By Amy Pearson
During the pandemic days, Samantha Pollington was running a Montessori school in Missoula when she realized she was spending all her free time in the garden.
“We wanted to do what truly makes us happy,” she said.
Her and husband Tolan Harber packed up their things, bought a huge house in Samantha’s hometown of Havre, and started growing flower seeds in the basement. These 20,000 flowers moved out to the field located eight miles north of town after the last frost and thrived. This small plot is land that Sam grew up on.
Sam notes that her parents probably help a little more than they may have anticipated but are glad to have her home.
Their families and a few friends also help in various ways with the farm.
“We started with twenty hops plants the first year,” she said, “and last year we grew one hundred.”
They grow hops and flowers at Black and White Farms, with clients like Havre-based Triple Dog Brewing Company who created the Fresh Hops XPA brew with their product. They also service flower shops throughout the hi-line and specialize in wedding design.
A local subscription service for their stunning flower arrangements has been wildly successful, and they are gearing up for this season of weddings.
They are the only cut flower and hops farm within a one- hundred-mile radius of Havre.
Interested breweries, flower shops and the public can contact Black and White Farms for a sample, pricing or more information. Check out their incredible flower designs on Facebook at facebook.com/blackandwhitefarmsmontana.