Meet the Midwestern Mom Who Grew Her Backyard Garden Into a Community Farm

Monika Ozwarski is the definition of someone who wears many hats. She owns Sweet Tooth Farm in Des Moines, Iowa, where she grows produce to sell and share with those in need via her community fridge and pantry. (Her community-minded urban farm donated 7,741 pounds of food in 2024.)

Ozwarski also partners with Renewing the Countryside to assist and support young farmers just entering the field (literally). She is on the board of a local mutual aid non-profit, Supply Hive, and oversees its food rescue efforts. Oh, and in her free time, the mom and avid baker hosts cooking classes for kids. She recently launched a compost pick-up service when she noticed that her community had none.

Ozwarski—who admits “food is my love language”—nourishes others and supports mother nature in many ways. We really dig what Ozwarski is doing, so we sat down with the local hero to learn more about her roots, composting, and favorite comfort food.

What inspired you to start working in the farming and food space?

I worked in restaurants through my teens and 20s, then shifted into social work until the birth of my first child in 2016. I wanted to be “Monika” to the kids nearby and not just another lady in the neighborhood, so I worked with the city to be able to turn a vacated pocket park next door into my first garden space. Then, I invited the neighborhood kids to help me water my raised beds and flowers.

When they were around, I realized that most of the kids were eating “dinners” of snacks from the gas station, the only food retailer within walking distance. I live in a part of town that experienced some of the most redlining in the entire city, and there is a significant lack of resources and access in my neighborhood. After living and truly being in a community with my neighbors, the question became more “Why would I not farm?” rather than “Why would I?”

"Making someone food is an act of love made visible, and I’ve never let go of that. "

-Monika Ozwarski

At this point, your garden transitioned to grow food. What a neat evolution. Has food always been a passion of yours?

As a pastor’s kid, I grew up with the tradition of potlucks, soup suppers, and making large quantities of food for your people. It was ingrained in me early on to relish the sharing, the thanks, and the experience of eating together. I was so fascinated and excited to be part of that mix because my mother had—and still has—no real interest in cooking. (Sorry, Mom!)

I also saw very quickly that food is something that can diffuse, soothe, and also excite. Food shows up when there is a death and when there is a birth. Making someone food is an act of love made visible, and I’ve never let go of that.

Why did you decide to launch the compost program?

Our city has no municipal option for diverting kitchen scraps from the landfill to make compost. Our county has a compost program, but it only allows brush and yard waste debris. Many locals don’t make it out to the landfill near them frequently. If they did, they would realize how frightening it is to look at such massive amounts of waste and excess.

Through my work at the farm, community members frequently asked me if I knew of a composting service locally. After talking with some friends and colleagues, we realized we had all the large pieces to bring a program like that to life, so we did just that in April 2024.

How does the compost system work?

Lots of folks want the flexibility to drop off compost on their own time, so we offer a customer drop-off option. You can bring your scraps as many times as you want, and we take care of transporting and incorporating them into compost piles. Other people opt for the once-per-month or once-per-week doorstep pickup.

This year, we should have compost available to share with our original compost crew. Our long-term goal is to grow this into something that could produce high-quality compost for folks to buy locally to use in their own gardens and yards.

"It doesn’t have to be complicated to be sustainable!"

-Monika Ozwarski

To someone who has never considered composting, how would you explain what it is and why it's important?

Our goal is to inspire our neighbors to think of composting as another bin you put out to be picked up. There are specific things that can be composted that add fertility to the finished compost. So we provide people with a bucket or bin to put their food scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds, and more in for us to use to make compost. We want to make it simple and easy to do.

Now, for our members, composting is as simple as opening the bin and putting banana peels in. We take care of the rest. It doesn’t have to be complicated to be sustainable! (Our pals at Better Homes and Gardens have a guide for how to compost, in case you’re feeling inspired to start yourself.)

You dedicate so much time and resources to taking care of others. What is one recipe or food that feels nurturing to you, and why?

Mashed potatoes. When I was pregnant with my now-8-year-old, I was in the hospital for severe back pain. At the time, I could not move my core or arms. I’ll never forget how my husband spoon-fed me mashed potatoes in the middle of the night. The care and warmth that come with food as a physical manifestation of love are among the most beautiful and revolutionary things on this Earth.

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