A Passion for Flowers

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper

Kevin and Jennifer French love flowers. All kinds of flowers in a variety of colors and sizes.

Their love of flowers was not on their radar when the couple purchased a circa 1800 farm at 250 Waumbeck Road in Wolfeboro about 26 years ago.

Says Jennifer as she is surrounded by large buckets of flowers arranged and ready to go to flower subscribers (more on that later in this story), “We started as a hobby farm with vegetable patches, pick-your-own strawberries and flowers. In 2017 we got serious about growing flowers.”

“Serious” is one word to describe the floral business that is the backbone of Full Moon Farm, because it is indeed physical, often hard work and it requires determination to succeed. But it’s fun too, or else Jennifer might still be teaching instead of spending her days growing and always “thinking flowers” year round.

“Kevin grew up in a dairy farming family and he is a lifelong Wolfeboro resident,” Jennifer says. “I retired from teaching at Kingswood Regional High School in Wolfeboro last year to do this (flowers) full time.”

When looking at the beautiful flowers in a variety of blooms and colors, it is difficult to imagine the immense work that goes into the cycle of growing the florals appreciated by customers at Full Moon Farm.

The process goes something like this: Jennifer and Kevin choose which flowers will be offered each year, they plant the starter seeds during the colder months, making sure they are kept in a good temperature environment, they watch the flowers grow and transplant them into the rich farm soil each spring when the weather warms. As the huge variety of flowers continue to grow outdoors at the farm, the work does not end. Jennifer and Kevin watch the weather, ruefully explaining that some summers see better weather than others. “Last summer’s rain was not helpful,” Jennifer shakes her head as she remembers the near daily pattern of rain. “But this year’s hot weather has been good for the gardens.”

One of the important things at Full Moon Farm is growing sustainably. “We do not use any chemicals (no pesticides, no herbicides - only organic fertilizer) and by doing so, we keep our farm ecosystem clean and healthy,” explains Jennifer.

Along with growing and selling flowers at their charming little farm stand on the property (it is an honor system whereby customers stop by, choose the flower arrangements offered each day in the shop, and pay right there), Full Moon Farm is the place to get quality CBD products grown on premises.

“Kevin was a stone mason by trade, and he got serious arthritis from his job,” Jennifer explains as she outlines how they got into growing and offering CBD products as part of their business. Kevin found CBD bath balms to be very helpful in combating the arthritis pain, so the couple began to explore the idea of growing similar products for their customers.

“We are federally licensed to grow hemp and we have 200 plants. From those, we make CBD products, and our two best sellers are a topical CBD salve and CBD gummies to help with sleep.” The CBD portion of Full Moon Farm is tightly controlled with visits from federal inspectors to make sure all is done to specifications. The CBD products also can be purchased in the farm stand shop.

The biggest love for Kevin and Jennifer is the flowers they grow at Full Moon Farm. “We discovered a flower farm is a niche market that was not being filled in this area,” Jennifer explains. “We love to farm, and it made sense to go in this direction. It is hard work, but we find it easier than vegetable farming. Flowers are fun and we just love doing it.”

Couples planning weddings appreciate the work Jennifer and Kevin have put into the flowers they offer. Weddings have become a big part of the Full Moon Farm business and they create custom florals for many Lakes Region weddings.

“We do wedding flowers, as well as flowers for rehearsal dinners, and Kevin is our main floral designer for that segment of the business. Our flowers are fresh, and they last a long time,” Jennifer adds.

The most popular wedding flowers this year (it changes yearly as trends come and go), is peonies, because, as Jennifer says, they are beautiful and fragrant. Also popular for weddings are ranunculus, dahlias and lycianthes.

Customers/homeowners love the chance to get fresh flowers from Full Moon Farm every week during the summer. “Customers use our flower subscriptions where they can pre-buy in the winter to have an ever-evolving variety of flowers each summer,” Jennifer explains of the program. Many people take advantage of the luxury of having fresh flowers, grown right on the farm at Full Moon, for their home each week. “We have a different variety every week and people like that.”

Floral design workshops are very popular, and Kevin and Jennifer are growing that side of the business. “Workshops are fun for people!” Jennifer says.

Also available every summer is the honor-system where shoppers can get a bouquet or arrangement (and also CBD products) any day of the week. During the spring season, customers love the variety that could include fancy tulips, peonies, ranunculus and more. In summer, flowers include but are not limited to snapdragons, campanula and zinnias to name but a few.

Fall is coming up soon and Full Moon Farm continues to offer their customers a lot, such as dried flowers and workshops in how to dry different blooms. During the Christmas season, Jennifer offers wreaths and swags.

The year rolls around in an orderly fashion at Full Moon Farm, with early December typically ending the sales season. In the quieter months of winter (January and February) Jennifer and Kevin plan what seeds and florals they want for the coming summer. They order seeds and bulbs and meet with brides-to-be to talk about their upcoming wedding floral needs, and they get ideas and quotes to couples. “We also work on marketing, with photo scanning and other tasks,” says Jennifer.

By the beginning of March, the seeds are planted in the greenhouse and by May 1 approximately, the flowers are growing, soon to be transplanted to the fields where they will create a colorful landscape that customers delight in experiencing.

Full Moon Farm does not do cut-your-own flowers, but customers know they can get the variety they long for all winter by stopping at the little farm stand on premises.

When asked what the future of Full Moon Farm might be, Jennifer gazes out over her greenhouses and fields from a window of her flower studio as she ponders the question. “There is no doubt that farming is hard work. But we love it and will continue. Another of our goals is to do education and outreach on farming and flowers.”

The work may be intensive, but the outcome is beautiful and much appreciated by people who wait all winter and stop by Full Moon Farm when summer rolls around. They know that at the farm stand they will find the end product of Jennifer and Kevin’s passion for flowers.

Visit www.fullmoonfarmnh.com for information. The farm stand is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week during the flower season from May through September. It is stocked with mixed bouquets, straight bunches of flowers, jar arrangements and more.