I just returned from an incredibly productive 3 week internship on Harvest Moon Flower Farm, south-central Indiana’s finest flower farm. I learned about cultivating flowers, proper harvest and post-harvest techniques, bouquet making, the ins-and-outs of wedding florals, diverse flower marketing, and good business practice. I first learned about HMFF from Anna Dale, a Warren Wilson College friend who grew up farming flowers with her mother, Linda Chapman, the farmer and head bouquet maker extraordinaire. I was constantly amazed at Linda’s ability to keep a million things in her head at once. She graciously shared her experiences and knowledge with me as I furiously tried to write it all down or capture it on camera. In exchange for sweat and work, she gave me the basis for a successful flower farming business here in central NC. I am so thankful for her mentor-ship and gift of knowledge that she gave to me during her busiest time of the year. At the end of my internship, Linda helped me start 950 flower starts to put in the ground here in NC for Spring Forth Farm’s first wedding gig in October!
These are my first two bucket of bouquets for the local farmers market. Entering into the “bouquet barn” to join the crew of very experienced women was, needless to say, intimidating, but very instructional.
Spring Forth Farm of North Carolina 