In its first full season, from November to November, Tabler Farm’s agricultural small business incubator program is helping six farmers establish new businesses by providing access to land, greenhouse space and business support that many say they could not secure on their own.
Inside the farm greenhouse, trays of snapdragons, ranunculus, and violas are beginning to sprout for Violet Sparrow, a Baltimore based flower grower using the program to launch her operation.
The incubator, launched earlier this year, is designed to lower the barriers that often prevent new farmers from operating independently. Participants receive access to land plots, shared equipment and workshops focused on business planning and production skills.
Two additional farmers are expected to join later this growing season.
For Sparrow, the biggest barrier was land.
“It’s land. I can’t find any land,” she said. “Four hundred square feet can be ten thousand dollars, and that’s before closing costs.”
After struggling to find affordable property in Baltimore, Sparrow began looking beyond the city. When she learned about the Tabler Farm incubator program, she saw an opportunity to access land and infrastructure without taking on the full financial burden of purchasing property herself.
She now drives about 90 minutes to Shepherdstown three times a week to work on her quarter acre plot. While the commute is demanding, Sparrow said the tradeoff makes sense financially and professionally.
“The cost of me having to afford this on my own, including paying for my own land. It’s a no brainer,” she said. “It’s been better than I could have imagined.”
Through the program, Sparrow is building her flower business under the name Violet Blooms. This season she is starting spring flowers in the greenhouse, including snapdragons, violas, ranunculus and anemones. In the summer, she plans to grow zinnias and other tall stem varieties suited for bouquets, followed by marigolds and chrysanthemums in the fall.
She also hopes to introduce a you-pick model, inviting community members and students to harvest their own bouquets.
“I want to make it community centered,” Sparrow said.
Even with prior farming experience, running her own operation has required adjustment. She said managing every decision herself has pushed her to grow in confidence.
“It’s really different when you do it on your own,” she said. “I can tell how much work I’m putting in, and I know it’ll pay off.”
Another participant, Belle McQuail, is also building a new venture through the program, though her path into agriculture looks very different.
McQuail, 65, previously worked as a prehistoric archaeologist and later as a federal proposal manager. After experiencing instability in federal contracting, she decided to pursue a long– held interest in environmental restoration.
“I’ve spent a lot of years digging up the earth,” McQuail said. “Now I want to give something back to it.”
Through the incubator, McQuail is launching a moss production and restoration business, Mountain Mama Moss (website in progress). She stated that the only two major moss producers in West Virginia recently retired, leaving what she sees as an opportunity to become a supplier herself.
With a lack of supply and high demand for native Appalachian moss, many people have begun foraging for moss themselves, which can destroy habitats. Seeing this destruction, she plans to take matters into her own hands.
“I want to supply moss, so people don’t have an excuse to go pillage it.” McQuail stated.
Moss is often harvested illegally from forests and parks for landscaping and terrariums. By cultivating native species in a controlled setting, McQuail hopes to provide a sustainable alternative while promoting environmental awareness.
She is also restoring a moss habitat plot behind the homestead house at Tabler Farm and plans to involve students interested in environmental studies as the project develops.
“I’m 65 years old, and I’ve never stopped learning,” McQuail said. “That’s what keeps me going.”
The incubator program itself is still evolving as its first season unfolds. Incubator Farm Coordinator Molly Sutter said the early months have provided important lessons.
“A lot has happened in the last couple months,” Sutter said. “We have six farmers, and there are two more who will be joining the program.”
Workshops are held every other Wednesday, beginning with business planning early in the season and transitioning to soil health and production topics later. Sutter said the first year has required adjustments, including reevaluating greenhouse space and resource allocation.
“I didn’t totally envision how much space people would actually need,” she said. “When it came down to it, it’s smaller than we thought.”
She expects the program to evolve as the season progresses.
“A lot will change from the first year to the second year,” Sutter said. “Just seeing how it runs through a full season.”
For Sparrow and McQuail, the incubator’s first season represents both opportunity and experimentation. As seedlings continue to develop in the greenhouse and restoration work expands on the property, both farmers are building businesses in real time with the support of a program that is growing alongside them.
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