Business & Tech

Putting the "Farm" in Farmacy with Brooklyn Grown Flowers

Everyone's favorite soda fountain will soon be a flower shop, too.

Never again will locals need to settle for cut flowers flown or shipped in from who knows where.

On July 8, the launches "Farmacy Flowers," a weekend flower pop-up shop. The Farmacy will sell flowers grown in Brooklyn by our own Green Matters columnist , as well as flowers grown at the Hudson Valley flower farm Silver Petals.

"The intention at the beginning was to support local farms," said co-owner Gia Giasullo. "That's why it's called Farmacy."

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And so, the Farmacy has teamed up with Culver's flower growing program at the Youth Farm at the High School for Public Service in Crown Heights, and local flowers can be enjoyed by everyone in the neighborhood.

Culver's flowers are grown as part of a Green Guerillas project at the Crown Heights high school, and is run by BK Farmyards and community volunteers and apprentices. The program is educational, with students from the school learning about urban agriculture and sustainability.

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For Maria Fraser, the Farmacy Flowers manager, this was a big part of the appeal of partnering with Culver's flower program.

"It's such an amazing opportunity for urban students," she said. "It's an incredible experience."

So why flowers?

"Flowers come in so many different shapes and colors," said Culver. "They add beauty to a farm, but they also provide a new educational opportunity for youth and adults interested in sustainable agriculture. Growing flowers is just as labor-intensive as vegetable growing, but the joy of working with them and the creativity you can bring to it make it so worthwhile."

And of course, flowers on your table are beautiful and fragrant.

The Farmacy will sell the flowers in the fenced in side yard area on Sackett Street, making use of a valuable, and shady piece of the property. 

The flowers available will change each week, depending on the growing season. Some of the flowers you'll likely see in the first weeks of Farmacy Flowers: zinnias, cosmos, calendula, sweet peas, sunflowers and bupleurum. Flowers will be available in pre-made bouquets and by the stem.

The Brooklyn grown flowers are also available in a CSA program. The shares are available on a sliding price scale, and can be picked up at the Youth Farm in Crown Heights.

For Giasullo, it just makes sense to sell flowers at the Farmacy.

"There's a strong connection between the joy of ice cream and the joy of flowers!" she said.


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