Green Thumb

Twenty years of working in clinical care in the U.S. health care system opened KATIE FRANK’s eyes to treating disease. “Sadly, patients want a quick fix, a magic pill,” she says. “We do not focus enough on prevention.” 

Combined with her understanding of the adverse effects of the typical American diet and in an effort to contribute to her community’s preventative health, Frank started Coastal Greens Farm in November 2022. Frank grows microgreens: tiny, young, edible plants that are harvested just after the first true leaves have developed. They are packed with vitamins like C, E, and K, and minerals, antioxidants, and other essential nutrients. 

“Coastal Greens Farm is not a traditional farm with acres of land and a limited growing season,” Frank says. “Instead, the farm is a ten-by-ten-foot room in our home that we call the Grow Room.” The farm is equipped with soil-filled trays housed on vertical racks. Low-energy, low-heat LED lights serve as the microgreens’ sunlight. 

The farm produces a curated selection of microgreens including arugula, radish, basil, sunflower shoots, mustard greens, pea shoots, broccoli, amaranth, borage, Tokyo onion, cilantro, wheat grass, collards, and cantaloupe. The microgreens are harvested every ten to twenty-one days.  

Originally from Grayslake, Illinois, Frank, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and an associate degree in nursing, came to Jacksonville, North Carolina, in 2006. She and her husband JAIME LOZANO, who is the primary market seller for Coastal Greens Farm, made the move to the Wilmington area in 2020 when their two oldest of four sons graduated high school. 

“Jaime is a city boy who never knew he’d enjoy putting his hands in the dirt and talking to chickens. He has also seen the need for preventive health and has backed me 100 percent to make this dream a reality,” Frank says.  

Frank’s health care experience was the impetus to turn to preventive health. Her professional roles include emergency staff nurse at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, a level II trauma center, followed by nursing at the Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune. 

“How can I help people to not need pills? How can I help get better nutrition into people who do not like vegetables or do not have time to cook meals? How do I help those who do not know any better?” she says she asked herself.  

Frank says it took one year to get Coastal Greens Farm up and running. “I was enlightened by a few television documentaries like The Biggest Little Farm and Fantastic Fungi and from a nurse on Instagram teaching about microgreens. I put my own ideas together, purchased the starting equipment, started growing on a schedule, learned how to start a small business, and then executed it, all while working full time at Camp Lejeune,” she says.  

Coastal Greens Farm is nearing three years in business. “2025 has been exciting as we were able to expand our offerings,” Frank says. The farm now sells eggs from her free-range chickens that are supplemented with organic, non-GMO feed and microgreen leftovers. This fall, Frank will harvest her first season of above-ground-grown Okinawa sweet potatoes as seen on the Netflix series Live to 100: Secrets of The Blue Zones. Frank is also test-growing turmeric for sale next year. 

Frank’s commitment to the environment drives her ongoing innovation in sustainable farming. She is working on developing green powder that will elongate the shelf life of microgreens. “We understand that fresh greens aren’t travel friendly. We want to offer them in a form that can be consumed anywhere at any time,” she says.  

Her biggest challenge is patience: “I have so many new ideas, and there is land that I would love to buy to expand,” she says. “But it takes a lot of $6 sales to get there.”
 

Frank is also developing a blog, which is expected to begin this fall. Topics will include the use of green waste, the concept of permaculture for environmentally sound agriculture, rainwater collection, and other regenerative farming methods. 

Frank says it’s amazing to walk into her jungle of beautiful microgreens growing in a room in her home. “Who would have ever thought that our boys’ Xbox room would be a place where we germinate life,” she says. “This business will allow us to take care of people in a way that is actually making a difference. I don’t want to teach you about medications anymore. I want to help you not need them.” 

Coastal Greens Farms raw agricultural products are available for order online or at Wrightsville Beach Farmers Market, Hampstead Farmers Market, Tidal Creek Farmers Market, Loveys Market, and Leaf and Love in Carolina Beach. 

To view more of photographer Daria Amato’s work, go to dariaphoto.com

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