Nicole Crocker has lived in the Lowell area since 2010. Like many moms, she wears a variety of hats. In addition to her full-time job as a mom, she has a part-time photography business called Nicole Michelle Photography. However, her main work focuses on Buddy & Bean Farm where she grows flowers that are made available at a roadside stand on 52nd and via pre-order.
Crocker grew up around flowers as her mom was an avid gardener and even became a Master Gardener. Her personal interest in gardening began when she and her husband, Carl, purchased their first home in 2006. In a tiny backyard, she removed overgrowth and neglected landscaping to grow her first vegetable garden, which included space for sunflowers. Since then her interest in flowers has remained.
“I start nearly everything from seed right here in our house, and spend a lot of time researching, planning the growing space, and of course all the actual work like planting, weeding, and harvesting.” says Crocker. Her husband built the greenhouse and other buildings on their land and their kids help with planting and harvesting.
Although Crocker has been gardening for years, the roadside stand opened for the first time at the end of August 2020. She has always had a vegetable garden as well as a small patch of flowers for cutting. Over the years that patch grew bigger and bigger. In 2019 she found a truckload of antique windows at a barn sale. Her husband used these to build her greenhouse. This allowed for the ability to grow more flowers. “ I started to get interested in learning how to grow lots of different kinds of flowers, harvest stages, seed saving, propagation, and other garden experiments.” comments Crocker.
When the pandemic forced life to slow down, Crocker dreamed about dedicating her garden space to only flowers. She began researching but did not have any intention of selling what she grew. However, once her garden started blooming last year she felt like she had to share what she grew. Making bouquets for herself, friends, and family led to these same groups requesting arrangements. Her husband fixed up an old wagon which was placed by the road on their property. Crocker didn’t expect much when she placed her first bouquets on the stand, but word got out and things have taken off.
Buddy & Bean Farm was the name their son gave the farm when they moved there in 2015. Buddy is one of his nicknames and one of her daughter’s nicknames is Little Bean. Crocker doesn’t mind the hard work that comes with gardening and gets a lot of satisfaction in doing nearly everything, including watering, by hand. “I’ve found over the years that I really enjoy the act of gardening — though it’s not usually glamorous — and the beauty that comes from working in the dirt.” she says.
Crocker has spent a lot of time planning what will bloom in her garden, which has begun coming alive in the past weeks. She looks to ensure her bouquets are “unique and special”. In the spring she had fancy tulips, heirloom narcissus, and anemones. It’s the summer months when things are really blooming on the farm. She explains, “I’ve chosen professional-grade varieties specifically grown for cut flower production, meaning everything is just a little bit fancy-pants!”. Country familiars including sunflowers, zinnias, snapdragons, and cosmos can be found in bouquets. “Everlasting varieties grown specially for fall drying, and lots of weird and whimsical foliage” will also be included according to Crocker.
When asked about the flower type she gets most excited about, the answer is the dahlias. “I’ll have so many different kinds this year, from dinner plate-sized blooms down to cute little pom-poms and also some collarette dahlias, which look like apple blossoms. There’s such a huge variety when it comes to dahlias — they’re addictive!” This type of flower is time-consuming when it comes to growth and care but worth the work in Crocker’s opinion. Each fall they need to be dug up and stored for the winter. In the spring they are divided by hand before planting. With too much cold or wetness they will rot so timing spring planting in Michigan can be tricky. Even watering needs are specific. They need to be harvested in a specific way to encourage the best blooms. And sometimes individual blooms need to be covered with little organza bags to protect them from bugs. Crocker refers to dahlias as “little divas” that are worth all of the effort. However, her favorite flower is the peony. “They are the dreamiest, and their short season makes them extra special.” she explains.
Buddy & Bean Farm is also a registered Monarch Waystation through the Monarch Watch program. Becoming a waystation means being dedicated to protecting Monarch Butterflies. Crocker plants milkweed and raises caterpillars in a predator-free environment before releasing them.
Two standard bouquet options are offered at the stand. The most popular is the Buddy Bouquet, a mixed arrangement in a quart-sized mason jar for $20. The Little Bean Bouquet is made to fit a pint-sized jar and sells for $10. Occasionally smaller bouquets are available for $5 geared for a kid’s room or bathroom display. An easy price list is always available at the stand. For the best selection and best chance to snag a bouquet before they sell out, stop by early. Pre-ordering bouquets is also an option to ensure something is available on a specific day. While the jars are included in the price of the purchase, if you’d like to recycle them by returning them to the stand, this is an option. You can also provide your own containers to be filled for pre-orders.
In recent years there has been a movement to buy local and support the businesses of community members. Crocker feels her flower business fits into this as well. Not only do purchases support her business, but they also support a locally made product. “Most people may not realize that many of the flowers sold in the U.S. are actually grown internationally, and shipped thousands of miles before they reach you.” she remarks. Her bouquets are “field-to-vase” with flowers being cut and arranged less than 24 hours before being available for purchase.
The stand at Buddy & Bean Farm is located on 52nd between Alden Nash and Segwun, where bouquets are available daily provided the garden is able to keep up. Follow along on Facebook for updates on availability as well as when bouquets sell out. This is also the place to get information on when the stand will officially open, which will be very soon. Currently some pre-orders each week are being taken. Instagram is another spot to see examples of bouquets and other happenings on the farm.
Photos provided by Nicole Crocker and used with permission.
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