Welcome to Hickman Hollow Farms
Our First Official Update
Well, friends, we finally closed on the farm, and I still get a little butterfly in my stomach every time I say that out loud. Owning a piece of land like this has been a hope sitting in our hearts for a long time. The day the papers were signed, knowing it was truly ours, we felt like we were stepping into a dream that had suddenly become real.
If you haven't heard the story yet, we have been watching this property for about six months, and we couldn't keep passing it by. It met all the checkboxes we had, and after seeing it in person, I knew it had to be ours. From the very beginning, I felt connected to this property, and so we were blessed to be able to purchase it from someone who knew this land inside and out and generously passed along more wisdom than we even knew to ask for during the process. His years of care and history are woven into every corner of this place, and we feel honored to carry that forward in our own way.
This farm once echoed with the sounds of horses in the barns and hooves in the pastures. Now it stands at the very beginning of a new chapter. We are turning this beautiful place into a flower and vegetable farm to serve the Florence, SC community, a family homestead, and hopefully a space that will feel a little bit special for anyone who visits.
This blog will be where we share it all. The good, the messy, the muddy, and the magical. You'll see behind the scenes of our daily life on the farm, learn about upcoming events, get tips on gardening and flower care, and maybe even pick up a few favorite recipes along the way.
A Peek at What November Looked Like
Let me tell you right now that we are nowhere near settled in. In fact, we haven't even moved into the house on the property yet. It is a sweet little ranch home that has good bones and a whole lot of potential, but before we can call it home, we are making a few changes.
A little extra square footage, an updated electrical system, another bathroom, a bigger bedroom. We are excited to start living here full-time but it will have to wait just a little bit, once the drywall dust settles.
While the house is getting its upgrade, we have poured all of our energy into the 18 stall stable. Yes, you read that right. Eighteen stalls.
Horse people would probably walk into this barn and know exactly what they are looking at and what to do with it. I walked in the first day thinking one thing. That is a lot of dirt and cobwebs.
These horse stables hold tack rooms, a wash rack, an office, and a full bathroom, all waiting to be transformed. The office will eventually become my flower design room, but right now it is filled with whatever furniture the previous owners left behind, all of which we hauled out one weekend at a time. Other plans include building a walk-in cooler into one of the enclosed rooms, as well as at least one room for a flower drying room. And of course, I plan to build out a functional and beautiful tack room for our magnificent friends currently living on the property. And who are these friends?
We inherited three boarder horses who are already living on the property. Lil Red, Chance, and Lettie (the gorgeous trio above). They were here long before us, and we are happily continuing their boarding arrangement while also accepting some much-appreciated help on the farm from their owners. I love to bring them treats, and seeing them in the fields makes this place feel alive, even though we haven't added our own animals yet. They aren’t my babies, but having them here makes my heart happy.
So Many Projects
Since we do not have our own animals yet, this season of farm life has been all about preparing for them. That means building homes before our new residents arrive. The chicken coop needs to be constructed. The duck house, too. The rabbit habitat is waiting on us. And we have to make sure that the planned goat pens are secure enough to keep future little ninjas inside, because we all know goats make their own rules when it comes to fences.
The sheep pasture will need fencing and rotation plans, and on top of that, we are prepping flower beds so they are ready for compost, cover crop, and all the work that leads to good soil. It feels like we blink and another project gets added to the list, but honestly, there is something special about this early stage. Everything is potential.
On top of all that, we are also having a garage/workshop built to store our farm equipment, tools, and many other things. We had the concrete slab poured a few weeks ago, and now we are just waiting for the building to go up. This will be Jamie's space to organize tools, equipment, and all the things that make a farm run smoothly. Little by little, the pieces are coming together, and this garage feels like another step toward turning an old horse farm into a working flower and vegetable farm.
A Greenhouse to Come
One of my biggest winter priorities is choosing the greenhouse. I want something small enough to be manageable yet big enough to grow thousands of seedlings. It needs to live near the barn and feel like it belongs here. I have researched every possible option, comparing prices, styles, materials, airflow, trays, and shelving. I know the right one will reveal itself when I see it.
As soon as it is up, that greenhouse will be the heart of our winter work. We will start thousands of seeds, waiting patiently for spring to come so we can open our U-Pick flower farm in late spring or early summer. The idea of watching visitors walk through rows of blooms makes my heart skip just thinking about it.
Speaking of Blooms
We have not planted anything in the ground yet (except trees, but I’ll get to that in a minute), but I could not help myself with tulips. I have been reading everything I can find about forcing tulips in crates, so I am testing around 750 or so tulip bulbs this winter. If all goes well, we will have tulips ready in early spring for a small group of lucky flower lovers. If you want to follow the experiment in real time, Instagram and Facebook will be the place to watch.
The Great Green Giant Adventure
We had a bit of unexpected luck at Tractor Supply. Jamie and I went in for a trailer, minding our own business, when I spotted a row of Green Giant Arborvitae trees next to a sign that said fifty percent off. Turns out they weren’t actually fifty percent off; it was only the bushes on sale that day. But after chatting with the manager, who must have sensed how much I wanted them, and it was the end of the season, we walked out with all seventeen trees for about $200.
And these weren’t tiny trees either. They were four feet tall and filled the trailer. I planted them along the eastern fence line all in one long day, and those trees now mark the beginning of our privacy wall. Not the kind of wall to keep folks out. Just the kind that gives our neighbors a break from seeing cars pull in during events, provides wind protection for delicate flowers, and gives us a little sense of calm tucked away from the world.
What’s Coming Next
We have so much to do, build, and learn. Some days feel overwhelming, but in the best possible way. We've got big plans coming soon, and we can't wait to share them with you. But for a bit of a sneak peek of what’s to come:
Spring and Summer Festivals bursting with color and music.
Workshops on flower arranging, herbal tea blending, traditional skills, and more.
Family events like Easter on the Farm, a Sunflower Festival, and a cozy Christmas Market.
And for the romantics...yes, we're dreaming of small weddings and elopements among the blooms as well as flower field dinner date nights.
Every season will bring something new to discover, and every event will celebrate the simple joys that connect us all.
A Little Bit of Reflection
As busy as these early days have been, I must admit, I keep finding myself pausing in the middle of a project and just taking in the serenity of this place. There is something humbling about standing on this land that will one day feed our family, welcome our community, and create memories we have not even lived yet. Standing out in the field, I can’t help but be reminded that none of this is by accident.
We have dreamed about this farm for a long time, but we have also prayed about it. Every step along the way has been covered in God’s kindness, love, and timing. There will be days when things go smoothly and days when nothing seems to cooperate, but even then, we trust that God is right here with us in the process.
A bible verse comes to my mind that feels very fitting as we begin this new chapter of our lives. It is a reminder I carry with me on the long days, the muddy days, the days when the to-do list feels a little too tall.
Psalm 37:5 - Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in Him, and He will act.
Those words have brought me peace in the middle of all the chaos and unknowns. We commit our plans to Him. We trust that He will guide our steps. And we believe that what He has started here on this little farm, He will continue to grow in His perfect way.
This land is a gift, and we pray we steward it well. We pray it becomes a place where families feel welcome, where beauty grows freely, and where God’s love is felt in simple things like sunshine on a flower field or the quiet of an early morning.
Thank you for being part of the very beginning of this story. We can’t wait to welcome you to the farm, help you build your first bouquet, and share a bit of this dream that’s finally taking root.
Until then, from our family to yours…
Welcome to Hickman Hollow Farms. We’re so glad you’re here.
