On a farm in Central Texas, some beautiful and amazing things are growing. “In the summer of 2017, I planted some sunflowers and zinnias in our tiny backyard in College Station and loved the whole process of seeding, watching them grow, and then harvesting to share with loved ones,” Basecamp Farms Owner Georgia Monroe said. This love for growing flowers has moved her family out to some farmland in Navasota, Texas, and has been the fuel igniting Monroe’s passion for her wildflower farm. Formerly a horse and cattle farm, Monroe has put in the work to transform the cattle pens and fences into a fully functioning wildflower farm. Only after trying her hand at vegetables, flowers, and microgreens in the spring of 2018, did Monroe come to know that her true passion is growing flowers, and she has “never looked back.”
Gleaning knowledge from fellow flower farmers both in Texas and across the nation, Monroe has made significant progress in launching her career. She is also a part of a few organizations such as The Association of Specialty Cut Flowers and Slow Flowers, which she says have been instrumental in her learning process. The farm’s current primary crops are sunflowers, lisianthus, Scabiosa, delphineum, Dianthus, zinnias, Ranunculus, and Dahlias. They have plans to continue to expand and trial-run new varieties each season as they grow.
The drive out to the farm is a short jaunt from College Station. When you pull into the farm you will see the operating necessities of a working farm, with Monroe likely out tending to the flowers. There is a welcoming feel with a small play structure available for kids. Children of all ages are encouraged to come out and experience the beauty of the flowers. Monroe provides buckets and clippers to borrow for her U-pick events and educates guests on best picking practices, from stem selection to length and technique of the cut. She also provides flower food to keep the take-home blooms looking great for as long as possible.
The farm keeps a schedule consistent with the school calendar and takes the summers off, once the sunflowers are all harvested during June. With the mild Texas winters, they are able to grow throughout the winter and hope to have continuous flowers from September to June.
Monroe has many creative plans for the future of Basecamp Farms. The farm’s official fall season launches after Labor Day in September. She plans to have another huge U-Pick Sunflower Extravaganza in late September as well as several Christmas wreath-making classes in December. Also launching in September are several new programs such as their bouquet club subscription and flower bar parties. All of this information can be found by following the farm on social media, with an additional website update coming soon! Lastly, Monroe hopes to open an event center in the fall, looking to host casual events such as parties, family gatherings, bachelorette parties, and more.
Keep an eye out for a reason to visit Basecamp Farms, and until then enjoy the lovely photos and updates on social media.
