Hi, I’m Chloe Zittergruen, and I’m the person behind 140th Street Blooms. My story with flowers began in an unexpected place, my ag classroom. My first ag teacher, Mr. Striegel, offered me what we called a “floral internship” the summers after 7th and 8th grade. I spent those hot days planting, watering, weeding, and caring for his dahlias. In return, I got the chance to show flowers at the Iowa State Fair through FFA. At the time, it just felt like a fun project, but it actually became the very beginning of my FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE).

That SAE quickly became more than just a record book entry. Showing flowers at the State Fair became one of the highlights of my summers. Over the years, I was fortunate to earn several honors: multiple Grand and Reserve Champion dahlias, Grand Champion Gladiolus, Grand Champion Zinnia, three-time Grand Champion Showmanship, Sweepstakes Winner, and even the Award of Excellence for the top flower out of 767 entries. Each ribbon carried a story of hard work, patience, and pride in the blooms I grew.

By my freshman year, I was ready to branch out on my own. Mr. Striegel sent me home with a handful of tubers, and those few plants marked the official start of my SAE project. What started with just a small patch grew to 90 dahlias the next year, 500 the year after that, and now 1,700 plants today. Somewhere along the way, my SAE transformed into more than just an FFA project; it became a full-fledged business.

Most days, it’s just me out in the field, but I’m lucky to have family and friends who pitch in during the busiest times. Running this farm has been a lot of work, but it’s also been one of the most rewarding parts of my life.

140th Street Blooms is more than just rows of flowers; it’s the story of an SAE that grew into a business, of a teacher who sparked my interest, and of how FFA helped me discover my passion and turn it into something real. I hope that when you take home my flowers, they carry not only beauty, but also a piece of that story with them.