A tiny farm for the community

Carol Wetzel and Allan Tone have embarked upon a new venture with the same gusto and enthusiasm that has defined their life together.

What began as buying their dream island oasis has transformed into a bustling nursery and flower farm.

“This is my solace. Our focus was to create a beautiful space for people, for bees, for birds. And we’ve done that,” said Wetzel, referencing the multitude of flower beds, a sweet pea garden, pond and chickens behind her.

The Little Farm on Olga Road offers a boutique nursery, farmstand, you-pick flowers and gardening workshops. Since opening this spring, the farm has been bursting with customers and visitors. Wetzel is in charge of all the planting, Tone handles the buildings and infrastructure and their three French Bulldogs manage customer service.

The couple, who has been together for two decades, moved to Orcas three years ago after living in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the pandemic, they took a road trip to the Pacific Northwest and were immediately smitten with the San Juans. The couple sold their house and purchased office space in Friday Harbor to operate their software company. They lived on a boat in Roche Harbor but longed to move to Orcas.

“Carol said to me, ‘We either need a bigger boat or a house,’” laughed Tone.

They soon found the perfect house just a mile from Eastsound and began cultivating the land. Wetzel says transforming the property into a working farm in two years has been “pulling a rabbit out of a hat.” She attributes it to the reliability of perennials and community members stepping forward to contribute time and energy.

“The key is meeting all of the talent on this island,” Wetzel said.

Geddes and Mary Ann Martin, owners of the Inn at Ship Bay across the street, loaned seven mangalitsa pigs to resuscitate the soil. They ran on the land for eight months.

“They tilled everything, ate all the weeds and fertilized the land. And now half of one is in our freezer!” Tone said.

Wetzel says she is “very focused” on the health of the soil, and uses a compost tea daily as well as organic manure and compost. Their original vision was to restore the property, and Alex Wolf and Emmett Wood created a permaculture design for it. Then, they pivoted to a you-pick flower garden model, offering The Little Sweet Pea Patch and a hoop-house nursery with dahlias, roses, sunflowers and more.

After long-time business Driftwood Nursery closed in the fall of 2023, Wetzel and Tone decided to add a boutique nursery with perennials and annuals. They supplied all of their own inventory, growing more than 3,000 plants.

“We won’t do that again,” laughed Wetzel. “We pay a living wage, and it’s a lot of labor.”

Now they are sourcing from Washington and Oregon growers and will include varieties “no one else has.” Lisa Rose, a horticulturist from Cal Poly, has been hired as the manager and buyer for the nursery, which is taking a short break until mid-August.

“She’s bringing a level of knowledge I don’t have,” Wetzel said. “Whatever we sell in the nursery will be mirrored on the farm.”

Members of the garden club also helped supply plants for the nursery and will continue to lend a hand. Laura Walker is currently growing 18 varieties of pumpkins, which will be available in the fall. Retired pond expert Pat Boehme is volunteering his time to restore the pond, Mariah Haines is handling social media (@littlefarmorcas) and Frank Gates has been instrumental in overhauling the property.

“Nothing happens on this farm without Frank,” Wetzel said. “He’s adopted us and this project. He is an absolute godsend. In addition to doing the excavation work, he’s brought us gifts of boulders, horse shoes — even roosters!”

Wetzel, who has a doctorate in education, has been a lifelong gardener. She and Tone love being entrepreneurs together and have boundless energy. Upon moving to Orcas, they immediately jumped into volunteering with organizations such as the Dental Van, Garden Club, and Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival. Tone, who is also a pilot, manages scheduling for the Mercy Flight program and created software to streamline the process. Wetzel was president of the organization and helped raise $350,000 to ensure the service can continue for islanders in need and maintain a scholarship program to train new pilots.

Wetzel and Tone are committed to meeting the horticultural needs of islanders and visitors and look forward to new fall and spring offerings. The Little Farm on Olga Road is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit https://littlefarm.life/.

Ady Graceman, who came last week with her grandmother to create a bouquet, said: “They have so many things to choose from, and they are all so pretty.”