Our Farmers

Allison Gaylord of Willow Drive Gardens started gardening at the age of 4 when a neighbor gifted her a few strawberry runners over the hedgerow. Her passion for growing veggies, fruits, and flowers has become a lifelong endeavor shared with her family and farm interns. With 2500+ peony plants, the “garden” is officially a farm. Sustainability is the foundation for her practice through the use of organic inputs, cover crops, compost, water recapture and beneficial insects. Dirt Therapy Tour of Willow Drive Gardens  

Margaret Johnson and Marianne Hooiser of Spit Sisters Farm cultivate eight varieties of peonies including classic favorites such as Duchess de Nemours, Nick Shaylor, Festiva Maxima, and newer cultivars such as Lemon Chiffon and lavender. They employ organic practices such as the planting of red clover between rows, which provides a green manure to nourish the plants and attract beneficial insects.

For Vision and Don Money peonies are a delightful addition to their property. With just 1,000 roots in the ground they are a real mom-and-pop operation. Vision tends the field and Don keeps all the equipment running. They are enjoying the challenge of being 21st century farmers; creating a harvestable crop, using local organic products, while merging naturally with the existing environment. Now in their fifth year, their field includes a wide variety of whites, blushes, corals, and pinks.

Marie and Ron Bader, owners of Moss Island Farms, have an “urban” peony farm right in the heart of Homer. For 26 years the Bader’s have farmed oysters and mussels at their home in Peterson Bay, and have tilled their garden soils for decades more. Thus, a soil-based peony farm along with a marketing/delivery co-op fits right into their interests and energies.