Coming down from the mountains

After 33 years on the ski patrol, John Gray has found settled down as a farmer

By HEIDI DESCH / Northwest Montana News Network

John Gray seems pretty content with his newer, quieter — albeit still busy — way of life.

Tucked away on 40 acres between Columbia Falls and Whitefish, Gray has been raising and selling produce for the last four years. Sure, he puts in a full day's work in the garden and spends a few evenings a week at local farmers markets, but compared to his former life, things are a bit more tranquil.

You see, it wasn't that long ago he made his living working on Big Mountain and in Glacier National Park.

It's quieter, he agrees, "but I can walk out my door and I'm at work. I like that."

Until a few years ago, Gray spent his winters working on Big Mountain, where he spent 33 years with the ski patrol. He was also an owner in Glacier Guides and Montana Raft Company for 17 years, working summers as a guide.

In his younger years, Gray also spent 11 years on a Glacier Park trail crew. In addition, he has also owned and operated the Polebridge Mercantile.

Raising produce for Gray's Homegrown also keeps him busy — he spends about eight hours in the garden each day, besides harvesting and selling.

He and his wife, Dawn, also just finished construction on their home on the property. They salvaged some of the building materials from the former Central School in Whitefish. The kitchen counter is chalk board, the island is made from hardwood flooring, and the glass in the cabinets came from the windows in the school.

A view with a purpose

Gray's home sits tucked between his fields of hay and alfalfa on Braig Road, just yards from the greenhouses and a chicken pen. Some of the spread is leased out for grazing. He grows lettuce, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, squash and raspberries, among other things.

"I have a little bit of everything," he says of his two greenhouses and large garden.

To the north, there's a view of Big Mountain, and to the east, the Stoltze Land and Lumber Company can almost be made out. But the open space with the mountain frame is a sight to be seen.

Gray agrees it's nice, but he also picked the spot for more practical reasons.

"We looked at land a long time until we found a place with the right sunlight," he said.

Of course the soil is good for growing as well.

"The soil is incredible — it's mostly sandy loam," he notes. "The rocks you see, we added."

A green thumb

Working the land seems to be in Gray's blood. From a young age, he remembers helping grow a garden and preserving food.

"I grew up in a family that gardened. We always said, 'You could have nailed the door shut, and we could have lived,'" he laughed.

Gray's mother was big on raising food and canning.

"She had a degree in nutrition," he said. "That was when you used diets instead of drugs for health."

Eventually canning led to freezing, which Gray continues to do. He said right now he's using up last year's produce from the freezer to make room for this year's crop.

Over the years, he's continued working his own garden, but it wasn't until recent years that he started selling.

"I've toyed with it before, but I got serious in the last four years," he said. "It keeps me busy, and I can eat good food."

Gray also works to be a consciousness gardener. Although not certified as such, he grows everything organically. He also keeps the chickens to eat garden waste.

Work in progress

Right now, the garden is not on par with what he'd like it to be. A late spring has slowed crops a bit, and finishing the house has meant a split in his time.

"Last year by mid-June, I had tomatoes," he said.

He starts the tomatoes in a sunroom off the house and then transfers them to the greenhouse. Growth was slower this year, however, because of cooler temperatures.

The plants outside in the garden also recently saw frost. There's still the promise of good food to be picked, and Gray is keeping a close watch on the corn stalks as they inch closer and closer to maturity.

Gray grows some of the produce for his own consumption, but much of it is based on what he thinks might sell well at market. In the past, a major part of his sales have been tomatoes.

"I try to grow what other people aren't growing a ton of," he said.

A future in farming

Someday maybe, Gray will open up his garden for folks to come and purchase items, but for now he's happier to take produce to the markets.

Gray participates in the Whitefish farmers market on Tuesdays and the West Glacier farmers market on Fridays. He enjoys selling his produce but knows it's really about the fun rather than making a profit.

"We'll always have good food to eat, but you don't make much," he said. "It keeps me busy. None of us (selling at the markets) are getting very wealthy."

He noted that he and his wife have saved money in their own household, only buying meat during the summer.

Gray does see his work as a contribution to a greater good. He'd like to see more produce grown in the Flathead Valley so residents aren't forced to buy food that has been trucked in from thousands of miles away, especially as food prices rise due to fuel costs.

"We could raise most vegetables here in the valley," he said. "Think how better it would be. It's sad to see less and less farming."