Living off the land: Couple establishes Three Daughters Farm & Nursery
- Mark Jahne
- Jun 27
- 3 min read
by Mark Jahne
Editor
A young couple with a passion for farming decided to take the plunge and open their own farm. Less than a year later, things are going well and they are beginning to enjoy the results of their efforts.
Ed and Shelby Smith grew up in town and have been married for 11 years. Three Daughters Farm & Nursery is located at 215 Elm St. within sight of I-91 and they live in a house on the farmstead. The have four daughters now but decided to stick with the original name.
The girls are named Taegen, Mackenzie, Madison and Tatum. The family also has three dogs. Ed is 41 years old and Shelby is 34.
“We opened up in March 2025,” Ed said.
“We’ve been in this house since 2016,” Shelby added.
Their farm recently joined the Wethersfield Chamber of Commerce. Ed is a frequent vendor at the Wethersfield Farmers’ Market. They grow and sell flowers and plants.
“We own two-and-a-half acres here. We lease out an acre or so to Anderson Farms,” Ed said.
The couple also owns an acre of land in the nearby meadows and farms that, too. They both have other jobs. Ed has worked in the landscaping business since 2008 and decided over time that he wanted to grow shrubs for that business.
Shelby attended Emerson-Williams School, Silas Deane Middle School, Classical Magnet High School in Hartford and Wethersfield High School. Ed recalled living on Main Street near the cove. His family was among the earliest settlers of Wethersfield.
“My family has been in town since the beginning of time,” he said with a smile.
In addition to running the farm with his wife and operating the landscaping business, he also works as a professional firefighter and as an emergency medical technician and paramedic for Middlesex Health in Middletown.
Shelby is also a professional EMT. They met while serving with the former Wethersfield Volunteer Ambulance Association.
“We always had a hand in something with the town,” she said.
“There’s a huge learning curve. We brought a bunch of stuff in last year from Prides Corner Farms. This year we tried to do so much ourselves. Next year we will be able to offer honey.”
There are two hives on the property. Prides Corner Farms has a landscaper distribution center in Cromwell. Shelby loves to bake and is pursuing a cottage kitchen license to allow her to bake goods in her home for public sale.
The couple agreed that the most difficult part of establishing a farming business was acquiring the necessary government permits, especially a permit to install a greenhouse. For a while they had to grow plants inside their home.
“Now that we have a greenhouse everything runs smoothly,” Ed said.
“We are making money” and paying off debt, Shelby added.
They remain connected to their community. Ed created 400 hanging baskets as a fundraiser for Hanmer School. They also sell Hart Seeds and fresh eggs as well as bio/soil mixes. They believe that they are the only garden center in town that sells plants and flowers they grow themselves.
“We’re always looking to expand and bring in new products,” Ed said.
“I want people to have their Victory Gardens. Groceries are expensive,” Shelby said.
Victory Gardens became popular during World War II when food was limited. People grew their own fruits and vegetables so that other food could be used to feed military personnel overseas.
Ed enjoys the outdoors in other ways as well, including hunting.
“I have been a Wethersfield Game Club member since I was 12,” he added.
The Smiths enjoy homesteading and living a self-sustaining lifestyle.
“It has been a fun adventure doing this. I try to grow things that are unique,” he said.
He enjoys experimenting with different variations of flowers. WL
Three Daughters Farm & Nursery is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. six days a week. It is closed on Thursdays.