I’d seen several social media posts. I knew some relatives of the family who owns the farm. I wanted mums, and so did my mom. So, one recent Saturday, we drove to Greene Fields Farm. If you’re within a half-day’s drive to the area, plan a trip. You won’t be disappointed.

There are plenty of pumpkin farms around us. This one is different. The attention to detail is especially impressive when considering it’s a family farm, which hasn’t operated as a pumpkin-plus farm for long. Mom and I didn’t venture into the pumpkin fields, but I plan to go back. We didn’t do several of the things on the farm, but every direction I looked, I saw excellence. The use of buildings and farm space was creative. The display of all the pumpkin varieties was astounding. The field of zinnias was gorgeous. The ease of checking out was quick and convenient. The family was available to answer questions, and the young ones readily helped people to their cars to load their goodies.

Back to the reason I was there: mums. I heard they were gorgeous, healthy, and huge, and I wasn’t disappointed. They are co-owner Christie’s babies, and she tends them well. They were organized in rows and labeled by color and blooming schedules—early September, late September, and early October. There were purple, yellow, red, bronze, coral, orange, and several varieties with more than one color in the bloom. There were different sizes, each priced accordingly and easy to identify. I decided on the smaller size—though by no means would I say they were small. I actually needed different sizes for different areas. But that was no problem, because I chose a couple on the larger end of the varieties for my large pots and searched for the harder-to-find smaller ones for my corner pots. With so many options, I searched to find just the right combination of colors and sizes. It was worth the effort. Even though the wagons were large, we quickly filled two of them, plus had to carry one extra mum. Fitting them all into the vehicle was another challenge. But we did it!

I didn’t get home until early evening and went right to work, pulling my potted summer flowers and making a fall home for the mums. They seem happily transplanted, and I’m excited to see the bursts of colors soon. The colors will brighten the front of my house, but, perhaps more importantly, they’ll brighten some days as I think about the fun morning with my mom at a local family farm. After all, it’s not just the burst of colors in our lives but the roots of where and how well they were planted and tended. Thanks, Joehl Family.