Why Harmony Springs Farm Is Growing Willow Starts — And Why You Can Trust Us to Grow Them Right

By Harmony Springs Farm · Blountville, Tennessee

Most people who know Harmony Springs Farm know us for superhot peppers. We've grown more than 30 varieties of Capsicum chinense in our high tunnel in Blountville, Tennessee, and shipped fresh pods, dried powder, and seeds to customers across the country. This year we're adding something different: willow.

Starting this winter (2026/2027), we're selling willow starts — dormant hardwood cuttings of basket-weaving willow varieties — to growers, weavers, and gardeners.

How This Started

We wanted to expand our farm by diversifying our offerings. On our property, we have partially wet areas that really weren't good for many crops. So we experimented with stool beds for willows.

The results were better than expected and decided we could make this into a sustainable enterprise for our small family farm.

Who's Running This

Jennifer and I are both retired engineers. We're both Certified Master Farm Managers through UT, and Jennifer holds a Tennessee plant seller's license, so this is a licensed nursery sale.

We track each order from cutting to shipment so you get the variety you actually ordered.

What We're Growing and Selling

We currently have around 600 willows in the ground across two age groups, including 290 established second-year stools already producing harvestable rods. We have more space available and are in the process of expanding.

For this first season, we're selling weaving willow starts only — dormant cuttings of Salix purpurea cultivars and a few other basketry species. Our growing list runs more than 20 named varieties, from common basket colors like Dark Dicks and Vermont Red to less common ones like Purpurea x Daphnoides. We'll post the full variety list in a separate blog entry.

Variety	Species
Green Dicks	Salix purpurea
Vermont Red	Salix purpurea
Dickey Meadows	Salix purpurea
Western Eugenii Frank	Salix sp. (unconfirmed)
Holland	Salix purpurea
Dark Dicks	Salix purpurea
Streamco	Salix purpurea
Vitellina	Salix alba var. vitellina
Hutchinson's Red	Salix purpurea
Purpurea x Daphnoides	Salix purpurea x daphnoides
Golden	Salix purpurea (possibly S. fragilis f. vitellina)
Polish Purple	Salix purpurea
Blue Streak	Salix purpurea
Irette	Salix purpurea
Natural Red	Salix purpurea
Calliantha	Salix x calliantha
Black Willow	Salix nigra
Fransgeel Rood	Salix purpurea
Silky Willow	Salix sericea
Blackskin	Salix purpurea
Americana	Salix x 'Americana'

We are not selling riparian or streambank-restoration stakes right now. That's something we will offer in the future.

When and How to Buy

Willow starts are cuttings taken while the plant is dormant, so we harvest and ship in the cold months. We're planning our first harvest and shipping window for November–December 2026. Starts will be sold in bundles of 10 for $20 ($2.00 each).

Farmer's Note

"We didn't plan on becoming a willow farm. But once we saw how well those wet spots on the property did with willow, it made sense to build on it instead of fighting the ground. We're running willow the same way we run the pepper side — verify what you're growing, write it down, and don't ship anything you wouldn't want to receive yourself." — Gene Chumley, Harmony Springs Farm

Want to know what it actually takes to grow these into weaving-ready rods? We wrote a full growing guide: How to Grow Willow for Weaving Rods.

Get Notified

Our first willow harvest ships this winter. Check back on this blog or follow the farm for the variety list and order details as we get closer to the November–December 2026 window.

Our willow starts will be avialable on our website soon. When they go up, you can get on the list to be notified by using our "Notify When Available" option for a no obligation reminder that preorde or sale is now open.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a willow start?

A dormant hardwood cutting from a willow rod. Planted at the right time, it roots and grows into a new plant. It's the standard way to propagate willow, instead of starting from seed.

Why buy willow starts from Harmony Springs Farm?

We're a licensed Tennessee plant seller. Jennifer and I are both retired engineers and Certified Master Farm Managers, and we document our growing and fulfillment process so you get the variety you ordered. We grow at real scale — around 600 willows across established stool beds — and check our variety identifications against published nursery and USDA sources.

When will Harmony Springs Farm willow starts be available?

We're targeting a November–December 2026 harvest and shipping window for our first season of weaving willow starts.

Does Harmony Springs Farm sell willow for streambank or conservation planting?

Not yet. This first season is weaving willow starts only. We plan on offering this in 2028.

Where is Harmony Springs Farm located?

Blountville, Tennessee.