Playing in Dirt: Entrepreneur says ag biz makes her feel grounded

As an account supervisor at JPMorgan Chase & Co. for four years, Victoria “Tori” London, 25, came to know the stressors found in a traditional workplace.

But London says farming has its own sources of stress – pests, for instance.

“I do like it a lot better than working in corporate America,” she said.

London left the office life in May, when she took over for her mother, Nicolee London, in the very early stages of a farm business. The following month, she registered London Greenhouse and Gardens LLC with the Missouri Secretary of State.

Her mom, an experienced farmer and market vendor, had started leasing a section of the former Urban Roots Farm in February, but health complications kept her from carrying through on her plans to go into business, London said. The farm site had been run by Adam Millsap and Melissa Young-Millsap in the West Central neighborhood for 14 years before the couple paused their operation after the 2023 harvest. Today, London Greenhouse and Gardens is one of a handful of tenants who lease space at the 1.7-acre farm, located at 823 W. State St.

London’s mom remains active in the business, though she is more of an advisor and a collaborator than the proprietor. As a bonus, London said, her mom is a fount of knowledge about propagation and growth.

“My mom’s a scientist, so she knows all the answers,” London said.

Nicolee London is not a botanist, but she taught anatomy and physiology, and London said she brings a scientist’s curiosity to farming.

London admits she didn’t see herself as an entrepreneur, but she does know farming, having grown up on the family farm in Aurora – sold by her mom at the start of the year after the death of London’s father.

Though the work is hard and the days can be long, London said she enjoys spending her days outdoors, and she doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty.

Potted plants
Peppermint, garlic chives, strawberry plants – Ali Long traveled about 45 minutes from her home near Stockton Lake to shop in the greenhouse that showcases the business’ potted plants.

“I love the variety of different herbs and stuff. I’ve already got a pile over there,” she said during a July 2 visit.

Long’s two preschool-age sons, clad in matching Paw Patrol togs, helped carry pots to a center table to check out, then made several trips to lug them to their van outside.

London shows off the range of plants inside the greenhouse, including several types of lavender and mint, cooking herbs and succulents.

The goal, London said, is to is to give people things they can’t easily find in a grocery store.

“It’s pretty much just getting people to try different kinds of herbs – to branch out from what’s normal,” she said.

London noted she also has cutting herbs in the high tunnel she leases on the site, and she sells occasionally to individual chefs – she did not disclose which ones – but says she hopes to begin selling regularly to local restaurants as well.

Meanwhile, she said she planned to display her products for the first time on the coming weekend at the new Downtown Market on Springfield Square. That new venue opened June 15 as the latest offering by Farmers Market of the Ozarks Inc., which also runs markets at Farmers Park in south Springfield and at Branson Landing.

People are starting to find her at the Urban Roots site, she said. The farm’s location, tucked as it is into the interior of a block on a lightly traveled residential road, means no one stumbles unaware into London’s new business. Instead, they seek her out, usually after having encountered photos of the locally grown plants on her Facebook or Instagram accounts. The business’ social media moniker is turned around from its registered name; socially, it goes by London Gardens & Greenhouse at Urban Roots.

The business
In addition to the potted herbs and succulents in the greenhouse, the farm has a field and a high tunnel that grow more herbs, plus flowers and vegetables. London said there are 18 varieties of tomatoes and peppers, and other offerings are cucumbers, multiple types of squash, green beans and more.

As she shows visitors around her growing area, it is clear that London takes pride in her tidy field, and she explains how she used a drill to make the even holes in the taut black shade cloth.

In the nearby high tunnel, some of the items she intends to try out at the farmers market are waiting to be harvested, and she said she hopes her mother feels well enough to join her there.

In the future, she said she would like to teach others how to grow their own herbs. She added she is interested in taking on volunteers who might like to help with the plants in exchange for the opportunity to learn more about farming.

London declined to divulge what her investment in the business is or how much rental expenses are – partly because she doesn’t know. Her mom is serving as her investor as the business gets off the ground – or maybe, more accurately, deeper into it.

When London was working at JPMorgan Chase, she wrestled at times with doubt. On the farm, worry and doubt have a way of working themselves out.

“I call it playing in dirt to be more grounded,” she said.

She jokes that this could be a T-shirt. But she’s serious about dirt.

“It calms me when I’m potting things,” she said. “Even if I do feel overwhelmed here, I pick one thing to focus on, and then I move on to the next thing. It’s a lot about prioritizing yourself and what needs to be taken care of first to make sure that your crops are successful.”

While the corporate world is governed by policies and procedures, on the farm, the plants set the agenda.

“The plants pretty much do the talking, but I listen and learn as much as I can,” she said.