Sweet Grown Alabama Blogs

Hardin Branch Farm is a small flower farm in Toney, AL. We specialize in growing fresh cut flowers for sale at farmers markets, local shops in the Toney/Harvest area and also a newly installed flower shed. I started flower farming in late 2022 after deciding to just “go for it.” I thought, if flowers colored my world with happiness, they could do the same for others. 

I grew up in Nebraska on a small family owned and operated farm that focused on growing sorghum, soybeans and cattle. My grandparents and great-grandparents were ranchers in the sandhills of Nebraska where we would spend time during the summer. It was always expected the kids would help put up hay, run trucks for harvest and help with chores. It instilled a hard work ethic in us. After leaving the farm for college and then later joining the military, I was afforded the opportunity to see the world. 

In 2017, my fiancé and I were relocated to Huntsville, AL. We found a small piece of farmland in the Toney area. It was perfect for settling down and building what we envisioned our farm should be. The land was pretty plain and needed a pop of color. That’s when I started adding flower gardens here and there. Then, in late 2022 I decided to just jump into flower farming with both feet and started growing flowers on a much larger scale. From the moment I put the first seed in the ground, I knew flowers could make everything better. Pick any situation that you are in, if you look at, hold and smell a flower- it makes that moment better. Flowers have the power to evoke a memory and take you back in time, they can make you happy and they can make you feel better.  

While neither my fiancé nor I consider ourselves large scale farmers, we love the land we are on. We try to be good stewards of it. We also support our community by selling free-range chicken eggs and giving the excess to those in need. My grandparents would always say that we should give back, both to the land and to others. I know that the flowers I grow bring joy into the lives of my customers and I am thankful for the opportunities to grow and sell such beautiful thing.