Homegrown on the farm

Jim HunterNestled in the heart of Central Florida is a nursery and garden center known for its homegrown plants and produce. South Seminole Farm & Nursery in Casselberry, Fla., has built a following with its locally grown offerings and real-world gardening advice.

Owner Jim Hunter started the business three decades ago. Today, the farm offers a wide selection of nursery stock—including hundreds of varieties of roses, camellias, native plants and trees. Seasonal produce is also sold to loyal customers.

Plants and produce might draw in these gardeners, but customer service and knowledgeable advice keep them coming back. Hunter has been a master gardener for more than 20 years, and has five other master gardeners on his staff. This expertise helps keep him connected with the community. Hunter frequently donates time and resources to nonprofit groups.

“I really enjoy doing things with kids,” Hunter said. “It’s a lot of fun working with the kids; talking with them about plants. We also do gardening programs with the local VA [Veteran’s Administration] and nursing homes.”

GARDEN CENTER: Which plants have been the most popular with your customers this past year?
JIM HUNTER: We saw a lot of freeze damage this spring, so we’ve had a lot of people coming in for replacement plants. Some are replacing frostbitten tropicals with more tropicals. But we also have some who want to replace plantings with more hardy shrubs. We’ve actually had a fantastic year. Every month, every year we’ve seen sales going up—even in this bad economy.


Along with an outstanding selection of plants, South Seminole Farm & Nursery also sells seasonal, organic produce.GC: What prompted you to start your organic-produce farm?
JH: We moved here in 1978, and I always wanted to grow some vegetables. And I thought: if you’re going to grow them, you might as well grow them organically. In the past we would just give away the surplus. And, of course, our staff ate pretty well!

We started to sell the produce about 10 years ago. It’s not sold at high grocery-store organic prices. It’s more straightforward—as we grow it and harvest it, we sell it. It’s a little bit of a pull. People that come in to buy a Seminole pumpkin, for example, could also buy a rose bush.

We also sell free-range eggs we get from a local supplier. They’re extremely popular. We actually have an egg-purchase wait list.

GC: Can you tell us some more about the Seminole pumpkins?
JH: Most native North American pumpkins have become extinct due to breeding/hybridizing over the years. The Seminole pumpkin is native to the Everglades and South Florida. It’s a good eating-pumpkin and has a good shelf life. We can pretty much have them all year. It’s something that’s easy to grow and very unique.

Another unusual thing we offer is Roselle (Hibiscus sabadariffa). It’s an annual hibiscus that’s sometimes grown as a cranberry substitute. We use it to make a drink called Jamaica Sorrel, which is a traditional Christmas drink in Latin America.

Last year, we sent calyxes to a local winery and had them make wine with them. Then we offered samples at the nursery.

This year we’re cranking up production. We’re going to offer 200 bottles for sale, which will be sold through the winery.

GC: What was the biggest business challenge you faced this year?
JH: We’ve had a really great year. I would say the biggest challenge is keeping plant material in stock and looking good. We had three weeks in July with no rain, and it was a challenge keeping all the plants irrigated and happy.

GC: What was your biggest opportunity?
JH: Initially, we didn’t think of the freeze damage early in the year as an opportunity. But it kind of turned out that way. We got a lot of new customers, and when you get a new customer it’s a new opportunity to make a friend. If we can help these people become better gardeners—to be more successful—they’ll stay in the fold. We want them to be successful.

We have expansion plans for the next year. We’re going to add a large barn for retail space that will allow us to branch out with merchandise and start carrying some tools. And we continue to sell and promote rain barrels.

GC: What would we find you doing in your spare time?
JH: I do a lot of reading. And even when we take a short little vacation, I’ll take the time to check out other nurseries. I’m also a big Orlando Magic basketball fan.