Lessons learned at veggie stand for Pittsford boy

Rylee Tepoel is a 10-year-old with a plan, and he’s sticking to it — no matter that someone who tested his sense of honor nearly caused him to give it all up.

Rylee, who this September will be entering the fifth grade at Thornell Road School in Pittsford, started a garden two and a half years ago to sell produce out front of the Kreag Road home where he lives with his mom, Alexandra.

He calls his stand Good Veggies. You pick the veggies you want from the display, and you drop the money into a box. His business runs on the honor system.

A boy needs a little summer spending money, he admits, but he’s also saving the proceeds for college. He knows he’ll need a master’s degree, and whatever field he ends up working in, gardening will be his backup in case he loses his job, he said.

Rylee has a bunch more zucchinis to sell before he joins Tom Golisano in the billionaire circle, but he has done better than you might think.

The roadside stand that he, his mom, and grandfather built has been a popular stop in this suburban Perinton neighborhood.

About the only thing Rylee didn’t plan on was the thief who stole several homegrown eggplant and cucumbers. The incident happened about two weeks ago, and came on the heels of a hailstorm that pockmarked his zucchini — prompting a foray into zucchini bread to save the harvest.

No wonder he almost gave up his business venture.

His mom had a glimmer of hope that whoever took Rylee’s veggies didn’t have the money at the time and would come back. Then, she thought, it must have been kids who took the veggies and smashed them somewhere.

It soon became clear that whoever made off with Rylee’s veggies meant to do so — and that person wasn’t coming forward.

“It’s not a huge value,” Alexandra said. “But it holds a big value to Rylee.”

What happened to Rylee is sad, according to Susan Daniels, who is the principal’s secretary at his school and has been a regular customer for years.

And it really begs the question, why?

“I was so disappointed that someone in our community could take advantage of a young person doing something so positive,” Daniels said. “It’s a feeling of, ‘Oh my gosh, what are we teaching this young person about values?’”

Daniels knew what Rylee and his mom were trying to do, and she was impressed with the growth in his business, and in him.

Rylee started the garden by planting seeds for tomatoes, eggplant, butternut squash, sunflowers, and morning glories. As business grew, he added beans, cucumbers, and watermelons. Just in time for fall, the pumpkin seeds he planted soon will be ready.

Someone out there may be deficient in morals and values, but fortunately, Rylee has them in abundance.

In the heat of the moment, when he experienced the sinking feeling of seeing his stand emptied of produce and the cash box just as empty, he gave it up.

He posted a notice in his barren stand, saying he didn’t appreciate the “customers” who decided not to pay for what they took.

Worse, he noted, the honor system “means nothing.”

He signed the notice a “very disappointed, Rylee.”

But, he thought better of it, and took the sign down. The ripening tomatoes may have had something to do with it, but it goes deeper than that.

He and his mother had put a lot of effort into starting the garden, and expanding it.

He thought back to when they planned the garden, buying seeds, tilling the soil, and watering and weeding. What once was a tiny thing on the side of their house now is a lush garden 9 feet wide and 45 feet long.

And, Rylee said, he and his mom had fun together — “from seeds to selling.”

Reopening was the only thing — the right thing — to do. And besides, closing up shop would be unfair to the people who didn’t steal.

“Why make them feel bad?” Rylee said.

Some things you just don’t get over so quickly. A sign on his stand asks customers to respect the honor system, but Rylee plans to keep a watchful eye.

When he’s playing a video game, he’ll peek out the window more often. When he’s tending the garden or outside playing, he’ll pay more attention.

This is just another lesson to add to the ones he’s already learned about the value of hard work and the appreciation for the outcome of a harvest.

This one is about living the life you choose to lead.

“He’s really stuck with it,” Alexandra said, “and I’m very proud of him for sticking with it.”