Our Story
The Cole Homestead was established in 1950 by Clayton Cole in central Indiana. By 1966, his son, Max, started a small vegetable stand that lasted about 3 weeks. Here he sold tomatoes, sweet corn, and green beans, and a few other vegetables. Throughout the years, the produce expanded to include green peppers, onions, pumpkins, cucumbers, onions, and so much more. Tracy took over running the stand in 1973. Now Tracy, his wife, Barb, and their son Daniel work to keep the vegetable stand open for 2 ½ months. Daniel’s son, Maxwell is only 2, but he is already learning the ropes of the family farm and loving all the tractor rides. We look forward to sharing our family roots and vegetable knowledge with you! For more updates and information, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
Meet the Family
Clayton Cole
Clayton and his wife, Elva, moved to the Sharpsville area and bought land in the early 1900’s. His work involved running a gravel pit and setting up a butcher shop on the property. He started farming the land, but eventually passed the farming onto his son, Max. Clayton and his other son, Mark, took over the butcher shop.
Max Cole
After graduating from high school and returning from basic training, Max started over the vegetable stand in 1966. He started with peas, lima beans, and cucumbers for pickling, but eventually expanded to include tomatoes and sweet corn. The tomatoes in particular were so delicious that Max was named the “Tomato King” that year. Max and his wife, Mary Lou, raised their 3 children on the what is now the Cole homestead after purchasing land from another farmer. This is the land that is now shared by his children, Connie, Robin, and Tracy.
Tracy Cole
An easy-going man, Tracy works hard at Chrysler in addition to his work on the farm. Tracy and his wife, Barb, worked to expand the stand to what it is today with a larger variety of vegetables. He’s been running the vegetable stand since he was 14 years old. Tracy and Barb raised their two children, Daniel and Laura, in fields of corn and tomatoes.
Daniel Cole
As the 4th generation vegetable farmer, Dan is a problem solver. He not only works at his accounting job, but he also looks for ways to improve farming functions. He can be counted on to lend a helping hand to not only his parents, but also neighbors and friends. There is no greater joy for Dan and his wife, Kristen, than sharing the farm where Dan grew up with their son, Maxwell.
Maxwell Cole
Even though he is the youngest of the Cole family, Max LOVES tractors. They are the only toys that he plays with, and he adores any time he can spend on the farm. He loves walking from barn to barn checking things out as well as getting tractor rides with Daddy all over the property and checking on all the veggies.