![]() She grows more than 1,500 varieties through her Lunaseed Farm in Port Townsend, selling the blooms and tubers. “You can do the research, but there’s no substitute for getting your hands in the dirt,” Munson says with a smile. The women praise the extensive course and are now excited to put theory into practice. Munson, along with her three fellow floriculturists, all completed the online, multimonth workshop in professional flower farming from Floret of Skagit Valley. Experienced in bouquets for events and weddings, the Bainbridge florist and owner of Flowerfolk Design is still experimenting with growing flowers from seed. Lunaseed dahlia patch The Designerįor Munson’s rambling and romantic floral designs, she now has the opportunity to grow flowers too delicate for shipping or often in short supply. “This is an amazing opportunity Stacy is giving us,” Becker acknowledges. Shirley poppies, cosmos, bachelor’s buttons and marigolds are just a few of the seeds Becker has tucked into her flats. Thanks to Marshall, this year Becker will be growing her own annuals to brighten the corner. A memorial to her son, the corner offers a bench and seasonal plantings, along with the books. In addition to gifting small bouquets to neighbors, shopkeepers and people on the street in Poulsbo, Becker created and maintains “Ross’ Little Library” on Poulsbo’s corner of 4th and Iverson. ![]() ![]() After attending a u-pick event at the farm, she became a volunteer and before long was appointed an “ambassador of joy,” given bundles of flowers to share with her community. The day her order included Petal and Pitchfork snapdragons and zinnias, Becker was hooked. She met Marshall through Kitsap Fresh, an online farmers market. Living in Poulsbo Place, with little room to garden, she is excited to have space to grow. Chocolate cosmos The Ambassador of Bloomsīecker is an enthusiastic new gardener. “The soil is disturbed as little as possible there’s no tilling once the beds are made, and last year’s plants are left over winter so the roots can break down into the soil,” she says. Hulse admires the farm’s regenerative practices. The beds are a gardener’s dream - mounded, fertile and wrapped in black weed barrier with spaced planting holes. Marshall even shares her garden tools so her fellow farmers needn’t pack shovels wherever they go. Munson and the others recognize the value of working an established farm with premade beds, greenhouses, a barn, walk-in flower cooler, water, power and a flower shed to process the crop. “It’s a huge help with the learning curve.” “To have Stacy and these women as a resource is wonderful,” Munson says. Jesi Munson, Karen Becker, Twozdai Hulse and Stacy Marshall A typical Thursday morning in March finds them gathered in a greenhouse, planting flats of flower seeds. Although the three grow flowers for different purposes, they find common ground when it comes to the opportunity provided them by the Marshalls. Petal and Pitchfork now partners with Jesi Munson, florist Twozdai Hulse, producer of fresh flowers, seeds and dahlia tubers and Karen Becker, Poulsbo’s ambassador of blooms. “I wanted this to be a model for farmers working together for everyone’s benefit.” “Many people don’t have access to land to farm,” Marshall says. Marshall took the leap, offering each of the women prime flower-growing beds to cultivate. Three women in particular were interested in growing flowers in quantity, but found the endeavor daunting due to lack of space or experience. In Petal and Pitchfork’s years of u-pick, on-site volunteers and community outreach, Marshall met women who shared her affinity for all things floral. The new venture will be a flower-growing cooperative. Now, however, Marshall wants to try something a bit different - focus on flowers. The couple, together with Marshall’s sidekick (and mother) Janet Chalupa, have worked hard since the purchase of the historic farm in 2016 to build healthy, productive beds for what started as a subscription CSA (community supported agriculture). Marshall and her husband, Kelsey, are the community-minded owners of local coffee marketer Grounds for Change. ![]() She likes them so much that, in 2022, she transitioned her 15-acre farm from vegetable production to flowers. Stacy Marshall of Petal and Pitchfork loves flowers. ![]()
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