YORK COUNTY, Pa. — A local family-owned flower farm in York County is preparing for its annual Dahlia tuber sale, and the farm’s owners expect this season to be one of its busiest.
Terra Farms is a 48-acre cut flower farm owned and operated by Loni and Andy Snyder. The couple has had their hands full preparing for the farm’s annual Dahlia tuber sale, which is one of the most profitable events for the farm.
“We spend most of the winter dividing the Dahlia crop into little tubers," said Loni Snyder, the farm's co-owner. "Then, we offer [them to] our clients, [who are] either home gardeners or other farmers, and they can plant and grow Dahlias for themselves,”
Because of the crops’ short harvest window, the Snyders begin work as early as the beginning of January with the help of their two children.
“I think that a lot of people have this idea that farmers are taking time off, especially in February, but we are busy and a lot of it may look like we’re in front of our computer even, but it’s a lot of hours that we’re clocking to make sure that our Dahlia tuber sale goes well,” Snyder continued.
The crop is popular amongst florists and designers, with many local businesses purchasing the farm's tubers for their personal inventory.
“We divide them so that we can share with other people [who] sell them, and then we replant them every single spring,” Snyder described.
Snyder says the interpersonal interaction customers experience is what keeps people coming back year after year.
“I would say it goes beyond just a business relationship or a transaction," Snyder said. "They’re coming here, not just to buy flowers, but they’re supporting our farm. Choosing to support a local farm is always an amazing thing,”
The farm’s tuber sale is expected to launch on Feb. 1.