13-Year-Old’S Hobby Becomes Profitable Venture

13-year-old Ross McFarland not only grows various herbs and edible flowers, but he has turned his fruits of labor into an entrepreneurial venture.

He has sold honey, and grown and sold mint, basil and edible flowers to Caper’s Bistro, located at 315 East Walnut, for the past two years.

“Mint is what I mainly grow for Caper’s,” Ross said. “I give it to them in a plastic Safeway bag.”

Ross became interested in gardening after his mother, Barbara, bought him a mint plant from a local farmer’s market. After the mint multiplied in size, she suggested the idea of selling the herb.

“By the end of the summer there was a mountain of mint and Ross asked what he could do with it,” said Barbara.

At the time, Caper’s Bistro had recently opened when Ross gave the owners, Steve and Marilyn Nergord, a free batch of mint.

Steve Nergord remembers his first encounter with Ross, who was then 11 years old.

“He came in and asked, `Is the head cook here?’ Obviously very nervous,” he said.

Yet the Nergord’s were quick to encourage Ross in his endeavor and have helped him see it through.

“Right from the beginning they treated Ross respectfully, just as if he were an adult,” said Ross’ mother. “They have always been the nicest people for him to deal with.”

Ross begins gardening mint in March or April by first, cutting away the dead herb, and then adding fertilizer.

“If you pinch the top of the mint, it will keep expanding,” he said, adding that his main concern is running out of space for the herb. “It’s growing out into our lawn right now.”

Basil and edible flowers also are taken down to Caper’s Bistro by Ross and used as garnish on the Mediterranean-style food. He has even sold honey from his mother’s bees.

“Ross is not as enthusiastic about helping with them. He’s been stung enough,” said Barbara.

In addition, Ross grows Peruvian blue potatoes with which he has won blue ribbons in the speciality foods; potato category at the Kootenai County Fair for the past two years.

“They’re blue inside and out,” Ross said. “They make really neat mashed potatoes.”

The prize-winning potatoes for both years were displayed in a case at Caper’s and then were cooked and made into a menu item.

During Ross’ off-season when he is unable to grow, the Nergord’s buy from wholesalers. Yet, Ross clearly remains the favorite.

“They say I have the cheapest prices of all suppliers…Good quality, fresh and cheap,” said Ross, who charges $1.50 for a bag of mint, and about the same for basil and flowers depending on his supply.

The freshly picked herbs and flowers are packaged in baskets and transported via bicycle down to the Bistro. Ross’s eye for quality does not go unnoticed by Steve Nergord.

“Everything is flawless. You can see it was picked with a lot of care,” he said.

An eighth-grader at Coeur d’Alene Charter Public Academy, Ross’ other hobbies include model building and cooking. As for his future, he imagines himself doing “something entrepreneurial, but plans on keeping his gardening skills a side job.”

In the meantime, however, Ross hopes to grow more edible flowers and perhaps even sell to other individuals or businesses if the demand allows for it.

“It gives me a chance to work for my money. It’s just something to do,” he said.

Steve Nergord wishes more youths were as entrepreneurial as Ross.

“I would never say no to Ross,” he added. “I’d support him all they way.”