SEATTLE, WA by Barbara Adams www.BarbaraBerstAdams.com
Jane and Jack Hogue of Odebolt, Iowa were a happy newlywed farming couple. During their first years together, Jack was a hard working hog and row-crop farmer during the years that Jane gave birth to three children, and nurtured them on the farm. But an all too familiar problem occurred. As time went on, their income, which seemed adequate when they first married, now wasn't sufficient for their family of five. Faced with having to get a job in town and being away from her family, Jane searched for other possibilities. The solution, as yet unknown, was growing outside her door. As a bride new to farming, living in the country had inspired her to discover a passion she didn't know, until then, she would embrace and eventually turn into a business. She had begun planting flower seeds and watching them grow into beautiful borders around her country home. Jane says she had missed playing in the dirt as a kid, and that her childhood experience with plants was limited to the Styrofoam cup planted for every Mother's Day at Girl Scout meetings. She wanted something different for her own children, and so set out to cultivate a stimulating environment for them. She called it a sort of "outdoor classroom" of beautiful flowers, fresh vegetables, mysterious herbs, earthworms, butterflies and living soil, all waiting to be explored and studied. When the need for more income became clear, the gardens helped spark an idea that looked much brighter than working in town. Jane knew that gardeners were special people. "I have met hundreds of folk who claim gardening as their number one hobby," she says. "Unwavering optimism, a friendly disposition, and reverent devotion to the earth are common ground among gardeners. It was, perhaps, a desire to embrace these wholesome values with my children that first lured me to the earth. The sanctuary of the garden nurtures our family's spirit and brings out the best in all of us. "

Birth of a new micro eco-farm business

Jane decided to set up a business for gardeners at her home, and used agritourism as her main customer draw. She opened The Prairie Pedlar for gardeners, and customers came to purchase the nursery plants she and her husband grew, the dried and other items made from her various herb and flower crops, as well as garden gifts from other local farmers and artisans. The visitors were obviously delighted by her surrounding gardens, and Jane saw what a great draw the gardens were for gaining farm store customers. When seven acres next door came up for sale, the Hogues bought the property, and expanded their on-farm business with full-fledged agritourism as the main tool for generating customers. Jane eventually built gardens in themes, including 'On Holy Ground,' a biblical garden; 'Tyler's Barnyard Garden,' a garden of flowers and herbs that have names correlating with farm animals (lamb's ear, hens&chicks, horseradish…); 'Kinder Garden,' where there's a plant for every letter of the alphabet; and 'Moon Garden.' "The Moon Garden illuminates the evening as moonlight settles on white patches of flowers," says Jane. "In daylight this garden is a matinee of white refinement, but each night it transforms to an iridescent glow of moonstruck blossoms, setting the stage for mystery and enchantment. The moon flower is the star attraction, with mother-of-pearl yarrow, white veronica, physostegia (false dragonhead), lamb's ear, baby's breath, Iberian candytuft, and daisies cast in the supporting roles. The darkness is accented with white statuary, but the night-scented flowers like white nicotiana, fragrant stock, and evening primrose steal the show!"

The Hogues now add special events to their agritourism package. "Our Moonlight Garden Party has now come and gone for the 11th year in a row," says Jane. "Some people make reservations months ahead of the party to guarantee a spot. Many who come are wowed by the details of the evening - the lighting, candles, luminaries, good food, music, etc. etc. It's a charming affair and the gardens are magical at night. People often forget to enjoy their flowers by moonlight and we use this evening to promote that. While all of the bright colors of the afternoon garden recede into the shadows of night, all of the white and pastel flowers are illuminated by the moon. The sounds and smells of the night time garden are a bit mysterious as well. As the sun sets on the gardens it takes on a life of its own and the Moonlight Garden Party has always been a favorite event for customers who come back year after year. The Moonlight Garden Party is a great PR event and gives us a chance to "wine-and-dine" our customers, and many want a memento to remember the evening by, so our gift shop benefits, too."

The Hogues also especially enjoy agritourism events with children, seeing as though the gardens themselves were inspired by the desire to bring nature to their own children. "We are in the 8th year of our Green Team program," says Jane. "Children ages 8 - 12 participate at the garden every Wednesday morning from 8:30 to 11:00. This summer 39 students come with eager anticipation, a sense of wonderment and energy that is impossible to contain. We delight in their enthusiasm for nature and hope that we plant a seed that will make them life-long gardeners. Each morning, the children tend to their own garden space (the Secret Garden at the center of the Garden Maze) learning to plant, weed, mulch, water, dead-head, etc. This program receives excellent publicity and goes a long way in enhancing our public relations efforts in the area. It is also a retail opportunity because parents bring their children to the garden, browse around, and shop in the gift shop.

Marketing

The Prairie Pedlar now attracts up to 5000 guests annually. And here is a tip Jane shares for others involved with agritourism or other forms of on-farm direct sales. "When we started our business 22 years ago," says Jane, "I received some very good advice from another entrepreneur. She said that I should not depend on local customers to keep my business going. She encouraged us to reach way beyond our local boundaries and promote our gardens as a destination spot in the country." Often, her gardens serve as a lure to draw customers to the farm store who spend money once there. Other times, the gardens themselves provide income in the form of fees charged for special events, or rental of the property for private gatherings such as bridal showers, weddings and family reunions.

Even in these times of high fuel prices, people from our own states often don't realize a 2-hour drive away can be as enjoyable as a plane trip to commercial manicured gardens several states away. When families from out of the area come to visit relatives, which they do anyway regardless of fuel prices, those local relatives aren't often aware of how much fun their region can offer their guests in the form of agritourism, and these types of 'distant' customers need to be reached.

As the farmer's wife often helps the farmer, Jane's husband enjoys helping her as well. "Gardening and farming are very similar occupations,' says Jane, "and many of the same tasks occur at the same time (planting, weeding/cultivating, harvest, etc.) so he is a busy person. Jack manages the greenhouses and plant production from March - May. He also enjoys the garden visitors and is host for the many garden tours that we have each summer. He leads the guided tours, sharing plant lore and flower stories that charm visitors."

Expansion

Jane and Jack's youngest daughter was their final child to marry, and recently wed on the farm to her high school sweetheart. This inspired the Hogues to add even more customer attractions to their rural business. "We've added a new wedding chapel and a terrace garden with fountain for the occasion. We moved an old 10-sided granary onto the property last fall and have transformed it into sort of an old fashioned bandstand like were in many city parks in the Midwest. It will make a wonderful setting for the ceremony." Their original seven acres is now just over 10. Their expansion comes less from the actual horizontal spreading out of size, and more from stacking new ideas vertically and being more and more innovative within the size they have.

Micro farming allowed Jane to stay on the farm and create an attractive stream of income for her farming family. It continues to bring pleasure in many ways, especially in seeing children learn to enjoy gardens. "It is a very rewarding opportunity for us to work closely with kids and try to instill an appreciation for flowers, herbs, and the rewards of gardening," says Jane. "They delight in the simplest things and manage to find garden surprises that we sometimes miss. Enjoying the gardens through the eyes of an energetic 10-year-old keeps us young at heart and reminds us on a weekly basis of all the reasons we love to garden." Visit their website at www.prairiepedlar.com .