OUR STORY

In the spring of 2017 Tom and I (plus our 3 kids and 2 Dogs) had finished an extensive remodel of a 1927 Bungalow near Chautauqua Park in Boulder and I had just recently pivoted out of Corporate America.  Fresh-minded with a new realtor's license and a lot more time on my hands, I was previewing homes in the outskirts of Boulder County to refamiliarize myself with the real estate market and thinking of taking on the next project.

 

In my search I discovered a 1915 Aladdin Kit Farmhouse situated on 30 acres in Lafayette!! The water was flowing in the shaded cottonwood tree-lined ditch that split the property into 2 sections. It was a beautiful home, nearly all original, but needed a lot of work. From the start Tom and I knew this was a special place, It was the one! We closed on the property in September 2017 but we promised each other that we wouldn't do anything to the property for at least 1 year.  We wanted to let the house and property speak to us and how we would envision living and using the property before we started making any changes.

 

One year later we started drawing plans.  We considered adding an extensive addition to the home, but it didn't seem like the right thing to do at that time. So, we decided to focus on the existing footprint, doing all the non-sexy stuff to make the house last for another 100+ years. We focused on new plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and finishing the basement, which added another bathroom, bedroom, and a laundry/workspace.  I knew I wanted a garden and a big space to clean and store the veggies, so that's what we did.  I'll never forget as we were wrapping up the remodel and talking with our trim carpenter, I said "Doug, now that we are done, what am I going to do with all my time." He said as we walked outside, "Well, Shelly, now you have to do something about the outside." Boy was he right!  The yard was more weeds than grass, and we had a lot of space to work with. 

 

So, I started researching landscape and garden ideas.  During my research, I ran across a YouTube video by Jean-Martin Fortier on MarketGardens. I watched them all.  I went to the bookstore and bought Compact Farms by Josh Volk in which Jean-Martin Fortier's farm was featured. I was hooked and loved what he was doing.  I knew I had the skills, space, and for me, time because if I find 3 extra minutes, I will do something. Tom calls me his "little Bee" because I buzz around always busy doing something.

 

Building a barn that matched the beauty and style of the farmhouse was always on the wish list, we found plans for a beautiful wood barn but we knew that would take a lot of time and money. If we have a barn we wanted a beautiful garden. We envisioned holding Farm to Table events (having bees to pollinate the flowers and hopefully some bonus honey), having weddings where the bridal party could cut and arrange their floral arrangements, and a few million other ideas. So, in September 2019 I used my 3 extra minutes and started drawing plans for what became the 200+ variety cut flower garden.

 

21 Chickens, 4 Turkeys, 3 Miniature fainting goats, 2 bee hives, 156 flower beds and 21 veggie garden beds later...we are now selling what we grow.  Organically grown veggies, flowers, eggs, and soon some honey.  

 

Come see us at Erie's Farmers Market every Thursday from 5-8 pm and if the sign is up at the Farm, please stop, and get the pick of the week of veggies, eggs, and flowers!

 

Next up: The Barn and events!!