Flowerwork Farm sits on a small patch of land within the Grow Food Northampton Community Farm in Florence.
There, owner Suna Turgay grows flowers and sells them in a variety of ways: customers can stop by her farm stand for a bouquet, order a special arrangement for a loved one or a big event, buy buckets for DIY flower arranging, or sign up for the seasonal flower CSA to get flowers every week during the growing season.
The farm is also part of the Care Farming Network, a growing movement focused on ways that farming can be therapeutic, connective and supportive for people with a wide range of needs.
“As a parent of a child with intellectual disability and autism, I felt like so many doors were closed to us and that the world was not an inviting place,” says Turgay. “So the mission has always been to create an environment that is welcoming and accessible to people with a wide variety of disabilities, and also a space that’s welcoming to queer and trans people.”
For many years, Turgay grew flowers and produce in her extensive home garden. In 2022, when she was working as part of the Food Access program with Grow Food Northampton, she learned that applications were opening for land leases on their Community Farm. She applied and Flowerwork Farm was born.
The decision to farm is connected to Turgay’s experience as a parent to a medically complex kid.
“Being around the marvel, the miracle of growing things has been really grounding to me and has kept me sane during periods of medical trauma,” she says. “And I want the farm to be a way to engage with my community. Flowers, specifically, are about human connection. People are often kind of vulnerable when they’re buying flowers because they’re getting married or because someone has experienced a loss. Flowers bring people in — they offer an entry point into farming and connecting with the earth, connecting with nature.”
Transforming her new plot of land into a productive farm was no easy feat.
“It was very weedy,” says Turgay. “I turned to the techniques I used when starting gardens throughout my life. I collected cardboard to smother the weeds and put layers of compost on top of that, so it was always no-till. It took me three years to work my way down to the end of the plot.”
In 2023, Turgay left her job with Grow Food Northampton to devote herself to the farm full-time.
The no-till techniques Turgay employed to get her land into productive shape remain at the center of Flowerwork Farm’s growing practices.
“I am really passionate about regenerative agriculture. These techniques are old, ancient practices that have never been forgotten,” she says.
Turgay was born in Turkey, and she sees the agricultural thread that connects her to her ancestors.
“My ancestry goes back to what is believed to be the first communities in Central Anatolia to start farming, the first communities to stop being nomadic and to settle,” she says. “So often in history it’s been the women who have grown on a human scale and fed their families and communities. To pay attention to nature and to have a relationship and connection to the soil and to the life in the soil is really important and not new.”
Practicing regenerative agriculture isn’t just a form of connection to the past. It’s also key to surviving in the future in the face a changing climate. Flowerwork Farm experienced serious flooding during the 2023 storm that affected thousands of acres of farmland throughout Massachusetts. That is why Turgay is invested in sharing learnings and best practices with other farmers and gardeners.
Earlier this week, Flowerwork Farm and Ras Farm shared their stories at a Grow Food Northampton-hosted farm tour. This event was part of CISA’s annual Climate Change and Farming Week, which continues through the end of this week and which includes farm tours, special meals and talks focused on building climate change resilience in our local food system.
“If I tilled my land and a flood came through, it would wash away all the soil,” says Turgay. “All of my soil is covered, so it has roots and life in it and that protects it. And regenerative growing practices go hand in hand with engaging with more vulnerable populations. It’s more drought resilient and flood resilient if you have permanent beds and permanent paths, and if you plant hedges and trees as wind buffers and for shade, and if you grow a diversity of crops. That makes it hospitable for nature, for soil health and for people.”
This past year, Turgay started working with ServiceNet, a local nonprofit that offers a wide range of services to people with intellectual disabilities, mental health challenges and other obstacles. Turgay was originally connected to ServiceNet through the Care Farming Network’s mentorship program, which paired her with Shawn Robinson, the founding director of Prospect Meadow Farm, ServiceNet’s therapeutic farm in Hatfield.
“They needed more places for their programs to grow,” says Turgay, so she offered her farm as a location for their community-based day services. “So far, the groups I’ve had come through have been with an established organization that has staff, insurance, medical information, etc. Someday, I would very much like to offer day services, school-age childcare, maybe vocational training for those interested in regenerative agriculture.”
In the meantime, Turgay aims to welcome the public to the farm in an inclusive, thoughtful way through pick-your-own days and workshops.
“The goal, whether it’s geared towards children, adults or families, is that it’s an inclusive environment,” she says. “So that means people can contact me beforehand and let me know, ‘I’m coming with my brother and he has autism, so he’s going to engage in different ways.’ That might look like sitting quietly under the shade of the tree. From my own experience with people with differences, I know that might be a really important first step, or the highlight of their week, even if it doesn’t look like the way everyone else is participating. I want to create an environment where people are welcome and where the rest of the community is building comfort with people who are different.”
Find information about Flowerwork Farm’s flower CSA, floral arrangements and event services at flowerworkfarm.com. Learn more about their upcoming farm tour, and all of CISA’s Climate Change and Farm Week events, at buylocalfood.org/ccfw.
Claire Morenon is the communications manager for Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA).