Flowers from the farm

On your way to the Gulf Coast this summer, stop by the Peadens' roadside stand, and pick up a colorful bouquet of zinnias.

Waist-high rows of multicolored zinnias shine in the hot summer sun. A family sweats in the field, harvesting the vibrant blooms. They clip the long-stemmed flowers and drop them into galvanized buckets filled with water. Riding in a red wagon, the buckets slosh their way to a small roadside flower shop. Here, the family grooms and divides the zinnias. After the blooms are tucked into tin cans or mason jars, the arrangements are ready for display in the Peadens' small store, Southern Petals.

About five years ago, Gary and Sherry Peaden started growing flowers on their 16-acre farm to harvest and sell. They thought the colorful crop might help generate a little added in-- come for their large family. Sherry was surprised by the immediate suc-- cess. At first they sold to a local florist, and then they began selling to the pub-- lic. Gary quickly built a small shed in which the flowers could be stored and sold. Nowadays, the shed's window-- unit air conditioner hums constantly in the summer, keeping the small space chilled and the flowers fresh.

Moving to the Country

Sherry and Gary used to live in Pen-- sacola, Florida, but they saw that their kids were growing up too fast in the city. Looking for a simpler life, they bought the old farm and moved their family to the country. Now, you would be tempted to call the Peadens' six children John Boy, Mary Ellen, Ben, Erin, Jim Bob, and Elizabeth. They are like a modern-day version of The Waltons. Hardworking, good-natured, and polite, they help with the many tasks around the farm.

The shop is open throughout the year, but fresh flowers are available only during the warm months. At the height of the season, the family picks about 3,000 flowers a week. In ad-- dition to zinnias, the Peadens grow watermelons, cantaloupes, tomatoes, peas, beans, and okra. Much of the produce is canned or frozen for the family, but they sell some of it fresh from an old farm wagon set up next to the flower shop. They also keep bees and sell honey. In his spare time, Gary even builds rustic birdhouses and feeders that are popular with shoppers when flowers aren't avail-- able. In the winter months, they make wreaths of grapevine gathered from around the property. Sherry decorates them with dried flowers and displays them in the shop.

All this keeps the Peadens busy, so there is no one to mind the store. An honor box is the only cashier, and cus-- tomers just drop their cash or checks into a slot when they make a purchase. So far everyone has been honest, and nothing has been stolen. It surely doesn't hurt that Gary works for the local sheriff's department.

Making Arrangements

While the whole family helps with chores, Sherry is the heart and soul of the operation. She loves being sur-- rounded by flowers and enjoys wad-- ing through the blooms in the early morning. Each year, she purchases all the seeds and plans the garden. Sherry likes flowers that are easy to direct seed into the field, but they must hold up after they've been cut.

The Peadens set up shop each spring with bachelor's buttons, lark-- spurs, daisies, and daffodils, which they plant in the fall. As the spring bloomers play out from the heat, they are replaced by summer crops. The warm-season flowers include celosias, cosmos, globe amaranths, sunflowers, strawflowers, and zinnias. Customers love them all, but zinnias are the Peadens' biggest draw. People love the vibrant colors and how well they hold up in arrangements. The California Giants Strain grows tall, making it perfect for big arrangements. The Lilliput Series has smaller blooms, about the size of a half-dollar, which look nice in a can or jar.

Some customers leave their con-- tainers to be filled at the flower shop. The Peadens paint the silver cans bright colors. Once the cans or jars are filled with flowers, the Peadens tie raffia around the containers and attach a small card displaying the shop's name. These rustic arrangements go for $5 to $25.

Those who don't want a can or jar with their flowers can purchase a large bunch of blooms in a florist sleeve for $5. Sherry also takes spe-- cial orders from people who call say-- ing they need 300 or 400 flowers for a wedding or a party.

Working the Fields

Sherry may be the heart of the flower farm, but Gary is the workhorse. Driv-- ing an old 1953 Ford Jubilee tractor, he plows across the dusty fields. To put out the sacks of flower seed, he uses an Earthway seeder, bought at the co-op, to evenly distribute the tiny flower seeds. Weeds and grasses are typically the biggest problems. They grow fast and spread quickly in the warm soil, competing with small seed-- lings. Gary carefully sprays Round-- up around the rows with a handheld sprayer until all the flowers are tall enough to fend for themselves. The drip irrigation system works so well that he wouldn't mind if it didn't rain all summer long. The zinnias mature quickly and can be harvested within about six weeks of planting.