Farming is a beautiful way of life. Just ask Wayne and Charlene Moss and their adult children, Stacey and Corey. Their 80-acre farm near Cookeville has evolved from showcasing conventional row crops, hogs, hay, straw, and beef cattle to veggies and specialty produce. Their newest venture is a pick-your-own tulip farm.

Stacey (Moss) Sharp oversees their 1.5-acres of flower beds and says it was a dream come true when she asked her father if she could have an acre to start a flower-farming business two years ago. He agreed, and she went right to work.

After meticulous research, she decided to plant tulips. She ordered 47,000 bulbs from a New York bulb broker who imports them from a company in Holland, and began the venture with her husband, Paul. Soon, brother Corey joined in on the investment. Their agritourism business continues to thrive, Stacey says, and it’s still gaining new customers.

“People just love tulips,” she points out. “They smell amazing, have vibrant color, and are beautiful. Our customers usually stay for quite a while, walking through the rows and selecting their favorite varieties to take home. Everyone leaves with big smiles on their faces, and that’s the best part. It helps keep you going because you can see the fruits of your labor going home with people. It’s very rewarding.”

In addition to the tulip field, they offer pick-your-own sunflowers in the fall, and year-round access to the farm for professional photographers. Stacey says both tulip and sunflower fields have provided opportunities for many to enjoy while visiting their farm. She has witnessed men get down on one knee to propose to their fiancées in the colorful tulips, watched young couples posing for photos among the flowers, and observed families spending time together while selecting bouquets.

The Mosses have staged several events at the venue, and plans are underway to add more, including tulip yoga workout sessions, tea parties, and picking festivals. They also plan to provide flowers to nearby restaurants, hospitals, and nursing homes.

“There are definitely lots of avenues we could utilize to get these beautiful tulips in the hands of more people,” she says. “As long as we have flowers to pick, we leave the fields open for people to visit. Our tulips usually peak around the end of March and soon after that we start getting into the season of produce, and it gets even busier around here.”

Around vegetable-growing season, the family dynamic centers around Wayne and Charlene and their large roadside stand called Little Creek Produce. They’ve been growing produce since 1976. People come from miles around to purchase their tomatoes, green beans, okra, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, and lettuce, all grown inside their four high tunnels or ventilated, heated greenhouse. They also still grow row crops, including soybeans and corn, sweet corn, and cover crops on the farm.