Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Menkveld.
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My husband, Nathan, and I have a flower farm at our home in Nolensville, TN. We moved back here to be near family at the end of 2016 and found a place with just over 8 acres. It was a bit more than what we were looking for at the time, but everything else we looked at had fallen through, so we decided this was where we were supposed to be. We both had an interest in homesteading and spending time outdoors, and as we were starting to think about having a family and raising children, we thought it would be a great opportunity for them to have lots of places to explore on our own property and also teach them life skills.
Initially, we thought we would have a giant vegetable garden, berry patch, raise our own animals for food, and then also grow some lavender, as that seemed like a good niche for us in the farming world. We did end up getting some ducks for eggs and trying our hand at a garden and orchard, but other than that, we have really focused most of our efforts on growing flowers.
Starting our business was a slow process. We planted 300 lavender plants in May 2017 and waited until June 2018 for our first harvest. Our eldest was born just 6 weeks after that, so once we harvested and hung the lavender to dry, our priorities shifted to getting ready for a new baby. In a lot of ways, 2019 is what I consider the first year we were actually running a business. We decided to open the farm up for outdoor photo sessions when the lavender field was booming, and when we started advertising lavender field photo sessions, we were overwhelmed with the positive responses.
We found that we really loved hosting people and providing opportunities most people would not normally have to visit a flower farm. This really propelled us to where we are today. Lavender only blooms for 2-3 weeks in the summer, so to extend our season, we started to add more flowers to the farm. We converted the vegetable garden into a cut flower garden, and added two more lavender fields, a sunflower field, and tucked in a couple more flower beds around the property. This has allowed us to have flowers blooming from June – October and provide more opportunities to visit the farm.
This also allows us to offer flowers as part of a summer flower CSA and attend the local farmer’s market. In addition, we also started offering uPick days and other on-farm events. As this season wraps up for us, we are yet again making plans to expand the flower farm more in 2022 and offer more opportunities to see the flower fields.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been lots of ups and downs to get where we are today. As with anything farming-related, you really are at the mercy of mother nature. This year in particular we have seen tons of rain and it has caused a large amount of pest and disease pressure on the farm. In addition, both Nathan and I grew up in a city with no background in farming. I had a large vegetable garden before moving to our current house, but tending to a 1/4-acre city lot with a large garden is very different from trying to manage an 8-acre farm in a very different climate.
Even with all the time we spend researching what we are doing, we make so many mistakes, and with farming when a crop fails you can’t just start over and try again. You have to wait a full year before you can get more seeds in the ground, and that can definitely be frustrating. The biggest challenge we face though is having a limited amount of time. My husband and I have both continued to work our off-farm jobs, and we also have two young children. When Covid-19 hit we were working hard to grow the farm and our daughter’s school was suddenly closed for months.
Like many others, we were navigating working from home with a toddler while pregnant, and figuring out what Covid meant for our business going forward. We managed those first months of the pandemic with lots of long days and foregoing much-needed sleep. Learning to run our own small business has been an amazing adventure full of challenges, disappointment, and excitement when we find success.
We are learning new things every single day, figuring out what we want from our farm, how to make that work, how to be better employers, and how our vision aligns with what our customers are looking for.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Menkveld Farm?
We are a lavender and cut flower farm located in Nolensville, TN. We grow everything outside in the field and have flowers blooming on the farm from June – October. June is one of the most popular times on the farm since that is when our lavender fields are blooming. We open up the farm for uPick lavender events most weekends in June, and the farm can also be reserved for photo sessions and private events.
We also have a 1/4-acre sunflower field and cutting gardens that have flowers from July – October. When our sunflowers bloom you can come out for uPick sunflowers and take pictures, and we are also working on providing more events and uPicks when our cutting garden blooms. The cutting garden includes all the flowers and foliage for our mixed bouquets and has zinnias, cosmos, dahlias, and more! While we are not certified organic, we do try to follow organic practices as much as possible and use sustainable farming practices. It is so important to us that not only are we growing beautiful flowers, but also to care for the land we are farming.
We are still continuing to grow our business, so at this point, we do not have a store to visit at the farm, but you can stop by the Nolensville Farmer’s Market on Saturdays to get fresh seasonal flowers or sign up for our flower CSA and have flowers delivered to your home. We are also adding more ways for people to come visit the farm! We host uPicks and other events throughout our growing season so people have an opportunity to visit and see the flower fields. We also take reservations for private events and photo sessions at the property.
We are not open to visitors outside of these events or by appointment at this time. The interest in our onsite events has continued to grow though, so we are continuing to add more opportunities to visit the farm. Check back later this winter and next spring to see what new things we have been planning for the farm!
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Covid is a constant reminder that it is so important to consider what your customers are wanting and adapting to that ever-changing climate. Covid has changed a lot of things, and we have found that what people are looking for has also shifted because of that.
For example, our customers are home more and like the convenience of having their flowers delivered as opposed to heading out to the farm each week to pick up their weekly subscription bouquet. It’s not enough to just grow beautiful flowers, you also have to understand who your customers are and what their needs are.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@menkveldfarm.com
- Website: www.menkveldfarm.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menkveldfarm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/menkveldfarm/
Image Credits
Rachael Black and Amber Beckham
