Desert Bloom Nursery

Johanna and Edwin, owners of Desert Bloom Nursery

Desert Bloom Nursery began with a hard season, a small cushion of savings, and a family that wanted to live closer to nature. Today, Edwin and Johanna are growing microgreens, edible and seasonal cut flowers in Espanola, delivering to Albuquerque and other communities, and they're creating a place where their young son, who happens to be deaf, can find independence and purpose. The story of how they got here is just as vibrant as what they grow...

Regenerative Microgreens and Edible Flowers in Espanola, New Mexico

Desert Bloom Nursery is a husband and wife owned farm that supplies chefs, bakeries, cafes, caterers, florists, event planners, farmers markets, and everyday home cooks. If you've only seen microgreens as a garnish at a fancy restaurant, Edwin and Johanna would love to change that. They want these tiny, flavor packed plants to feel like something anyone can pick up and use in their own kitchen. It's also a farm run by two people who are still learning, researching, and adapting every day. That curiosity really comes through in how they talk about their work, and it's a big part of what makes Desert Bloom feel so approachable.

Becoming Microgreen Farmers

When the pandemic cost both Edwin and Johanna their jobs, they used their savings to start something new. Their first venture was growing cannabis for the state. It taught them a great deal about farming, but the market was oversaturated and difficult to manage, so they made a change. Health played a part too. Both of them were looking for better ways to eat clean and take care of themselves, and that pushed them toward food that nourishes the body. Microgreens and edible flowers were a natural fit, and they haven't looked back.

Pesticide Free Farming in Northern New Mexico

The slogan is "Regenerative from the ground up". When I asked Edwin and Johanna what "regenerative" means, I got an answer I could understand: they make their own compost, nurture their own soil, and they reuse whatever they can. In their words, "there's no waste on our farm." Following organic principles, the way they grow is simple and honest. As Edwin puts it, "we don't use any pesticides." Instead, they rely on ladybugs and other beneficial insects, along with companion plants like basil, rosemary, and marigolds, which protect the crops and happen to be edible too. Growing this way in New Mexico isn't easy. Building organic material in dry soil takes time, and the weather doesn't take requests. A hailstorm recently damaged a good portion of their crop and forced them to restart part of the season. You pick up, and you move forward.

Microgreen and Edible Flower Flavors Worth Trying

This is where Desert Bloom gets fun. The micro cilantro is so strong that the aroma takes over the room, and it's a great place to start if you're new to microgreens. The bull's blood microgreens taste remarkably like beets; as one of them says, "I swear they taste just like beets." The Rambo radish brings crunch and a peppery bite, and the red garnet amaranth adds a pop of color with a mild, slightly sweet flavor.

The rest of the microgreen lineup includes speckled pea, a spicy mix, a mesclun mix, and a superfood mix with broccoli, collard, turnip, radish, and purple kohlrabi. Each one brings its own texture and flavor, whether you're topping tacos, building a grain bowl, or finishing a plate.

The edible flowers are just as varied. You'll find nasturtiums in several colors with a peppery, lively bite, plus pansies, violas, marigolds, calendula, dianthus, bachelor's buttons, and sweet alyssum with its soft honey flavor. Then there's borage, a delicate blue bloom that tastes exactly like cucumber. It's a great pollinator and keeps pests away, so it earns its spot in the garden as well as on the plate.

Chefs around the region use these flowers on plates and in drinks, and one chef is already working to put Desert Bloom products on his menu. Home bakers and cocktail fans will find plenty of uses too, from cakes and pastries to charcuterie boards and salads.

Living Trays, and Weekly Subscriptions

Desert Bloom's offerings go beyond the kitchen, too: Living microgreen trays are available for restaurants, events, and home kitchens.

If you'd like fresh product on a regular schedule, weekly and biweekly subscriptions are available for microgreens and certain flowers. Most microgreens and blooms are harvested the same day or within 24 hours of pickup or delivery, so what you get is as fresh as it gets. Kept in the fridge in their packaging, microgreens typically stay fresh for a week to ten days, and edible flowers for three to seven days.

Fresh Microgreens Delivered to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, and Los Alamos

Right now, Desert Bloom serves customers in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, and Los Alamos. They're regularly on the road between those cities, and local delivery is available depending on location and order size. The easiest way to get started is to request this week's harvest through their website. You can also reach them by phone or email, and if you're after something specific, they take special orders. They offer samples to anyone who wants to try. It's a low pressure way to experiment with what you're cooking before you commit to anything.

A Husband and Wife Farm Built for Generations

The heart of Desert Bloom is family. Edwin and Johanna are building this farm with their young son in mind. He's deaf, and he's found a real connection to the rhythm of growing: the hands on work, the beauty of the plants, and the quiet focus of tending a tray. He checks on the garden every morning and doubles as the official taste tester.

Edwin and Johanna have also seen how hard it can be for deaf kids to find fulfilling work as they grow up. Their dream is to make Desert Bloom a welcoming place for the deaf community, with room for his friends to work and grow alongside him.

The bigger plan includes a greenhouse for growing through the winter, and eventually a ranch where the whole community can walk through and see what's possible. They also want to teach more people how easy and rewarding it is to grow their own food. As Edwin says, the goal is "to build a beautiful farm for generations to come."

Get to Know Desert Bloom Nursery

Edwin and Johanna believe everyone deserves work that respects their strengths and gives them a place to thrive, and that belief runs through everything they do. Their goal isn't only to be successful; as they put it, "it's to be rich in happiness." If you're a chef looking for something special, a home cook curious about microgreens, or someone who just wants to support a local family farm doing things the right way, visit their site and request this week's harvest from Desert Bloom Nursery!