I established Red Barn Farm in June of 2022. I was pregnant with our second child and due in August. I started by growing a few dahlias, snapdragons, sunflowers, and zinnias that year. I had planned on only dipping my toes in the water, so to speak. Just to see if I could grow flowers from seeds and get a feel for making bouquets. I had always loved flowers and gardening, and this seemed like a great way to elevate my hobby. Plus, as some of you might know that are in the world of motherhood, sometimes you just need something for yourself to dive into. I ended up being successful in growing beautiful flowers and thought “I have all these flowers, why don’t I just try to sell a few subscriptions.” I sold 5 that year and started them at the end of July. I haven’t looked back. We were in the process of building a red barn and when it came time to naming my business, I thought ‘why not Red Barn Farm’. It was easy to reference when talking to people - “Oh, yes, drive south, out of town on Southwest Rd and we’re the farmette on the west side with the big red barn.” It worked for me.

The fall of 2022, I planted close to 2,000 tulip bulbs. In the early spring of 2023, I bought grow lights, timers, soil, seed starting trays and started as many baby seedlings as I could. I convinced my husband to turn our front yard into a flower field. I thought “I just need two 3 foot by 25 foot beds. I quickly filled those up and we quickly added 4 more. I now had 6 beds to grow annuals in and quickly had ideas for expansion. That year was successful in launching a spring subscription and 3 different summer subscriptions. I hosted U-picks in late summer and sold any extra bouquets I had in our farmstand on the weekends. I had been bit by the fresh cut flower bug, and I was running.

The fall of 2023, we added a peony field of 178 plants, I planted about 3,000 tulips, and in the spring of 2024, we added 13 more 4 foot by 30 foot beds. The year of 2024 brought more growth. We added a flower room in the barn, so I could process my flowers and keep all my growing materials out there, instead of in my kitchen and house. We also found a sweet deal on a walk-in cooler from a friend of a friend, and I was in flower farmer heaven. I felt like I found my groove and my community of supporters this year. The community showed up big time in 2024 and I couldn’t be more grateful.

As I reflect on 2024 and prepare for 2025, I am focusing more on refining my practices, honing in on my growing skills, utilizing the space I have with crop rotation, and experimenting with growing specific flowers for our zone and seasons. It’s a relief to feel like I am out of the crazy expansion phase and can focus on the details that were often overlooked when I was rushing to create the growing space.

A few things that separate me from other places that you can source your flowers - I am local. I am a one woman show. I am a SAHM who wanted goals and dreams for myself, and also to share with my kids and show them the value of hard work and chasing your dreams. I am environmentally conscious. I am not certified organic, but I follow those practices. I don’t spray herbicides, pesticides, or anything that ends in "‘cides”. When you purchase flowers from me, I want you to be able to stick your nose in the bouquet and take a big giant whiff without worrying about all the chemicals you are inhaling. We use beneficial insects to help control the harmful ones. I also walk around a lot with a soapy bucket of water and catch the bad guys that way. I use organza bags to protect blooms, as well as apply molasses to increase my brix levels. Another important factor to me is the impact local flowers have on the economy, both local and global. When you purchase local flowers, you are choosing flowers that have traveled maybe 100 yards from field to cooler, before going home with you or to a loved one. You are saying no to flowers that are picked 7 to 10 days in advanced and heavily sprayed with preservatives, before flying in a cargo plane across the ocean or across our country. The flower industry is valued at 36.4 billion dollars as of 2022, with 80% of fresh cut flowers being imported. 80% of a 36.4 billion dollar industry. Can you imagine if we sunk that money into local economies and by default the US economy. The beneficial ripple effect it would have for so many people.

I am grateful you found our little corner of the web. Starting a website was not an easy task for me and one that I struggle with. I truly just want to grow the flowers, but quickly realized just how important the marketing side is too. (Nothing like being stuck with 200 plus tulips and no sales outlet that first year). So for you to take the time to browse around and read my ‘About Me’ page, truly means a lot to me.. I’m happy you are here.

~Love blooms where kindness is sown.