The Soulspeak Gardens Story

The What:

Soulspeak Gardens is our very small farm in Lafayette NY. We (or shall I say, I) increase our growing space (veggies & flowers both) every year! This year, we’ll have well over 2000 sq ft in our flower beds, and at least 2 times that in our vegetable gardens. I sometimes hesitate to call us a farm…but with over 400lbs of potatoes harvested, over 120 pepper plants & hundreds of bouquets sold last year alone (to name just 3 things), I think it’s time I settle into the idea we might be a “small farm”. 

The who:

Jenn.
Hi, it’s me! the crazy girl behind Soulspeak Gardens. Mom to 4 humans, 2 dogs, 3 cats, 5 chickens & gramma to one adorable little boy. 
I often have dirt under my finger nails, crocs on my feet, a lost cup of coffee somewhere & absolutely no clue what’s for dinner. My love of flower farming stems from my grandmother, who had the most amazing flower gardens you could ever imagine! I am also an artist (check out @soulspeakandsawdust on FB or IG), and at one time was a full time sign maker! I ended up with Chronic Lyme disease after a really fun play date with a baby deer, and almost lost everything due to my illness. I still struggle with the effects of that, but!!! It will not stop me! My biggest goal is to grow this farm to a point where I can support my family via flowers & art. Thanks for being a part of my story!

Mike.

This man….the love of my life, the muscle behind my tomato trellises, the onion weeder, the hot pepper lover, the one who rolls his eyes at my crazy ideas, but is also the first one to support my efforts to see them to fruition…he’s priceless, my rock and a very big part of Soulspeak Gardens. 

Sofia.

This girl moved from Columbia to the US to marry my son, and has become my right hand in this family farming adventure. Chances are, her hands have touched your bouquet in several ways, from seed to bloom. She weeds with joy, replants mistakenly pulled plants with love, and has (almost) conquered her fear of worms. I wouldn’t be able to accomplish half of what I do in the gardens without her!

Nettie (mom) & Larry (my bonus dad).

These two have worked so hard to help me achieve my goals! If you’ve been following our journey for any length of time, you’ve seen them helping plant potatoes, erect a greenhouse, set up deer fences, plant & corral dahlias, haul a shed, plant seeds, and sooo much more! 

 

The Why:

I planted my first flowers over 20 years ago, and have had an ever growing veggie garden for many many years, but Soulspeak Gardens was truly born after the death of my grandmother a few years ago. I had the desire to give my mom a flower garden she could find joy in, a space to reconnect with Gramma, a healing distraction of sorts. In actuality, what happened was…I fell in love with the art of the growing, the connection with the earth, the joy the flowers brought to everyone. And I discovered that my artist-self was as equally satisfied growing flowers & feeding my family as it was playing with paint. And, so it began, and here we are, in our third year (of many, God willing!) as flower growers, as small farmers. 

Thank you for reading our story, and being here, as a part of our journey. We hope you’ll stick around as we grow & learn & spread joy through our work! We appreciate you!