Flower farm develops from interest in growing vegetables

DUNDEE, Ill. — A desire to garden and grow food has developed into a cut flower farm for Anna Guziak-Prochnicka.

“I’ve been a wedding photographer for many years,” said Guziak-Prochnicka, owner of Gold Fern Farm. “I love doing weddings, but I didn’t enjoy editing pictures on the computer.”

Guziak-Prochnicka was interested in growing vegetables for her family, but she didn’t have a place to plant a garden.

“I met Cliff and I became a customer and then friends,” she said.

Cliff McConville operates All Grass Farms on the Brunner Family Forest Preserve on a long-term lease.

“In 2016, I volunteered at the farm once a week for four hours,” said Guziak-Prochnicka during a Women Caring for the Land Learning Circle event organized by the Land Conservancy of McHenry County. “I was exhausted, but I loved it.”

The following year, Guziak-Prochnicka started growing her own vegetables and herbs and she planted a few flowers at the same time on land provided by McConville.

Now, Gold Fern Farm includes a greenhouse and hoop houses, as well as many beds for growing flowers, vegetables and herbs.

Guziak-Prochnicka grows lots of different dahlias, as well as many other kinds of flowers, including marigolds, chrysanthemums and zinnias that she sells as cut flowers and bouquets at farmers market.

“I am converting this part of the garden into beds for perennial flowers and native plants,” she said. “I would love to convert the whole farm to no-till and get rid of the plastic, but it helps me with the weeds.”

In one of the hoop houses, Guziak-Prochnicka is growing tomatoes and basil with dahlias down the middle.

“Then I rotate those and I always grow tomatoes for my family,” Guziak-Prochnicka said.

“This year is time of transition,” she said. “I want to go more into healing soil and humans with gardening and the beauty of flowers by allowing people to be in a space that’s beautiful.”

Native Plants

Sarah Michehl, community ecologist for The Land Conservancy of McHenry County, has converted about two-thirds of her 1.2-acre lot in Crystal Lake into native plants.

“We killed the grass and used a seed mix,” Michehl said.

“All of our native plantings have become a venue for my daughter to create bouquets,” she said. “For cut flowers, we are choosing plants that hold their structure and their petals.”

For the bouquets, Michehl doesn’t only use flowers.

“We use grasses in arrangements and what we think looks cool,” she said. “I’ve had bouquets last longer than a week as long as I refresh the water.”

Land Access

Illinois FarmLink is a statewide land access program for both farmers and landowners.

“We’re a land-linking program that started in northeastern Illinois and last year we launched to include the entire state,” said Jeanne Janson, coordinator and navigator for Illinois FarmLink, during the event.

“We have a website that has a profile system, for farmers looking for land or landowners looking for farmers,” Janson said. “You can create a profile on our website that will help connect you with the person you are looking for.”

The nonprofit organization also offers free advising for Illinois residents.

“We’ll brainstorm to figure out a plan for you to get from A to B to C,” Janson said. “We will help you with the vision you have for your future.”

Since many land-access issues are intimidating for some people and sometimes confusing, Janson said, Illinois FarmLink strives to put information into plain language.

“We’re creating a document on the farmland-buying process,” she said.