What started as a childhood dream of digging through ancient ruins has turned into a blooming small business for Waldo resident Elizabeth Lee. Once a professional archaeologist with degrees in archaeology and early American history, Lee now grows vibrant, chemical-free flowers at Frontier Farm Flowers, a flourishing micro-farm nestled in Marion County.
Falling in Love with Gardening
Lee’s path to flower farming was anything but typical. After earning master’s degree in archaeology and working on Etruscan digs in Italy, she was preparing to earn her doctorate when a family trip to Michigan changed everything. Her cousin Matthew was running a small market garden. He invited her to help with the harvest and deliveries.
“After the kitchen staff gushed over these beautiful vegetables, my grandmother took us all to have dinner at the restaurant that evening,” Lee said. “I remember watching diners enjoy vegetables I had helped pick just hours earlier. Something about that moment sparked a passion I couldn’t ignore.”
Lee Family Relocates to Waldo
In 2007, she and her husband, Bryan, who is also an archaeologist, bought 10 acres in Waldo and moved in with their young daughter, Caroline. Bryan grew up in LaRue and they wanted to be closer to his family. Lee was completing her Ph.D. in early American history at West Virginia University at the time. Ironically, her academic research followed historical farming families westward in search of new land—mirroring her own journey to Marion County.
“I quickly felt like I would rather be a farmer than write about historic farmers. The idea of naming our farm ‘Frontier Farm’ came from that: our land is on what I thought of as the Ohio frontier. Starting our farm was also a new frontier for us, since neither of us had a lot of experience with growing for market,” Lee said.
The Lees had their second child, Harry in 2009. Frontier Farm began as a homestead, producing vegetables and eggs for the family. In 2013, the Lees joined the Main Street Delaware Farmers Market. Their early offerings were mostly produce with a few flower bunches for color. That all changed in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted restaurant sales.
Finding Flowers During the Pandemic
“With everything up in the air, I decided to grow more flowers simply to lift my spirits,” Lee said. “The response was overwhelming. It became clear there was a real market for locally-grown flowers.”
Today, Frontier Farm Flowers focuses primarily on seasonal, pesticide-free blooms sold at farmers markets, through local retailers such as Props & Pots and Spruce & Sparrow in Marion. Lee also started a bouquet subscription program. Modeled after Community Supported Agriculture, the subscription provides early-season income for the farm and fresh weekly bouquets for customers.
Marion County is Moving Forward
Lee credits local support systems, including the Alluvial Private Wealth Forge business classes for helping her formalize her vision and gain access to resources.
“When we moved to Marion in 2007, the local economy felt like it was in decline,” she said. “But now there’s so much momentum around small businesses. It’s a great time to be growing something new.”
Frontier Farm still produces vegetables and raises free-range turkeys for Thanksgiving, but flowers have become the heart of the farm. Lee is proud to offer a sustainable, local option to residents who value freshness, seasonality, and community connection.
“I’m not a florist—I’m a grower,” she said. “My customers want less formal flower bouquets and place value on the fact that my flowers are seasonal, locally grown, and grown without chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. My customers love that these flowers come straight from our field, not from a box flown across the world.”
Local Support is Crucial for Small Businesses
Lee and other entrepreneurs depend on the support of local customers.
“If the people of Marion didn’t continue to enthusiastically support small local businesses, that revitalization won’t continue,” Lee said.
For more info:
Website: Frontier Farm Flowers
4280 Berringer Road, Waldo, Ohio 43356
Phone:(740)251-7137
Email: frontierfarmwaldo@gmail.com
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