Meet Andrea Faber | Flower Farmer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrea Faber and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrea, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Initially, the plan wasn’t to start my own business. A good friend of mine was growing gorgeous dahlias in Chicago, I saw the photos she posted on Instagram and decided I needed dahlias in my life! I was adjusting to life as a new mom, and trying to find myself again. My pre-kid hobbies weren’t something I could do with my kiddos in tow. So I grabbed a bag of tubers the next time I went to Costco. Only one tuber sprouted, but I was hooked! My friend took pity on me and shipped me some of her extra tubers the next year. As I learned about growing flowers and looking after our property, I learned that approximately 80% of the flowers sold in the US are imported. The farms that these flowers are purchased from aren’t what you would call environmentally conscious. Their environmental footprint, with pesticides and chemical fertilizers, is very negative. I am a Colorado native, and growing up in such a beautiful place would teach anyone to care about the earth. I am passionate about taking care of our earth, and preserving it for the next generation. When a florist friend asked if I would consider selling dahlias, I jumped on the opportunity. My husband and I decided to expand our operation, and try to start growing more flowers to meet the need of local florists with organically grown local flowers.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I feel like “Artist/Creative” is the most applicable option here as flowers are so much more than a business, they are my art! Dahlias are the divas of the flower world… and, well… we just get each other!! We both just need a little bit of TLC and someone to tell us we’re pretty a few times a day. Dahlia’s are like Pokemon cards… The varieties are differentiated by names, like “Diva”, “Bracken Sarah”, “Golden Scepter” etc. and if you’ve grown one you know you “gotta grow em all!!”. There are rare varieties that are crazy expensive or hard to get your hands on, and collecting them is addicting!! Unfortunately, dahlias are very susceptible to disease like leafy gall, or mosaic virus. To try and stay in front of this we disinfect our tools between each plant, and watch them vigilantly to cull at the first sign of disease. And man… it is so heart breaking when you have to pull one of those rare varieties you just got your hands on!!

As I mentioned earlier, I started growing flowers when I was a new mom. The hobbies I had before kids (horseback riding” weren’t something I could safely do with my kids. Learning to grow flowers was an epiphany for me. I could work in the garden while my babies played in the dirt (and lets be honest, shoved it in their mouths) next to me. I wasn’t about to put my precious little dirt eaters at risk by using pesticides or chemicals anywhere on our property, which let me down the complicated, beautiful path of growing organically.

I am passionate about giving back to the earth. Without it’s nourishment where would we be? Did you know that the amount of soil that fills a bottle cap has millions of living microorganisms? Growing any sort of plant starts with the soil. We feed our soil with manure from our animals, leaves from our trees and the occasional treat of fish poo ( a delicacy). We monitor the sugar level of our plants, because plants with high sugar levels are harder for pests to digest. We do not use any pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

Growing organically is tough, and I am so proud of the challenges we have overcame! We’ve had a few years where pests came in and depleted an entire crop. We met that challenge with beneficial insects like lacewings and pirate bugs. Growing in Colorado isn’t for the faint of heart with it’s “sunny with a side of whiplash” mentality. My second year growing I lost everything I planted to a hail storm. Later that year my husband designed our out hail netting system that was easy to use and protected over half of our crops. I learned how to grow in an arid climate, we pulse water which encourages lateral root growth and reduces water waste.

It has definitely been an adventure with ups, downs and heartbreak watching all of the hard work go down the drain after a hail storm or some jerk of a bug ate all my celosia… But growing a business where I get to have my kids next to me in the field learning about the earth is a euphoria I can’t even put into words.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, we would take a second to watch the Casa Bonita South Park episode. Then hopefully I would have managed to to successfully sell my soul and/or first born child to score dining reservations at the Disneyland of Mexican restaurants. Then we would head up to Idaho Springs to tour Argo Gold Mine. We’d have to stop in at Cheyene Mountain Zoo to feed the giraffes and make a pit stop at Garden of the Gods on the way home. We’d make sure to have brunch at “Rory’s Diner” at least once, if not twice and hit up the Parker farmer’s market. And this isn’t in Denver, but is a must do with out of town guests… We would head up to Redstone, my favorite little town in Colorado. We’d eat at Slow Groovin’ BBQ, and rent a UTV to drive around Lead King Basin. Lastly, we’d take dip in Glenwood Hot Springs on the way home.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate my shout out to my friend Beth, the one who got me started on my flower adventure. Beth was the one who sent me a box of dahlia tubers, and she’s sent me more and more tubers every year! She held my hand in the beginning and taught me everything I needed to know to be successful growing these divas. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Beth. I am so grateful for her friendship, and her patience as she watched me kill way too many flowers!!

Website: https://lovelyacresflowerfarm.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovelyacresflowerfarm?igsh=MXR5MTNwa2Vnemo0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AXaNgNWBe/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Image Credits
Credit for sunflower field photo and main photo I submitted goes to Shekoufeh from Znoor Photography