WARWICK, R.I. — It was the garlic that ultimately tested the resolve of Steven Stycos. First the crop was infested by maggots, and the following season, a mature tree fell on top of the garlic rows. He gave up.

Garlic tribulations aside, Stycos, who has served as farm manager at Westbay Farm for nearly two decades, has persisted as a capable steward of the land with a quiet and durable patience that serves farmers well.

The 3-acre farm on Centerville Road is supported by a dedicated group of volunteers and the gentleman who has been leading them since 2010. Longtime volunteer Carol Nolan, who lives down the street from the farm, credits Stycos with the farm’s growing success.

“He’s a great boss,” said Nolan, who began volunteering a few weeks before Stycos was hired. “He’s a constant learner, does a great job, and cares.” She shared her intelligence report on her boss when Stycos was needed elsewhere.

Stycos recalled that the first time he saw Nolan she was carrying two buckets of seed to a greenhouse. The Ithaca, N.Y., native said the gardening and farming knowledge Nolan shares is invaluable.

“When I first met Carol, she would say things about planting — I don’t think I ever told you this — and I thought, ‘Well, I better check that out.’ She was always right,” said Stycos, sitting a few feet from Nolan inside the farm’s newest greenhouse. “Carol’s a great source of information.”

The efforts of Stycos and the farm’s 15 volunteers produce some 20,000 pounds of food annually, with the top crops being lettuce, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and squash, both summer and winter. Asparagus, blueberries, broccolini, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, radishes, rhubarb, zucchini, and, as Nolan noted, “whatever comes out of the ground” are also grown.

Garlic is no longer grown, at least on purpose, and every year brings challenges: flea beetles wiping out an eggplant crop; deer munching on zucchini plants; mice feasting on beets; weeds consuming a growing area.

Stycos doesn’t spray pesticides or herbicides, so it’s a battle of wits between he and Mother Nature.

“We use organic methods, and if you want proof of that, come in August and see all the weeds,” Stycos said with a slight laugh. “The potting soil is organic. The fertilizer is organic.”

Westbay Farm is situated on Barton Farm, a former 64-acre dairy farm. The city bought the historic property in 2001 for $1.5 million from a developer who had plans to build condominiums.

The uncertified organic farm is under the auspices of Westbay Community Action, which leases about 5 acres from the city. The site includes four greenhouses, including a heated one built two years ago, some hoop tunnels, drip irrigation, a barn, a tractor with associated gadgets, and about 1.5 acres of growing space. The rest of the property is conserved green space open to the public.

It costs about $60,000 annually to operate the farm, and the operation sells about $15,000 a year in produce. The farm doesn’t need to turn a profit — “thankfully,” Stycos said — because much of the food grown is donated to help feed the food insecure.

Stycos noted Westbay Farm helps increase local access to fresh, nutritious food. Vegetables grown at the farm are distributed through the Westbay Marketplace food pantry on Jefferson Boulevard, which offers these healthy choices for individuals and families in Warwick, West Warwick, and East Greenwich. Farm produce is also donated to other food pantries. Seasonal produce is available to buy at a weekly summer farm stand held Thursdays on-site from late June to mid-October.

The 71-year-old Stycos is retiring at the end of year and will be turning the farm’s management over to someone else. Westbay Community Action is in charge of finding his successor.

Besides growing food, Stycos has spent the past 16 years building soil and community. He lives about 9 miles away, and has on occasion rode his bicycle to work. Otherwise, his gray Toyota Prius is parked outside the renovated barn.

The Cranston resident works 40-45 hours a week from March to November and reduced hours during the offseason. He is the farm’s only paid employee. He recently discovered one the volunteers, Gary Delaire, who lives within walking distance of the farm, is an auto mechanic.

“We’ve got a guy, a neighbor, who took me about 14 years, but I found out that he was a car mechanic,” Stycos said. “The tractor breaking down is always a crisis, so now Gary comes over.”

Stycos has a long history with food and farming. The former Cranston School Committee member spearheaded an initiative to improve the nutritional value of school meals. The program, one of the first in the state, allows local farmers to sell crops, such as apples, corn, and squash, directly to the Cranston School Department.

The former Cranston City Council member worked for several years at Zephyr Farm in Cranston, for vegetables, and helped start the Pawtuxet Village Farmers Market. He has secured grants for berry box recycling, for composting workshops, and for fresh food cooking demonstrations.

At Westbay Farm, well water is used for watering and Kent County Water Authority H2O is used for washing the vegetables, because “it is tested every day.” While there is a drip irrigation system in place, well water stills needs to be schlepped around the farm.

While neighbors stop by on occasion, Stycos recalled the time a man around his age came by.

“I had one guy come by in the middle of the summer and say, ‘This is a beautiful piece of property. The trouble is, you boys aren’t doing anything with it,’” said Stycos, shaking his fist in mock anger. “What did he want?”

Perhaps some garlic.

Note: ecoRI News staffer Joanna Detz contributed to this article. She came along to take photos, but on the ride home asked if she could write the lede.