Saltwater Ranch Flower Farm is a mother-daughter flower farm that has grown into a successful online business by using its website as a central tool for sales, planning and customer communication. Since launching its e-commerce site in June 2025 through the E-commerce Accelerator (ECA) hands-on technical assistance program, the farm has generated more than $7,800 in online sales and built a strong foundation for continued growth.

"People ask me all the time, 'How do I order?'" said Ashley, who runs the farm alongside her mother. "Now I can just send them to the website. It makes the whole process so much slicker."

The website allows Saltwater Ranch Flower Farm to clearly showcase what is available, manage orders in one place, and plan ahead with pre-sales for future offerings. Some of the most popular products this season include wedding flowers, corsages, and boutonnieres. Each arrangement reflects what is growing in the field at that moment, shaped by the season and harvested fresh for local customers. The farm saw its highest online sales in September and October, and that strong fall season built the momentum needed for Ashley and her mom to plan for spring.

Behind the website is a story rooted in family and a love of growing.



"Just a girl and her mom playing in the dirt," Ashley said. "My mom and I have been growers forever. My grandpa taught us how to garden, and my mom grew flowers with her grandma."

Most of the farm's flowers are grown from seed an harvested locally, allowing Ashley and her mom to offer seasonal varieties that are often too delicate to ship long distances.

“Local flowers are just different,” Ashley said. “A lot of them are too delicate to ship, so you get a totally different variety when they’re grown right here.”

Before joining the ECA program, building a website felt overwhelming alongside the daily demands of running a working farm.

“I am so busy with the farm that trying to put together a website on my own felt impossible,” Ashley said. “You just can’t do it all.”

Through the ECA hands-on technical assistance program, the Rural Online Initiative worked closely with Ashley to launch a customized e-commerce website and, just as importantly, taught her how to manage and update it independently. Since launch, Ashley has continued to edit, expand, and adapt the site to meet her business needs, using it as an active tool rather than a static storefront.

“To know I had a capable, competent team building my website exactly how I wanted it to look was such a weight off my shoulders,” she said. “I feel confident that I know how to do the things I need to do for the website.”

Today, the website supports more than just sales. It allows Ashley to pre-sell transplants, subscriptions, and seasonal products, helping her prepare for demand ahead of time while planning what will be planted in the field next.

“There are very few places in the state where people can buy cut flower transplants, and they sell out fast,” Ashley said. “There is a lot of demand, so that is something we are excited to grow, along with some rarer vegetable varieties in the spring.”

In addition to online sales, Saltwater Ranch Flower Farm provides floral arrangements to local boutiques, giving customers more ways to access locally grown flowers.

The website has also reduced the day-to-day mental load of running the business. "My brain doesn't have to keep track of everybody I've sold to," Ashley said. "The website does that for me."

The farm sill runs on early mornings, careful harvesting, and family teamwork, but is now supported by digital tools that help turn that work into sustainable income. What began as playing in the dirt is growing into flexible, forward-looking e-commerce business rooted in local values and guided by confidence in both the field and online.

To learn more or explore what is in season, visit Saltwater Ranch Flower Farm online or visit their Instagram page, Saltwater Ranch Flower Farm.