THE GIST OF IT:

Akos Asare’s dahlia tubers* accidentally froze, which means she instantly lost $28,000 of seed-money for her 2026 farming season. We want to help Akos recover by replacing some of the funds.

*tubers are potato-like storage organs used to grow and maintain varieties of dahlias.

THE STORY:

One morning this week, I opened Instagram and my heart sank down to my stomach. One of my favourite accounts had a heartbreaking story to share: local urban farmer Akos Asare had lost $28,000 due to an accident.

I have been a customer of Akos and re.Planted Farm & Florals since she started 5 years ago. This small, urban farm exists on under-utilized lawns in the town of Deep River, Ontario that have been developed into organic, no-till flower and vegetable farms. People in town (and the wider Ottawa Valley) are dedicated fans and patrons of Akos’ farming — enjoying her beautiful bouquets all summer, and her delicious veggies too.

Over our short growing season, Akos’ inside corner yard-farm grows a delightful curve of evolving flowers, with the dahlias blooming in late summer. She’s carefully nurtured and developed a large, curated collection of over 100 dahlia varieties — all extraordinarily beautiful, and priced accessibly. Dahlias are a popular flower that grows in a great variety of shapes and colours. They're one of the most versatile and productive flowers to grow, giving Akos blooms for bouquets, and multiplying tubers to re-plant each year and sell. We are so lucky to benefit from the bounty and beauty of her farming work.

Part of the work of dahlia stewardship is tending to the tubers’ very specific needs over the long, cold winter. A cord running the heater in the heavily insulated trailer where Akos’ dahlia tubers are stored was accidentally unplugged, unbeknownst to her.

Akos discovered this 3 days after it happened.

It was too late for most of the tubers.

It is a catastrophic loss.

Akos lost over 2000 dahlia tubers, which included her own planting stock. Based on the loss inventory she took, the total retail value of tubers lost is roughly $28,000, most of which she’d already sold.

And because her integrity is forefront, Akos refunded over $20,000 in advanced dahlia tuber orders (that were slated for delivery this spring) before she ever did a full inventory of what was lost and what was salvageable. She emptied her entire reserve fund to accommodate those refunds.

ABOUT AKOS:

Akos has a steady presence in town: regularly working in her own home farm, sometimes alongside her husband and kids, and at the local farmers’ market. She is calm, kind, and curious with passers-by and customers. She shares her process and knowledge with her email list and on her social media accounts, filling them with gorgeous visuals and interesting facts. She also presents regular workshops on urban-farming, flower art, and small business.

She is rigorous: her work ethic and discipline show in her carefully tended plots and her products of gorgeous, consistent bouquets and tasty, organic vegetables. Akos’ business acumen is evident in her high quality produce, and in her well-designed and informative website, digital communications, and social media presence. Each year her business grows in scope: for instance last summer she added a self-serve cart to their farm with digital payment options that’s been wildly successful and the talk of the town.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO SUPPORT THIS URBAN FARMER:

As we watch big, horrifying things happen in the world, it’s becoming increasingly clear that some of the most essential activism is to care for our local communities. This is the kind of loss that could wipe out a small business that really matters, and an entrepreneur who has excellent business practices, but who experienced a crushing, unexpected loss.

When I asked Akos if I could start a fundraiser for her, she said, “it feels awkward and small. There’s so much pain in the world, and so many bigger emergencies.” I pressed, because her work matters — more than ever in a world fraught and divided.

It was clear from the deluge of comments on her Instagram post about the loss, people stating things like, “So sorry to read this Akos, when the time is right, perhaps setting up a crowd funding platform to help with your loss, it won’t fix everything, but your community will show up!” and, “I know you will find a way forward. Accept the help and donations being offered. You deserve it. You'll still have an incredible cut flower garden this year. It'll look different but it'll be amazing.” Alongside such encouragement are over 20 offers of tuber donations from other flower farmers. This kind of keen support shows that her ripples have spread far.

LET’S RALLY:

So let’s help Akos recover some of those $28,000 lost funds so she can get her season started and get the faith and hope and practical support to do this work that makes our corner of the world so much better.

While we’d love to replace all $28,000 lost dollars for Akos, she’s said to me, “I can do a lot with a little … I can make a dollar stretch!” We who are in her orbit witness this in the steady growth of her farm each year.

HERE’S WHAT AKOS NEEDS RIGHT NOW:

$3,000 is the minimum she needs to to get the 2026 season going. That includes:

WHAT AKOS NEEDS IN THE LONGER TERM:

IF WE SHOW UP BIG (and I think we can), WE HAVE A COUPLE OF STRETCH GOALS:

STRETCH GOAL #1:

STRETCH GOAL #2:

STRETCH GOAL #3:

STRETCH GOAL #4:

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UPDATE: Friday, February 13, 2026:

PLEASE NOTE: We're going to cap this fundraiser at $12,000.

That's what feels right for Akos, and she is deeply grateful for all this support. What a wild ride to discover a massive loss one week, and have one's community step up so massively by the next week!

If you find the fundraiser is closed when you try to donate, and you still want to support Akos and re.Planted, then please find them online and support them in person once its growing season! replantedfarm.ca

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LET'S DO THIS!

As part of Akos’ community, we want to support her, to say thank you, and to encourage her to keep going! Any donations towards this initial goal of $3,000 are gratefully received.

PLEASE SHARE:

Please share this with folks in our Deep River/Ottawa Valley community, and beyond in the dahlia and urban farming communities too!

THANK YOU:

Thank you Akos, for growing beautiful food and sublime flowers that fill belly and soul.

And thanks to YOU dear reader, for donating and/or sharing!

You can find Akos and re.Planted Farm & Florals digitally:

Website: replantedfarm.ca

Instagram: instagram.com/re.plantedfarm

Facebook: facebook.com/re.PlantedFarm

(Who am I? I’m Susan Kendal Urbach, a textile artist, arts administrator, and regular customer of Akos’. You can find me on Instagram at instagram.com/pocket.alchemy — I post re.Planted dahlia bouquets to my Stories all summer!)

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Thanks for reading. Thank you for donating. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for supporting community and local farming when it matters more than ever.