Hello Friends! We are five years into our micro-farming journey, and we desperately need to work on our infrastructure...so I am reaching out for help. We grow farm fresh flowers outside (annuals and perennials), and force specialty tulips inside our basement in the winter months! Year-round we also grow organic microgreens in our basement. We sell our fresh goods at the winter and summer Falmouth Farmers Market, to our Flower CSA customers, at a local seafood shop, and pop-up at other small businesses and festivals throughout the year. We are needing to expand our growing spaces indoors and outdoors!

The list of improvements needed feels long, but these would make a HUGE difference in our day-to-day operations and our product output to you. I have spent the last year working with NRCS on applying for a grant for these improvements (it was a matching grant which has its own obvious roadblock: fronting the money yourself) ...but due to the state of the federal government and funding issues, my small project was denied this spring, as they explained it is the worst time to apply for these grants. So, I am turning to my amazing community that has supported our little farm, in ways I am thankful for everyday!

The first project is the most important: fixing the well on our property (it is perfectly located right next to our plots!), which will provide irrigation to all our flowers, and is in close proximity to bring water to our new planting area in the woods. We have been farming with hoses and carrying water to the new plot area and not only is it time-consuming and inefficient to do so, but it is also completely unsustainable. Our newly planted peonies are suffering, a perfect example. The quote to fix the well and pumphouse is $4,100. This would transform our little farm as I also want to build a hoop structure to extend our season for specialty blooms in the new area, but I can't do that without a water source.

In addition, I need to expand and create a cooling space for my winter forced tulips in my basement. This space can be created and cooled with a coolbot and will properly cool my tulips while they are rooting and also cool my harvested tulips! Last year I grew 5,000 tulips indoors and outdoors and lost many because they were not properly rooted with a steady temperature, and I needed to borrow cooler space for 10 buckets of tulips the week before Mother's Day, as my two refrigerators were completely full of fresh tulips. The estimate to build this out is $1,700.00.

I also need to:

-Make an additional growing space for tulips separate from my microgreens which includes more grow racks, trays, lights, electrical work.

-Make a website!

-Build a DIY hoophouse (or two! dare I dream.) to extend my season of flowers in this New England climate

-Tree work is needed to create more sun and safer areas to grow- our acre + of woods is in need of some pruning love.

-If I can dream some more.... finally buy and build that flower and microgreen trailer I've wanted to create since our inception.

I don't want to be huge, or even big...but I do hope to be able to grow to fill the demand for my little flowers and microgreens as I know I have the capacity and space to grow more for you! If you have made it this far...I am so very grateful to you and your support of our farm. This is my dream, and I couldn't have done any of it so far without you all!!!

Peace, Love and Flowers, Lisa