Inspiring Conversations with Becky Siskowski of Little Seed Flower Farm

Today we’d like to introduce you to Becky Siskowski. 

Hi Becky, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
As a little girl, my dad would take us to my Grandparent’s farm in South Dakota for the summers. We would help my grandma and grandpa pick the bounty of their huge garden. I remember spending hours outside sitting on the grass in the shade of the large trees eating strawberries, peas, and apples. I just loved it! Then as I grew up, I longed to plant my own gardens and grow flowers. I had a rose garden and grew tomatoes, peppers, carrots – the usual. However, all that was just not enough for me. I knew I wanted to live out in the country. 

Fast forward to 2012 and my family and I moved to Colorado. We found my farmhouse in the “country” on a dirt road. At that time, I was working in wireless telecommunications. It took me a few more years to realize I didn’t want to do that anymore. I wanted to start a farm and grow things. I enjoy growing fruits and vegetables, but I thought there were too many existing vegetable farmers around here already. Then I stumbled upon a flower IG account and my mind was blown. I have never grown flowers on a large scale before. I have never farmed. I had zero experience. But I had land, water, social media, the internet, and a supportive husband. I fenced off about 3 acres of land that we used for growing hay. It took me one year to prep the land including trenching the water, installing fencing and a high tunnel, and purchasing all the supplies that I would need. I also spent that year educating myself via an online flower growing class, scanning IG daily and hourly, reading multiple books, and joining organizations. 

I quit my “real” job after the first year of farming and have never looked back. Today, I have 5 high tunnels, a large peony, and rose section and I grow perennials, shrubs, and annuals. I supply flowers to florists/designers, the Colorado Flower Collective in Arvada, and NOCO Flower Community in Fort Collins. I also provide A la carte wedding flowers and Flowers by the bucket for weddings/events. I have a CSA Flower Share where you can receive a bouquet of flowers weekly during the summer and I offer a U-Pick where folks can come to the farm and pick their own fresh bouquet in a mason jar. 

I am truly blessed to be able to say I love what I do. I love making people happy and seeing their faces when they receive their flowers. I enjoy working outdoors and meeting new friends in the industry. I eagerly await the first blooms of the season with excitement and satisfaction. What more could I ask for? 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The struggle is real for farmers, especially in Colorado. We all know the weather is extreme here. We could have warm temps in the morning, then 50 degrees colder that same evening. We have high winds, low humidity, clay soil, and weeds, weeds, weeds. I can never leave the farm unless I have someone on site who can monitor the weather for me or if it’s wintertime and I don’t have anything growing. I kill lots of plants, all the time and every year. There’s no denying it. 

However, there is another struggle new farmers will experience – selling the flowers. My first year, I grew tons of flowers and most of them perished on the plant. I didn’t know enough people to sell them to. Finding your customers is super important, especially with a perishable product. You can’t keep flowers hanging around for weeks. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Little Seed Flower Farm?
We are a specialty cut flower farm in Johnstown. We have over 300 peony plants, over 500 rose bushes, and grow perennials and annuals for weddings and local florists. We have one of the largest rose gardens here in CO who sell cuts, especially for weddings. 

Our services include: wholesale to florists/designers, Flower shares for retail sales, A la carte wedding items and bulk DIY buckets, and a U-Pick in the summer. 

This year, we are focusing on small-scale weddings or brides/grooms who don’t want to spend too much on wedding flowers. Our a la carte wedding items allow a bride to choose off of a “menu” with pricing clearly outlined. They may choose to just order a bridal bouquet, a boutonniere, and DIY buckets to make their own tabletop arrangements. The menu makes ordering flowers easy and less intimidating. 

Our farm practices include no-till and minimal organic OMRI-approved spray for some of our white roses. We do not spray any other flowers in the field. 

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
The flower community here in CO is unmatched. Since the beginning, my flower farmer buds have been so supportive. Many of us started our farms around the same time and some have been around a lot longer (Arrowhead Dahlias, Lucky Bee, Sol y Sombra). We all encourage, support, and learn from each other. 

The two flower collectives: Colorado Flower Collective established and operated by Stefanie and NOCO Flower Community established by a handful of us growers in Northern Colorado have been instrumental in the success of Little Seed Flower Farm. 

Contact Info:

• Email: info@littleseedflowerfarm.com
• Website: www.LittleSeedFlowerFarm.com
• Instagram: @LittleSeedFlowerFarm
• Facebook: @LittleSeedFlowerFarm

Image Credits
Tyler Paige Photography
Shel Francis Creative
Tiffany Rebecca