Marian and Steve Garner met through a mutual friend in 2006. Both had been married previously, experiencing the pain of divorce. Each had four children – three girls and a boy – but were, separately, empty nesters.
Neither Steve nor Marian envisioned marrying again, accepting what seemed to be God’s will that they follow solo paths the rest of their lives.
Both were cradle Catholics and devout followers of the faith. Steve was a retired officer with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, having served 31 years. Marian was still working full time and maintaining a house on Columbus’ west side.
As Marian tells it, they met on the phone. Marian’s friend Sarah occasionally hosted a card party at her house and would invite Marian, who always declined. Steve had become a regular but was the only single man there among the usual couples in attendance.
One night, when Steve was there, Sarah called Marian and said, “Oh, come and play cards with us!” But, as usual, Marian declined. However, Sarah was persistent, saying, “Well, I’ve got this guy here that you should meet.” Again, Marian declined. Then Sarah said, “Well, this is Sarah’s Dating Service and here’s Steve!” Sarah handed her phone to Steve, and he and Marian had their first conversation.
Steve and Marian found they had a lot in common. First was their devotion to Christ and His Church. They also both had an affinity for gardening – Steve’s on a grand scale, Marian’s on a more humble, urban-yard style.
Although they dated regularly and thought God had brought them together, it was a number of years before they decided it was the Father’s will that they tie the knot. Before their marriage, Marian assisted Steve with his large garden plot in Grove City where they also kept a small farm market going on Home Road during the summer and fall.
From a little awning to shade the produce, to a hay wagon from which they eventually sold vegetables, the market became a favorite destination for local buyers on Saturdays and Sundays. Marian had the idea to make it a drive-thru, recognizing that many customers were elderly or had mobility issues. The market had great success, and their reputation and popularity grew.
Behind the market was a huge garden in which much of the produce they sold was raised. Realizing that many people enjoyed picking their own vegetables, Steve expanded the market concept to a U-Pick-It operation, which met with an enthusiastic response.
Having an orchard was something that Steve had dreamed of for many years. He was ready to leave the farm market operation, but finding the right property was an issue.
Moving to the country, expanding to a bigger farm and being surrounded by nature instead of the city was on Steve’s mind. So, he and Marian looked for the right tract of land.
The Garners began their search in earnest in January 2012, but few suitable properties turned up. They were about to give up when Marian said, “There’s this property down in Pickaway County, just outside Circleville, that looks promising. Let’s go look at it.”
Steve, at first, declined, believing it just wasn’t in God’s plan for them to start fresh. But Marian insisted, saying she had prayed about it and thought God was directing them to it.
When they saw the land, both knew “this was it.”
The Garners immediately enrolled in a class on grafting desirable apple varieties to root stock, which can’t produce apples on its own but serves as a host for the grafts.
Besides starting the apple orchard in 2012, which also includes peaches and pears, Steve and Marian planted thousands of tomatoes and hot peppers, which they sold in their farm market that they maintained for a few more years in Grove City.
Now, with just less than 22 acres and after 11 years of hard work, the Garners’ persistence is paying off. They cultivate nearly 1,800 apple trees representing close to 90 varieties, all of which they wholesale. And the peach orchard boasts 200 trees.
A pole barn was recently completed on their property, built by the local Amish, which they call the Apple House. In it will be an apple-washing table and a cider press, slated to be in operation in 2024. Currently, they sell their apples, peaches and pears at the Amish wholesale auction in Bainbridge.
Eventually, Steve’s dream of a “U-Pick-It” operation will become reality on their Pickaway County property. He believes there’s a market for a family friendly, fun place to spend an hour or a day during harvest season.
Deerfield Orchards, as the Garners’ farm is known, is a dream constantly coming true. It takes long hours of hard work on the part of Steve and Marian who, by themselves, handle almost all of the operations, from preparing the land to planting, cultivating, harvesting and marketing. Yet, both say they couldn’t do it without God’s graces assisting them, and they make time for prayer each morning.
“We are really living in the graces of God because we’re doing this,” Steve said. “He’s the one who’s given us all that we have. We wouldn’t have found each other so late in life. We wouldn’t have bought this place. We wouldn’t have worked so hard, nor would we have realized such bounty.”
“This is our sanctuary, and we love it,” Marian said. “We always thought that this would be our place of refuge from the rest of the world with all its noise, its stress and its craziness. It’s our property for now. God has blessed us to use and develop it in ways that He sees fit.”
At this time of harvest, the Garners give praise to God who brought them together when they thought life had put them out to pasture. They find ways every day to give back, be it in quiet meditation and prayer or in sharing their bounty with others.
“With God on our side, all things are possible,” Marian said. “May everyone experience the grace of God’s blessings in your life as we have.”
