Blooming business: Trafalgar flower farm ready for first you-pick event

In the rolling hills outside of Trafalgar, a dream has taken root and blossomed.

Rows of red, orange, pink and yellow zinnia quiver in the steady breeze. Whimsical bursts of blooms of Craspedia, also known as “billy balls,” ping-pong on long stems. Ranunculus, canterbury bells and stock dot the landscape.

For Grace and Zane Schroeder, their flower operation Broken Maple Farm has been a chance to harness their love for gardens into a business.

Now, they’re ready to share their passion with the community as a whole.

Broken Maple Farm will host its first you-pick session on July 6, giving people the opportunity to wander its pastoral grounds to create their own arrangements and bouquets. The event will be the first of multiple opportunities in July to open up their property to the public.

The Schroeders have built exposure through providing flowers for weddings, as well as a roadside stand where pre-picked bouquets are available. Though they’ve only been in Trafalgar for two years, already the community has shown enthusiastic support for their farm.

They’re excited for another opportunity to connect with their neighbors, Grace Schroeder said.

“We’re humbled to be able to be a part of this,” she said.

Roiled by the crushing stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, growing flowers offered a panacea.

Grace Schroeder was faced with the devastation of the virus first-hand, working as a nurse at IU Health University Hospital in Indianapolis. To counter the struggle she and her co-workers in health care were facing, she started bringing in bouquets of flowers she had grown in her garden.

“Everything was just so depressing and everybody was struggling. I’d bring in flowers I grew. Seeing the joy it brought people made me happy,” she said.

The more she explored growing flowers, the more Grace Schroeder realized she enjoyed it more than she was enjoying a career in health care.

When they moved to Trafalgar in 2022, the family had an expanse of open land to work with. The property had formerly been a cattle pasture, which offered well-fertilized soil to plant in. They rehabilitated the pasture land to make it suitable for flowers, filling in ruts and holes that dotted the ground and grading the land.

“There were large rocks and other things all over the pasture. (The previous owners) had moved the cattle out when they were getting ready to sell the house, so there had been a period of time when it was very overgrown and hadn’t been kept,” Zane Schroeder said.

With the land better suited for growing flowers, the Schroeders saw the potential. Zane, who works as a medical sales representative, suggested in 2023 that Grace evolve her horticulture hobby into a business. They launched Broken Maple Farm in the summer of that year.

Like a seed in rich soil, the business grew with abandon. The Schroeders built a high tunnel to plant during colder seasons, giving them a jump on the growing season.

“We tackle pretty much everything together,” Grace Schroeder said.

The plan was to grow flowers and do arrangements for weddings. Grace Schroeder started meeting with brides, offering varieties they were already growing but also making plans to cultivate new types if her clients wanted something different. Her goal was to make it a customizable experience, she said.

But as word spread about Broken Maple Farm, it became clear people were interested in what the Schroeders were growing.

They planted additional flowers in preparation. Even so, the response from the public has been so positive they’re wondering if they’ll have enough, Grace Schroeder said.

“I keep thinking, oh no, we’re not ready for the volume of people who are interested in coming out here,” she said, laughing. “I’m just excited to share this with everybody.”

Earlier in the spring, they hosted a seedling sale. The response was overwhelming.

“We had way more people than we thought we would,” Grace said. “The road out there was lined with cars. You learn; the community is just so excited about it.”

The welcome by the Trafalgar community has been a joyous surprise. Zane Schroeder grew up in Johnson County and attended Center Grove High School and Franklin College. When they decided to move from their previous home in the Geist area northeast of Indianapolis, they checked into a variety of different properties around the county.

When their real estate agent informed them about the brick farmhouse near Trafalgar, they investigated it and fell in love.

“Trafalgar has surprised us in a way. We really feel blessed; we lucked out that we found this property and the community has embraced us like they have,” Zane said. “Everything has grown organically from there.”

The property is dotted with silver maples, which often leave branches and limbs strewn throughout the yard, they decided to name their homestead Broken Maple Farm.

“We were Broken Maple Farm before we actually settled on pursuing the flower business,” Grace said.

The you-pick event on July 6 will be an adventure, which the Schroeders are excited about. They want to make sure everyone has an enjoyable time.

They ask that people schedule a picking time by buying a ticket, which are $20 and available on their website. When people come out, Grace and Zane Schroeder will give a rundown of the process. By buying a ticket, people agree to abide by the rules of the farm, which include no pets, all children must be supervised and to stay on the established paths.

Future public events include you-pick options on July 13, and Sunset Sip and Snip activities where people can come out at dusk to enjoy drinks from Tipsy Trailer. Those events will be July 19, Aug. 9, Sept. 6 and Oct. 11.

While Broken Maple Farm is opening its grounds for some limited community events, the Schroeders still stress that the farm is only open by appointment.

”This is all relatively new to me, and growing on a larger scale like this is new to both of us,” Zane said. “There’s definitely some things we’ve learned that we’re going to be better at, and hopefully we’ll be able to deliver even more for the community as we grow.”

IF YOU GO

Broken Maple Farm you-pick event

What: An opportunity to explore the flower farm and create their own bouquets.

When: 8 to 11 a.m. July 6

Where: 3717 W. CR 525 S., Trafalgar

Cost: $30 for large mason jar, $20 for small

Things to know

When you arrive, there will be scissors and a cup with water waiting for you to fill.

Please wear sensible footwear — boots are recommended. Gardening gloves and sunscreen are also a good idea.

Children are welcome but must be supervised by their adult at all times.

By buying a ticket, you agree to abide by the rules of the farm.

The farm is muddy and has uneven ground and there are critters and hazards in the field.

There is no public restroom.

No pets. Service animals are welcome, but they must be trained and certified.

Don’t waste flowers; if you cut it, it must go in the vase. Do not cut the white support netting, it helps the flowers grow straight and tall.

No stepping over the rows, use designated paths.

While Broken Maple Farm is opening its grounds for some limited community events, the farm is otherwise only open to the public by appointment.

Information and tickets: brokenmaplefarm.com