06/17/2026
We’re grateful to Stephen Underwood and the Hartford Courant for covering the backyard growers craze in Connecticut — check out Dreamland Flower Farm in Cromwell and our vegetable plant nursery in Plainville. 🐻 🌺
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06.17.2026
As inflation and supply chains disruptions caused prices at the grocery store to soar, and a cultural movement toward sustainable, organic eating increased, the number of backyard growers and micro-farmers are rapidly growing across Connecticut.
Backyards look very different from the neat lawns of the past. Homeowners are replacing plain grass lawns with vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruit trees.
It is estimated that over 40% of American households are growing fruits, vegetables or herbs on their laws, according to Homes & Gardens magazine. In addition, Google searches for ‘backyard greenhouse’ have gone up 200% in the last year.
The backyard growers boom has reached such a fever pitch that Home & Garden has referred to it as the “backyard growers craze” taking over the country. The surge in popularity is driven for a desire for self-sufficiency, supplemental income, and access to fresh food, according to the home garden magazine.
Connecticut has also seen a boom in backyard growers popping up in suburban neighborhoods with micro-farming businesses becoming more popular.
In Plainville, Stephen Sidorak, along with his wife Dr. Norma Sidorak, started Black Bear Lawn & Garden in 2020 to help other backyard growers. Their business started with the couple mostly growing vegetables in their backyard off Unionville Avenue, and then quickly expanded when they rented two 50-by-50-foot plots at the Kolp Community Garden in Farmington. The couple say business is booming and that micro-farming is both a business and an enjoyable hobby.
“We start everything from seed at our home. Connecticut’s growing season is somewhat short, so preparing for last frost in spring is key. Timing is everything and the weather is a challenge here,” Sidorak said. “We’ve gotten better at working with Connecticut’s unpredictable weather — that means collecting water in growing trays during big storms and bringing plants inside when nighttime temps are too cold in early spring. And taking advantage of sunshine to avoid sending even more money to the electric company.”
The business is unique for growing organic and heirloom plants curated specifically to thrive in Connecticut’s unique climate and perfectly timed for the state’s May through September growing season, Sidorak said. Black Bear caters to all gardening enthusiasts, from seasoned professionals to those just beginning their gardening journey, he said.
“We help people grow food and found our niche providing classics like San Marzano and Roma tomato plants and expanded to include over 100 varieties including fun ones like Rebel Starfighter, Champagne Bubbles, and Matt’s Wild Cherry,” Sidorak said. “We’re proud and pleasantly surprised to draw new and experienced growers from New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont to our home nursery in Plainville.”
It’s the nursery’s seventh year of operation — and they’re celebrating America’s 250th anniversary by featuring Revolution bell pepper and Fourth of July tomato plants, they said.
“As a native Peruvian, I take great pride offering varieties from my home country because Peruvian food is simply amazing. We have also sought to include many other culturally significant varieties that our neighbors appreciate,” said Norma Sidorak.
Back Bear Lawn & Garden offers free pickup at the couple’s home located at 18 Unionville Ave. and local delivery for a fee.
This month, the couple donated 500 heirloom vegetable plants to the Hartford Public Library for their summer learning kickoff, something they also did in 2025, they said. The nursery regularly contributes plants and food they grow at Kolp Community Garden in Farmington to their local food bank and nonprofit organizations across Connecticut.
But it’s not just vegetables and fruits that are being grown by micro-farmers, it’s also unique varieties of flowers to help brighten lawns and for special occasions like weddings.
Merrie Avallone of Dreamland Flower Farm in Cromwell said she started as a backyard grower nearly three decades ago before transforming her hobby into a business as a micro-farmer in 2018. Avallone, who said she always had passion for gardening and growing flowers, now operates her flower business on 1 1/2 acres on her property at 15 Beechwood Circle.
“Over the years at my former home, I ripped up more and more lawn and put in more flowers. It became known as the ‘flower house’ in Cromwell, because it had so many flowers. We had sidewalks in front and often people would walk by and ask if I would sell any of my flowers, since I had so many. I would often say ‘You want to buy my flowers? Really?’ But people kept walking by and saying the same thing. So I started a little notebook of people wanting to buy my flowers and began selling them.”
She said after texting with people who wanted to buy her flowers, she was amazed at the response she received.
“They all responded back immediately and said they will be there in the morning to purchase them. I thought to myself, these people must be crazy,” Avallone said. “But I realized that I could make a business out of this. The jackpot hit when I bartered and worked out a deal on a farm to grow on a much larger plot. I started growing thousands of flowers and was able to quickly ramp up my business.”
In 2021, she said she moved to her current 5 1/2 acre property on Beechwood Circle, and now sells thousands of flowers per year from her property. Avallone specializes in dahlias and dahlia tubers and sells them to customers across the United States. Her expertise with dahlias is also requested from farmers far and wide, and she routinely visits farms to offer growing advice and to identify dahlia varieties. She also sells flower arrangements and bouquets for special events and weddings.
“Dahlias come in so many shapes, sizes, and colors. It’s like having a classroom full of children, they are all different. I would say anybody who has a hobby — whether it’s golf, boating or gardening — we all have our little obsessions. You fall into something you love for whatever reason and then you learn about it and get good at it. Most people with their hobbies don’t make money, they spend more money on their hobby. That’s usually what happens to the backyard grower. It’s first and foremost a labor and passion of love,” Avallone said.
Dreamland Flower Farm operates a self-service flower shack, where people can come purchase flowers on the property. The self-serve flower shack is open from mid-May through early July and then again from late August through October on weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“There are challenges to doing this, like when the rabbit comes and eats your flowers or a big storm floods your field and your flowers are now under water, those things will happen,” she said. “But it’s important to know why you’re doing this and to never lose track of the enjoyment. When it’s no longer fun anymore, that’s when it’s time to scale back or doing something else.”
As food costs and supply chain disruptions caused prices at grocery stores to soar, the number of backyard growers and micro-farmers is rapidly taking off across the state.
