First Bud to Full Bloom: A Local Flower Farm's Success Story
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Many new farmers start with a dream and a willingness to work hard. However, transforming those dreams into a successful reality is often the challenge. Kari Parks is now the proud owner of Flourish Organic Farms, but like many of her fellow farmers, figuring out how to build a profitable, sustainable business has been a journey.
Kari grew up in Arlington and, after some adventures in far-flung places, returned with her husband to raise their two children in the same log home built by her parents.
“My parents had a vision for the land and were committed to building their own home,” she said. “The logs were harvested locally from Darrington. We hand peeled each log and I remember my dad meticulously measuring before making final cuts.”
Like her parents, Kari had her own vision. She imagined turning the small vegetable patch on their five acres into a flower farm, but she wasn’t sure where to begin, or whether her idea was even viable. In 2018, Kari had Bobbi Lindemulder, Snohomish Conservation District’s Agriculture Program Director, out for a visit.
“Bobbi was instrumental in our success from the beginning,” said Kari. “She walked the property and helped us start to develop a plan. It took about a year to figure out all the details, but our farm plan became the blueprint for our business. We were amazed by how hard Bobbi worked to come up with something that fit our needs.”
Bobbi also suggested Kari participate in Cultivating Success, a 12-week series that provides new farmers with education on production and marketing from experts in the field. The program is facilitated by WSU Snohomish County Extension Agricultural Program Coordinator, Kate Ryan, and is sponsored by the Snohomish Conservation District and the Snohomish County Farm Bureau.
“I couldn’t believe how many resources were available for small farms and that so many of them were free,” said Kari, now a graduate of the program. “Cultivating Success not only provided information I needed to get started, but now I know how to access ongoing education. It was empowering. Afterwards I was like, ‘This is not just a pipedream. I’ve got this.’”
Little by little, Kari’s vegetable patch has now become a thriving flower business that’s still continuing to grow. As part of its toolkit, Cultivating Success introduced Kari to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which helps cover the cost of conservation practices. Working with Josh Hall from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Kari was able to secure cost-share funding to help pay for a high tunnel greenhouse. High tunnels are typically larger than a regular greenhouse and are often used for inground production rather than sowing in trays on tables.
The high tunnel will allow Flourish Organic Farms to extend their growing season, making it possible to plant earlier in the spring and harvest later into the fall. It will also shield flowers from excessive rainfall and heat, and reduce evaporation, which improves irrigation efficiency and saves water.
“It’s so valuable that Cultivating Success gives students a chance to hear directly from the farmers about their real world successes and failures. It means they don’t have to reinvent the wheel or make the same mistakes. Because of this program, these new farmers can set up their business based on critical tidbits of information about what actually works and what doesn’t.”
“Josh was so patient walking us through the process. The program reimburses you for a portion of the cost after construction—we really appreciated having full control to customize the high tunnel according to what we needed. We just finished building it in September. It’s a huge milestone,” said Kari.
“Since I’ll be able to plant earlier and have earlier blooms, I can be at the market sooner or at the same time as imported flowers. That’s good for our business, and it also means that customers have the option to buy locally grown flowers with a smaller carbon footprint.”
Just recently, Kate Ryan from Cultivating Success came out to visit the farm. “Kate has so much knowledge based on her own experiences and working with other farmers. She reinforced a lot of what we’re doing and gave us suggestions on how we could troubleshoot our challenges. It was really encouraging.”
“Now that I’ve learned about so many great resources, I do my best to let other farmers know about them. These programs have helped us live up to our name: Flourish Organic Farms. We want to help other local businesses flourish also.”
Photos taken by Molly Vaden Photography
