Glamping on a Flower Farm
In 2020, responding to a couple's request, we introduced glamping on our flower farm. The tent, launched in Spring 2021, quickly became a hit, earning us 'Super Host' status on Airbnb. Featuring a king-sized bed and outdoor amenities, the glamping experience provides a serene countryside escape with access to our 20-acre flower farm and nearby attractions like the Bridges of Madison County. Imagine unwinding in this unique floral retreat.
It started in 2020 at the request of a couple visiting the farm for one of our popular Al Fresco Dinners with Tangerine Food Company. They told us they would LOVE to come to stay at our flower farm for a unique travel experience (thanks Gilmara!). Later that evening we talked it over a little, then we talked about it for a couple more months past that. We hashed out the the cost/benefit analysis, requirements for building, etc. It’s not the fun or sexy part of business, but it’s definitely necessary. After all of our research and number crunching was completed, we decided to move forward with putting everything in place for Spring 2021, to host flower farm glamping tent stays at PepperHarrow.
That’s when our first ever glamping tent was built on a beautiful, private area of our property with the intention to offer guests a unique flower farm stay experience.
When we first released dates for our glamping stay, we limited available just from Thursday-Sunday. It was our first year hosting and we really wanted to make sure we gave ourselves enough time to clean the tent and change linens in between guests, all while running a full time, thriving flower farm. It was the perfect way to ease into the cadence of hosting guests and running a flower farm.
Any guesses how it all panned out? SPOILER ALERT: It was a total HIT! We spent the summer and fall of 2021 fully booked up each and every weekend. We had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people through our hosting experience and loved all of the positive feedback guests gave us after their stays. After our first year, we achieved designated ‘Super Host’ status on Airbnb. Such a great first year accomplishment!
During the first year we also learned a lot about hosting guests on our farm that weren’t intuitive initially, like how to handle weather when guests are staying in the tent, and other important learnings. Starting with shortened availability really helped us get used to hosting while managing our flower farm as well.
What does a stay look like for guests who stay on our flower farm at the glamping tent?
The inside of the glamping tent comfortably accommodates two people with a large, king sized bed with luxe, soft linens, a small sitting area, chest of drawers, dining table and chairs. The windows inside the tent roll-up, as well as the front door, so there’s tons of opportunity to let in air for a nice cross breeze. On the front of the tent sits a cute bistro table and chairs, so you can sit on the front porch to enjoy a Madison County sunrise, or appreciate the lush, green landscape.
Outside is even more setup for living space! There’s a shaded special spot to the side, which has a small cooking setup: outside cook stove, grill and a small space for basic washing. There’s a hammock for relaxing, a fire pit area setup with a stack of firewood, and Adirondack chairs with a small table to enjoy an evening by a campfire.
Bathhouse accommodations are provided inside of our newly constructed event barn, located roughly 1 minute from the glamping tent by vehicle, or a 3-5 minute walk. Restroom facilities, with a hot water shower is available inside the bathhouse with towels, and basic wash essentials available. This isn’t the most glamorous thing to talk about, but so necessary to complete a perfect glamping stay.
A glamping stay at the flower farm is meant to be a quiet escape into the countryside, where you can energize your spirit and connect back with the land, but if you’re feeling adventurous, we also highly recommend guests explore the wonderful sites and scenes of Madison County.
Home to the famed Bridges of Madison County, you can make a whole trip out of visiting each of the covered bridges, as well as other local attractions. Once inside the glamping tent, you can find a list of our favorite places to eat, drink, grab a cup of coffee and other great local ‘must see’ places.
Photo by Aly Carroll
Even though the glamping tent is wonderful, it’s not even the highlight of the stay. Guests have unlimited access to our 20 acre flower farm. We welcome guests to walk our flower fields, take photos, and even to cut a bouquet to take home. There are roughly 8.5 acres of flower gardens to explore and enjoy, which many guests take advantage of.
Our 2.5 acres of lavender are made up of three distinctly separated beds, each dedicated for specific uses: essential oil, culinary, and simply to enjoy! The lavender fields are usually in bloom from mid-June through mid-July, but even when they’re not blooming, the fragrance from these beautiful plants are incredible. Need a nap in the lavender? Help yourself!
Can you just imagine yourself relaxing and enjoying a glamping experience at our flower farm?
XO Jenn and Adam
PepperHarrow Glamping Tent Tour
PepperHarrow's 10 Year Anniversary!
Celebrating a decade of PepperHarrow Farm, our journey has been a tapestry of triumphs and challenges, fostering growth not just in blooms but in ourselves and our connection. Owning a small business has its hurdles, but the joy of cultivating the most beautiful local flowers in Central Iowa makes it all worthwhile. Our 10-year celebration was a surreal moment, shared with cherished customers. Treating them to complimentary delights and letting them craft their bouquets in our fields was a heartfelt gesture. The festivities also doubled as a fundraiser for the new Madison County Conservation center, emphasizing our commitment to community and nature. Cheers to the past, present, and future of PepperHarrow Farm! 🌸🎉
IT’S BEEN A WONDERFUL 10 YEARS ON THE FLOWER FARM.
We’ve had so many success and failures over the last 10 years. It’s been full of learning and growing - of our land, flowers, and most importantly, in ourselves and our relationship. At times it hasn’t been an easy endeavor, but the reward of owning our own business, creating success, and growing the most gorgeous local flowers in Central Iowa has been worth all of it 1000X over.
Cute Celebratory Boards by @CakeDSM
Celebrating 10 years of owning a small business is pretty surreal. We high-fived, and celebrated this huge milestone, but we also found ourselves completely taken aback that it had been 10 years. It’s funny how the years seem to blend together and how 10 years ago almost feels like a yesterday.
We celebrated our special night with over 125 of our most favorite customers, they are the folks that have supported us and enabled us to hit this huge milestone. It’s with their support, encouragement, and love of our small business that has helped us build our dream into a reality! Okay, totally gushing over our customers, but y’all get the point. They’re the most wonderful peeps and have treated us so well over the years. Because of this, we treated everyone who came out to complimentary food, beverages, ice cream, and of course FLOWER BOUQUETS!
Yep, that’s right! We sent them out into our flower fields to cut their own bouquets to take home as a small token of our appreciation for them. It was the absolute BEST to see everyone enjoy themselves so much and to also see the beautiful bouquets they created. It was a hit with our Friends of PepperHarrow and something we’d like to treat our best customers to every few years.
Photo Courtesy of CakeDSM
Our 10 year anniversary celebration was not only to celebrate the farm, but we also held it in support of our local Madison County Conservation, who is building a new conservation center at Pammel Park. If you missed out on the opportunity to contribute, you can do so by scanning the PayPal QR code, below to make a donation. Or, you can send payments on PayPal via email address to: naturalist@madisoncountyparks.org
All proceeds will go directly to the conservation center as well as other nature enrichment activities for an outdoor classroom space. Next time you visit Madison County, check out some our treasured parks. You can get a list of them here.
Thank you so much for helping us celebrate 10 years and here’s to another wonderful 10 years of success to come! We can’t wait to share more of our flower farming journey with all of you, as well as more exciting announcements to come.
XX Jenn and Adam