Bloom Where You're Planted:
The Beauty of Locally Grown Flowers
You might ask yourself what the following phrases have in common… young family, farmers market, gorgeous cut flowers, sustainable agriculture, and Middle Tennessee…
Welcome to Southern Flora Farms, located just an hour south of Nashville, not far from Normandy Lake in Manchester, Tennessee. Owners Will and Kristin Nickels started working on this farm in 2019. Officially launching in 2020 with early crops of hemp, vegetables, and sunflowers, they quickly found flowers to be their main passion and focus.
I had the opportunity to visit Southern Flora on the day they were hosting the Southeast Tennessee Young Farmers’ spring quarterly meeting and potluck! Driving up to the farm, the greenhouses, raised beds, and rows of flowers are just as much a part of this rural drive as the livestock and tractors.
Once on site with a group of friends, family, and other regional farmers, we dodge the occasional cow pie and tour the farm. There’s a lot to see and enjoy. There are greenhouses and tunnels with plants in various stages of growth and one hothouse with lilies just waiting to bloom. Like me, you might think all the flowers are grown under the protection of greenhouse shade and frost cloths. However, Kristin informs us most of their flowers are grown in the field. They mitigate weather with greenhouses, but 75% are grown outside. Using cold storage to force bulbs and very detailed spreadsheets (one of Kristin’s super powers!) allows them to plan for holidays and harvest at specific times of the year.
We make our way from the greenhouses to the field with goats watching from a distance. Row after row of flowers stretch out of the landscape cloth that lines the field. Will explains that the cloth provides a weed barrier that has less ecological impact than chemical sprays. When asked specifically about pest management, Will says that diversity is the first line of defense. Pest pressure can be reduced simply by removing a specific variety from the rotation.
Will and Kristin are great hosts with lots of information as the group gets into some specifics about their process. The casual pace today makes it easy to enjoy the variety of flowers and ask questions. However, if you were to show up on market prep day, you would see a very different scene. Will describes these days as "all hands on deck." Not to be confused with any other busy day on a working farm, market prep is the day when the bouquets get counted, arranged, and wrapped. A cooler trailer gets loaded for the drive into Franklin.
The farmers market at The Factory has become a weekly staple for Will and Kristin. They've made lots of friends and found strong local demand for their products. With a history of agricultural support, one quick look around the market shows how well that component has been integrated into the local culture.
The signature bouquets, vibrant colors, and Southern Flora label, can be seen throughout the market. Shoppers with bags of produce, meat, and items from various vendors are quick to tip their bouquets like an insider wave…
"Beautiful flowers!"
This plant diversity also helps when something doesn't work. Whether it's an early frost, unexpected hail, pest infestation, or a warm spring, with variety they can find other quality products that are doing well.
Will has a formal education in farm systems and large-scale food production. He gained real-world experience working in California during several growing seasons, then in North Carolina and the Sustainable Development program. Kristin's experience on a flower farm gave her a perspective on flowers as a commodity that could be grown and sold.
With this business concept already established, when an opportunity arose to move back to Will's hometown in Tennessee, they collaborated with a local landowner and started Southern Flora Farms.
While the farm is very much into diversity and variety, Will and Kristin also understood that the business model still needed focus and specialization to be successful and profitable. Their early efforts in hemp, vegetables, and flowers have now evolved to 70-80 varieties of flowers throughout the year.
Some farms may limit their product to what ships well or provides strong online sales. Southern Flora has found that even while specializing in flowers, they still have the option of providing different varieties. This approach allows for something different each season, keeping both customers and staff excited about what is coming next.
A relaxed atmosphere and sense of community are present throughout the market. A busy day for the vendors, Saturdays are the time they get to see reactions to their efforts. Will, Kristin, and their employees love hearing stories from their customers. Memories triggered by the spray of colors and fragrance… customers relay stories about grandmother’s flowers, harvesting sweetpeas in the wild, bridal bouquets, and funeral arrangements.
Farming is hard work. It's a cycle of planting, nurturing, and harvesting, and it takes time to learn what works best in the greenhouse and in the field. In addition to the planting schedule, other details come up, like finding sources for 300 tulip crates and transforming a shipping container into a walk-in cooler.
Regenerative agriculture techniques play a big role at Southern Flora. Focusing on systems that nurture soil health and protect resources, Will and Kristin feel this enhances their productivity and profitability.
Organizing crop planning and seed starting schedules requires extensive spreadsheets. The day-to-day comes together with that planning. Seeds are sown every week, two weeks, or four weeks, based on how long it will take to harvest a particular variety or how much they need based on seasonal popularity. For the varieties that are always popular, planting happens continuously until August and those that will be harvested in the spring are sown last for overwintering.
Alongside the daily operations, Kristin has a very extensive tulip planting program. For context, in 2022, they harvested 3,000 total stems. In 2023, that number will reach 30,000.
When asked about the future of the farm, Will and Kristin are happy to point out the new generation of farmers they have started since being in Tennessee. They’re happy with the reception they've received at the Franklin Farmers Market and don't plan to add any new farmer market venues at this time. They are planning to develop an on-farm store, possibly with "you pick" options, and self-guided tours. They currently offer weddings and on-site events which may expand in the future.
The wholesale and grocery store business is also growing and they currently have flowers at all three Turnip Truck locations in Nashville, the Herban Market in Franklin, and plan to expand to Whole Foods in Green Hills. Staging the demand for new outlets is critical and will help to determine their planting schedules. Expanding the number of stems to harvest relies on detailed planning. (cue the spread sheet music).
While it may sound counterintuitive, the inspiration is to keep it simple. Real world connections and meeting their customers one at a time makes a farmers market a unique shopping experience that can’t quite be replicated in traditional grocery stores. People enjoy the opportunity to buy fresh, locally grown produce and meet the people that grow it. Flowers are fresher because they haven’t traveled hundreds or thousands of miles. This means longer lasting blooms in the house. Shorter trips to market means less fuel used and lower carbon footprint for the farmers.
The Factory in Franklin has hosted the farmer’s market since 2002. Now more than 70 vendors participate and people come from all over the region to enjoy a Saturday at the market. You can meet Will, Kristin, and their growing team of employees at the market and you can find out more about Southern Flora Farms at Facebook, Pick Tennessee Products, Instagram, and their website Southern Flora
questions, comments, or clarifications?
