TIMMONSVILLE — U-pick flower farms are trending across the state of South Carolina and one is located in Florence, where you have until the end of October to pick a fresh bouquet. Anyone interested in picking can reach out to Janet or Richard Porter through the Bay Branch Farm Facebook page . The flowers are located on a small piece of land just down the dirt driveway that leads to their home in Timmonsville, where a “pumpkin house” stands tall on the side.
They use the surrounding land to also grow blackberries and pumpkins for sale. They also let others use it as a social and event space. “Just come be out in nature, be out in the fresh air,” Janet Porter said.
“Enjoy beautiful flowers and being with your friends.” A table and chairs sit by the flower farm at Bay Branch Farms in Timmonsville on July 5. The idea to step into the flower-picking business came to them when they stopped at Cotton Hills Farm on their way to Spartanburg to see Janet’s mother.
Cotton Hills Farm is located in Lowrys, but products from the farm can also be found in multiple locations in Chester. The two were growing pumpkins on an acre and a half of land at the time, and Richard wanted to learn more from the people who ran the larger-scale Lowrys-based operation that grew pumpkins on 100 acres of land. A bee sits on a flower at Bay Branch Farms.
Richard and Janet drove around the farm with the owners and talked about different aspects of growing pumpkins, such as insect and disease is.