Meet the Farmers
Jesalyn Pettigrew’s passion for growing flowers dates back to 2015. As a small business owner with a degree in business management and a single mother of two young boys, she was searching for a way to provide for her family while working close to home. One day, while searching for information on how to rescue the temperamental dahlias she had just planted, she came across a local flower farm’s Instagram page and something clicked. Jesalyn had never heard of flower farming before, and she was instantly taken by the idea of growing flowers for a living.
Jesalyn began her immersive education by working on several local flower farms, and spent two seasons working at a local nursery. Jesalyn started Mossy Gate Flower Farm in a small growing space and sold flowers at her own farmstand. With the help of her mentors and support from her family, Jesalyn moved Mossy Gate Flower Farm to a larger property closer to her parents and has since experienced a flourishing demand for her seasonal cut flowers throughout the region.
Now in her 7th season running Mossy Gate, Jesalyn has become increasingly involved in her local and sustainable food community. Mossy Gate is the first cut flower farm selling through the Puget Sound Food Hub–a cooperative of regional farms championing a stronger connection between customers and producers of sustainably-grown food and products. Jesalyn serves as the Food Hub’s Vice President of board of directors and oversees the membership engagement committee. Through the Hub, Jesalyn has landed deals to sell her flowers at a popular local grocery chain, high-end restaurants, and even at Climate Pledge Arena in downtown Seattle. She is a member of the national Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers and a member of Genuine Skagit Valley–a local trademark organization that promotes producers growing in the Skagit Valley.
Regenerative & Sustainable Practices
Mossy Gate Flower Farm specializes in growing flowers with the health of native pollinators and the larger ecosystem at the forefront of their operations. Unlike most cut flower farms, Jesalyn incorporates seasonal, native plants into her growing plan and designates a percentage of her crops to growing pollinator-friendly species. She takes a holistic approach to managing the farm, with sustainable practices that include:
- Cover cropping to fix nutrients into the soil for improved soil health and fertility.
- Reducing waste by using energy efficient LED grow lights on cloudy days, reusing plant trays, and only using water as needed. Jesalyn orders primarily from wholesaler/greenhouses on the West coast to reduce transportation-related emissions.
- Educating the community and sharing knowledge with customers about native plant species that are vital to pollinators.
- Participating in the Skagit County’s Voluntary Stewardship Program to help protect the water and soil resources of farmland in the county.
