Located in a valley in the foothills of the Appalachian mountians in Kentucky lies Willow Dreams Farm. Surrounded on 3 sides by streams- it is gorgeous!
The water table for most of the land is very high, we always joke and say when we retire NEXT time we are going into the crayfish business- there are very large crayfish holes everywhere on this farm! We looked for land like this for 1 1/2 years. We toured land everywhere; up hills, down valleys, thru gullies and viewed "slightly rolling" land that a Kentucky billygoat could not stand on! Finally- we found Willow Dreams Farm.
We began planting willows as soon as we purchased the land. We knew we were going to retire soon and wanted to get a head start on the business we wanted to begin. (I must admit- when Ron told me we were going to grow willows- I thought he had totally lost it; I thought senility had hit him early . And we had many "discussions" about growing willow!). But- we continued and worked with the willows on weekends, vacations and holidays. Planting, cultivating and caring for the willow. Finally- we moved to the farm.
The People of Willow Dreams Farm:
We are Ron and Bobbie, owners of Willow Dreams Farm. Ron retired at an early age after 30 years with General Motors. He had the opportunity to retire while still "young" - we took it and have not looked back since!
Moving from a large city to a very small, rural community has taken some (ok-a lot) of getting used to. From city convenience to 45 minutes to Walmart has been my most troubling aspect. We have learned to shop in "bulk" and one closet is our store. Trips to town are planned by the weather- rainy or cold days are town days.
And moving into our home helped also. There is an old house on the property- complete with air conditioning in the winter and heat in the summer. Oh- and let's not forget the "two-hole" outhouse! A real treasure-not! What we gave up in convenience we have more than regained in beauty, solitude and a sense of accomplishing a dream. If 3 cars go by our home in a day- the road has been busy. The sounds we hear are of turkeys, frogs and coyotes. No sirens out here. But Walmart is still 45 minutes away!
March 31, 2004- A day to go down in history. We got DSL in the boonies! It is great. I can be on the phone, on the net AND watch TV at the same time. Talk abuot multi-tasking!!!!!! Now I will either 1.) accomplish LOTS of neat stuff or 2.) accomplish absolutely nothing.
The Willow Itself:
We are currently growing
approximately 30 varieties of willow. Most of it is English strains of basketry
willows, but we also grow ornamental, furniture, floral and biomass varieties.
And much to Ron's dismay- I am constantly looking for new varieties. I have
gotten real interested in the ornamental/floral end and am amazed by some of the
varieties and their characterists. If you can think of it- there is a willow,
somewhere that can do it!
Deer were a major problem. They loved to eat the new growth. They thought we had opened up a diner just for them. After Ron installed an 8'+ electrified fence- that problem has been resolved. Ron says he is the only person he knows of that needs a ladder to make fence repairs. It reminds me of a POW camp- not pretty. But it works!
Ron located an "antique" piece of equipment that is GREAT for cutting the rods. Without it- we could not keep expanding. Hey cutting BY HAND is not fun! Thank goodness he has "vision" and can make changes/adaptions to existing equipment. And while we have a lot of visitors during the summer months (I joke that we also run a bed and breakfast) no one shows up during cutting season. Wonder if there is a connection?
We have also learned very quickly, that there is not a lot of information about growing willow in the States. A lot of what Ron does is by trial and error- thankfully the trials have counted up more so than the errors.
The Process:
We begin cutting the willow during November and December. This is also when we make cuttings to both expand our fields and also to sell to other growers. When the cutting is done, we either dry the willow rods naturally or process them for peeled willow. Somewhere along the way comes shipping orders to customers, which normally begins in March. From then on, it is back to waging warfare on weeds and another growing season begins!
Sekka, our chocolate lad pup. Currently3 years old. NOT out of puppy stage yet! When we first saw her- we thought she was a Shar Pei, but, time has "turned" her into a lab- full of energy. Currently she is allowing 15 chickens to live on the farm with her. She is tolerant but..... Their beeps and cheeps do not make her too happy!
The Story Continues:
We hope you have enjoyed your visit with us and hope that you come again. While you are here- please take the time to look at our other pages.
Ya'll all come back!
Page listing varieties of willows and live cuttings we currently grow and sell.
Basket kits and weaving books we now sell..
Visiting Kentucky? This site lists unique places of interest. Several "must sees".
Copyright 1994, 1995,
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,2005. Ron and Bobbie Harrison, Willow
Dreams Farm. All rights reserved. All material, including but not limited to,
articles, images and code are protected by United States copyright law.