Evan Neal | Chattahoochee Queen

Evan Neal

Chattahoochee Queen

Summerhill, Fulton County & Stonecrest, DeKalb County

When you think of urban farming, growing flowers may not be the first thing that comes to mind. It was the same for Evan Neal, owner of Chattahoochee Queen, who discovered his interest in flower farming while working at a farm in California. There he harvested and arranged flower bouquets to sell at markets in the Bay Area. “From where I was coming from it was all vegetables, organic vegetables, being a veggie farmer. And that was my only exposure to real farming as a young person,” said Evan. After returning to Atlanta in 2013, Evan started growing flowers in his backyard and selling them at local farmers markets. “The flowers sold themselves. I gained a lot of momentum in that particular setting – to feel the love and feel that I was providing something to folks that was good for them – and good for me because it was turning into a vocation, something that had potential.”

Chattahoochee Queen grew to the next level when Evan got the opportunity to grow a few beds of cut flowers at the Wylde Center’s Hardy Street Garden, now known as the Edgewood Community Learning Garden. He eventually moved to his Summerhill location where he was able to start growing more flowers. 

Scaling his business in a way that’s sustainable is always top of mind. His flowers often sell out half way through market days, but he’s constantly thinking of ways he can reach more people and get to a point where he has enough flowers to take home or give away to the farmers market managers. “Just so I know I’ve served every person at the market.” In 2020, he purchased a farm in Stonecrest, giving him additional space to expand his operations and currently splits his time between the two farm sites. 

Through friend and fellow farmer Brent Hall, Evan discovered Food Well Alliance and has utilized many of the resources throughout the years, including compost, BCS tractor training through our partnership with the Atlanta ToolBank, workshops, and Food Well’s labor stipend. “I encourage folks to get involved, empower themselves, and take advantage of the resources Food Well has. [...] There’s no better focus for farmers than to take advantage of opportunities and continue to support themselves and their communities.”

Running Chattahoochee Queen has been an ongoing learning experience for Evan. “Turning something that’s a hobby into a business is hard,” he said, reflecting on his journey growing Chattahoochee Queen. However, he enjoys the work and appreciates the people and organizations he’s gotten to meet along the way. “It’s nice as a farmer to feel supported and have support, whether that’s through tools, compost deliveries, financial assistance, or a library of resources. We’re lucky to have an organization like Food Well.”