Oceanview Gardens started as a hobby farm when Dwane and Laura Ballou bought the land in 2020, but it has grown into a multifaceted enterprise, filling a variety of community needs. When Skagit Gardens, the Washington state-based supplier of starter plants to Wrangell stores and others across Southeast Alaska closed down in spring 2024, the Ballous responded by expanding their operations to fill the need locally.
This year, they offered 300 hanging baskets and 600 flats of flower and plant starts. They also brought in 4,500 tulip bulbs. The nursery, a separate building, holds shelves and shelves of microgreens.
The list of what's growing at 5.9-Mile Zimovia Highway keeps growing in the ever-expanding grounds. The long, white plastic-covered buildings, called tunnels, are filled with garlic, varieties of lettuce, broccoli, pumpkins, zucchini, green beans and chives. One tunnel has nothing but strawberries - they've already harvested 100 pounds of strawberries this season.
"There is just something that says summer, even if it's still 50 degrees out, when you bite into a strawberry in June that you've just picked," said Laura. "We finally had enough to sell this year, and watching people devour them before they even get to their car is the best."
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