A fun outing at Harvey Family Farm where you pick your own blooms.
Discover the beauty of fresh, local blooms at Harvey Family Farm’s You-Pick Flowers. Located just a few minutes from ETSU and Downtown Johnson City, nature beckons.
Take some time to escape to a Flower Farm where you pick the blooms that charm you. This self-serve flower farm is open daily May through October, sunrise to sunset, for you to experience the joy of choosing your very own blossoms from an array of what each season shares. Dahlias, sunflowers, snapdragons, zinnias and so many more await your visit.
Take in the mountain views, the sound of the stream, and the birdsong as you select your ideal bouquet. Harvey Family Farm is committed to quality and sustainability so each visit is a unique experience of scents and sights.
As a self-serve flower farm, each guest has a unique opportunity to use your own shears or those provided whenever it’s convenient for you. This hands-on experience allows you to craft a personalized bouquet while reminding you of your connection to the natural world.
A visit to Harvey Family Farm offers you a chance for a retreat into nature, a fun outing with family and friends, a way to brighten your home, and so much more: a memory making opportunity.
Harvey Family Farm has been in existence almost as long as the country itself, and current owners Scott & Jennifer Chisam are revitalizing the farm as they open this lovely space to visitors. If you’re planning a visit to Johnson City, this is a must! It’s more than just a flower farm, it’s a chance to step away from the busy-ness and immerse yourself in local beauty, fresh air, and the serenity of nature.
Make your plans to take home a bit of that beauty and serenity with your very own picked-by-you bouquet. Blooms are abundant until the first frost (usually around Halloween), and then again starting in May.
It all began in 1840 with a land grant of 1,000 acres. Back then, people farmed to survive. The generations passed down this beautiful piece of property, getting divided among family members. Our family owns 15.4 acres of prime farm land, but we’re surrounded by cousins and other family members who inherited their share.
But our real story begins in the 1940s. TC Harvey, who grew up farming the land, married a young lady from North Carolina, who became Marie Harvey. Marie is my husband’s dear grandmother. I was blessed to know her for most of my life as well. TC built the home and the barn with his own two hands. He never owned a tractor. He did all his farming with mules, horses, and hard work.
TC & Marie had two daughters, Gay and Lindola (Scott’s mom). TC kept cows and bees, grew tobacco, and even made moonshine! Marie worked hard beside her husband but enjoyed creating her own lush flower garden, and in the evenings she would take up needle and thread to make quilts. We have several of Marie’s quilts in use today.
When TC passed away, Marie was still rather young, so she went on to nursing school. She leased the land, and it hosted various farmers. Gay and Lin have mostly let the land be used for hay in recent years.
Lin married Clyde Chisam and has 2 kids: Scott & Becky, who now own the farm. Scott has dreamed for years of farming this land. He’s thought about blueberries, bees, row crops, and even an RV park. It’s funny that his dream has become mine.
Scott does most of the infrastructure and upkeep on the farm, and I focus on the agricultural side of things. My ADHD and high energy levels fuel an excitement about the project that he finds contagious. He’ll often text me that he’s excited to see what I plant next.
The flowers are truly a nod to Marie. She died in 2007, but so many of her plants live on at the farm, a testimonial to her love of color and texture. The first blooms to greet me when I started walking the property in 2023 were her daffodils.
But our farm isn’t just living history. Scott and I have two little boys. TC & Marie would’ve loved those little rascals. And the boys love life on the farm. They’re so at home in the dirt. They’re just 8 and 3 now, but one day they will inherit this land. And we want to make it into something they love. Something they’re proud of.
Our family would like to invite you to visit us at the farm. Feel the deep roots. Smell the flowers. Bask in the sunshine. Connect with the earth. If you’d like to visit, check out our You-pick or Workshops & Events. We’d love to have you over.
About me: Melissa Merkle, a longtime personal trainer and health coach, is now pursuing a license as a mortgage loan originator, combining her passion for wellness with her new endeavor of building healthy homes and communities.
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