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Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from the tri-states. Along with this update from Lancaster, Wis., we will share additional developments in Tuesday’s edition.
An area flower farm is coming into full bloom in its new location.
Rech Family Gardens this summer is cultivating its first flower crop at the new family homestead, 4499 Coon Hollow Road in rural Lancaster. The operation previously ran at a smaller space in Lancaster before relocating just outside city limits.
The farm is a riot of color in the rural landscape, where fields of various blooms and blossoms take up roughly three acres adjacent to the family’s new home.
“We’ve got dahlias and sunflowers and all kinds of different celosia varieties. The list really just keeps going,” said owner Sally Rech. “We’re working through some things and getting to know how best to work with the different kinds of soil (in the new location) … but it’s been beautiful.”
Rech uses the flowers grown at the farm to deliver weekly or biweekly bouquets to customers around the Lancaster area. Each week, she also prepares roughly 200 bouquets to sell at the Dane County Farmers Market.
In addition to flowers, Rech also sells weekly vegetable boxes, and she uses her parents’ farm near Mount Hope to grow gourds and pumpkins.
She started Rech Family Gardens in 2020 after her youngest child started school. Demand for the bouquets grew each year, and it became clear additional space was needed if the business was going to keep up.
“We grew out of our space, but I knew I wanted to keep going,” Rech said.
The farm now is in the midst of its growing season, which Rech said runs through October. She has dedicated roughly one-fourth of an acre to flowers to harvest and dry to sell as decoration during the colder months.
The homestead allows for extra on-site programming, Rech added, and she already has collaborated with other local businesses to hold yoga classes and other interactive events in the fields.
“Flowers have a way of connecting people,” Rech said. “You can farm and farm and farm, but for me, the part that means the most are the connections you make with other small businesses and the community.”
On Aug. 24 and 25, Rech Family Gardens will host its inaugural Sunflower Festival, complete with field walkthroughs, craft vendors and dishes from area food trucks. Additional information about the event and about the farm’s offerings can be found online at facebook.com/rechfamilygardens.