When it comes to their business operations, Melissa and Ryan Ripley do things the old-fashioned way.

Every May, the couple hand plant rows upon rows of seeds at their 4-acre flower farm along Tulip Road in New Carlisle that will germinate and grow in the spring in time for the u-cut season in July.

When asked if hand planting gives them more control over the seed planting, Melissa laughs and says, "I think it gives me a lot more back pain."

For six years, the Ripleys have operated Field to Vase U-Pick Flowers at 55923 Tulip Road from July through October, with markets and events planned throughout the picking season. What once started as a way to stay home with their young children has quite literally blossomed into a booming business where customers can come, cut and create their own bouquets.

"I just said, 'Let's just see if anyone will come out here,' and then everyone came out," Melissa said. "The first year that we opened, we opened the cones and people just started pouring in and they picked every single flower we had."

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And it never seems to be enough.

The family started with seven rows of flowers and sold them from their front porch but now have planted more than 50 rows of flowers and sell out of a newly purchased shed and pavilion. And people come in droves, traveling from not only the surrounding area, but also neighboring Midwestern states like Kentucky, Illinois and Ohio, picking what owners call "cut-back, grow-back" flowers like zinnias, yarrow, sunflowers, sweet Annies and jumbo marigolds.

"We still get picked out the same as when we had seven," Melissa said. "It's literally never enough, but right now, we're at a point where we either need to hire people or operate at a status quo, and we really don't want to hire people — we just want it to be me and my husband and the kids, so we're trying to just stay afloat."

Melissa said they typically will try a new variety of flower once a year but have learned to stick with what they know will work. This year, they have a perennial called heather and also have plans to plant more perennials in the future.

But like other forms of farmers, the Ripleys are at the mercy of the weather, where droughts or floods can have costly effects. Last year, the front part of their flower field was flooded, costing the business about $20,000 in lost revenue.

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Inconsiderate guests also can impact the yield of flowers, as some customers may jump over bushes, step on flowers trying to reach another or cut too far down to the ground.

"It's just basic regard," Melissa said. "Some people don't realize how hard it is to do all this and how much time it takes, so when they come in, they could just treat it like it was their own. It literally supports my family, so every time we lose a plant, it's money out of our pockets and food off the table."

And there's another factor that has concerned owners a bit more this year — gas prices. 

"You really just never know what's going to happen, especially now with the economy," she said. "(We wonder) are we going to get the out-of-towners? We've had people come from Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio. Are they going to come this year because of gas? We never know what's going to happen."

Seed and soil costs also have increased over the year for the local flower farm, but, Melissa said, she will still maintain her low costs of $0.25 to $2 per flower stem.

"From day one, our motto has been to be affordable to everyone," she said. "There's been a ton people who have come here who I know for a fact could not afford flowers anywhere else. And it makes me happy, makes me feel good. … We're not trying to get rich. We literally just want to stay home (and) raise our kids while making an income. And it's beautiful out here."

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With an opening day on July 2, the Ripleys are prepping by still planting flowers that will be up throughout the summertime and fall. Melissa said the first day is typically the busiest day with customers and vendors but often has the smallest yield of flowers to cut because it's so early in the season. For those traveling more than an hour away, she recommends they come in August when most flowers will be available to cut.

"That's when more flowers are in bloom and that's when the sunflowers are here," she said. "There's more of a guarantee you'll leave with something."

Field to Vase U-Pick will open for the season July 2 and will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Events such as date nights and kid days are offered throughout the season, with the final Fill-A-Pumpkin event in the first weekend in October where the flower farm partners with Todd's Pumpkin Patch that offers pumpkins and flowers. More information is on its Facebook page, which is updated daily.

Contact Mary Shown at 574-235-6244 and mshown@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @maryshownSBT and @marketbasketSBT.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Field to Vase U-pick Flowers gets ready to open for the season