Beginnings

Hi! We have been busy working on stuff as we build our farm business and wanted to take a second and catch you all up!

First a little about us: Mary and I both grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska. Mary and her family live in Portland, Oregon most of the year and I and my family live here in Fairbanks. Both of us have kids and the youngest of each of ours has now joined full-time school in the winter, so we were both looking for our next opportunity. We’ve each faced some major life struggles over the past five years and our minds and hearts are similarly focused on prioritizing healing and being grounded and centered whatever we decide to do.

At the end of 2018 my sister Mary broached the idea of peony farming with me here in Fairbanks. We realized flower farming really checked a lot of boxes for us as far as being able to continue raising our young kids as well as creating something beautiful and fulfilling for us to enjoy working on together. The healing nature of spending more time outside, working with our hands and supporting each other really resonates with us. Yes it’s a business, but it’s more than that, it’s potential for joy.

Enter the research and planning phase. We commenced searching for viable farm land in the area and found a piece available we’d been in love with since we were little girls. We knew the owners, and the owners before them - there’s such a rich history of happy dreams and cool projects and families being involved in farming the land. It’s so awesome for us that we can be a part of the continuing story of this land. With the land piece in place, we formed our business, hired my husband Jason to help us with logistics, and leaned into learning all we could about growing and marketing peonies.

We have been working with local agencies, the NCRS and USDA, to help us dispose of old irrigation, test our soil, and give us best practices and recommendations to amend our soil and put us in a good place to produce extremely high quality peonies! We have also been embraced by the amazing and diverse community of peony farmers and researchers here in the Fairbanks area, as well as state-wide resources in Delta, Palmer, Homer, Wasilla, and Anchorage. There are so many generous people willing to share their insights and help us go into this venture as prepared as we can possibly be. I was also able to attend the Alaska Peony Growers Association this January and meet lots of other farmers from the state as well as other cool people in the industry. Mary and I have been taking an online farming workshop over the winter as well, and we are learning so much about how to grow a business in a way that matches our values.

Last summer was a busy one as we started by working on getting the weeds out of the first couple of acres we want to prep and plant with our first roots in 2021. We ended the season by ripping the ground, applying lime to raise our ph, and rototilling one final time before the snow hit for the winter season. It was a very steep learning curve but we managed to hit our goals for the season.

We are excited to share this journey with you as we create something of lasting beauty for our families and future clients to benefit from. Stay tuned to hear what’s next up in our adventures!

Keep Dreaming <3

Mary & Sheila

Nina Lane Farms