Cairn Farm

My Story

When Carly was just a young girl, she told her parents she wanted to be a farmer. Their response was “It’s a lot of hard work”. Fast forward 20 years and her dream is now becoming a reality. After five years of teaching Spanish language at a local Seattle high school, Carly quit her teaching career without knowing what was next except that she wanted to work outside and learn more about horticulture. This led to volunteer work at the Center for Urban Horticulture, where she met Riz Reyes, who encouraged her to attend the Growers School run by farmers from the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market.

Since then, Carly has been fortunate enough to work with Vivian, of Everyday Flowers, learning the ins and outs of growing annuals. She has also had the opportunity to grow her own crops with Diane and Dennis of Jello Mold Farm. Both of these experiences were invaluable in the development of what is now Cairn Farm. Carly began leasing two acres of land in the Skagit Valley to grow annuals and herbacious perennials, and this will be her first season growing flowers on her own. She intends to have one acre in production with the help of her husband, Eric, and their chocolate lab, Winnie.

Growing Practices

Carly is a strong believer in not simply using the soil, but rather building the soil. She hopes that by the time she finds her own permanent farmland, the the land she is currently leasing will be left in better condition than when she started with it. It is Carly’s intention that Cairn Farm, along with other like-minded farmers, guide others on their path to sustainable flower farming.