Situated on over 400 acres of preserved land in Scarborough, Maine, Broadturn Farm is more than just a flower farm—it's a living example of how beauty, sustainability, and community care can grow side by side. With about 4 acres in vibrant floral production, Broadturn serves its own design clients, CSA members, wholesale buyers, and loyal farmstand visitors.
We connected with Alaena, who gave us insights into Broadturn’s thoughtful crop planning process, the evolution of their systems, and what she wishes she’d known starting out.
Be sure to check out Broadturn's website for more about their offerings, and follow them on Instagram for lots of flower inspiration.
Tell us about your farm and anything you specialize in.
We grow around four acres of annuals and perennials on a property of over 400 acres preserved by the Scarborough Land Trust. Our markets include our own design business, wholesale, CSA, and farmstand. We also host events. We are highly diversified in what we grow, but some of our top crops include dahlias, peonies, ranunculus, and tulips. Herbaceous perennials are a favorite for sure!
Talk about anything you love about using Rooted!
We used to use spreadsheets with links to Pinterest for our availability, which was really time-consuming and not user-friendly. We love that we can upload our own images to Rooted, and it is easy to change them throughout the season so they accurately depict what we are offering. We also love that we can edit inventory throughout the week rather than being tied to a list that is sent out just once a week. Consolidated harvest lists are very helpful.
What advice would you give your past self or someone just starting out on their farming journey?
People often give the advice to "start small" or not "do everything at once," but I think there are thoughtful ways to try out a lot without harming your business. There's no way to know what you are good at or what works on your farm without some trial and error. Sometimes, you have to burn out on something to realize what it is you really want to be doing. Say 'yes' to as much as you can handle and get those extra varieties of seeds that intrigue you! Then, you can really relish in the joy of cutting things out down the road.
Talk about your crop planning process - how do you decide what to grow?
It's a healthy mix of historical data, intuition, and yearly reports. Every season, we evaluate the numbers of what sold and weigh that with our gut feelings about how each crop "felt" that season - did it feel like we had enough? Did we have too much? Has it been a flop for too many years? Is it annoying to harvest? We are lucky to have plenty of land, so we don't usually have to make difficult decisions when it comes to space.
What’s one thing you wish more people understood about flower farming?
Sometimes, we get a little salty when people tell us, "How amazing it must be to work on a flower farm." Farming is hard work! And we aren't just standing around sniffing blooms all day. But the truth is, it really is amazing, and we feel grateful to have chosen a career that allows us to be both challenged and delighted daily.
Shout-out a flower friend or mentor who inspires you/makes you a better farmer/has helped you.
The local farming community we have met through the ASCFG, the Flowering in the North Conference, and MOFGA are the best! It's so nice to know that support is always a text away. I also want to give a shout-out to our incredible, hardworking crew. None of this work would be possible without them!
Thank you, Alaena and the entire Broadturn crew, for sharing your insight, experience, and flower-fueled wisdom with us!