allow the business to recover from the expenses of the move. Investments can be made in necessary infrastructure like a well, for water security, and greenhouses for season extension, and better soil fertility for long term growth. A Tiverton market site plan has been formulated for the 2008 season. The Sakonnet Grower's Market will debut at Pardon Gray thanks to the support of the Tiverton Land Trust. It will take place on Saturdays mornings from 9 to 1 in July, August, and September. 2008 is an exciting time to explore sustainable business practices in Manic Organic's own back yard. Permanent land tenure continues to be a goal; as outreach and education continue to be important as the original goal of being a local business focused on a healthy idea and product that improves people's lives and sense of community.

But above all, the idea as Nicole signs off in her weekly CSA letter is to "enjoy the vegetables!"