Jane Lethlean Correspondent Apr 18, 2020 at 9:01 AM FREEPORT — As a young child, Drew Groezinger of Stockton remembers planting a seed alongside his great-grandmother, Lillian, and feeling the joy of seeing that a carrot seed, tended to with love, could become a basic source of food for a family. He remembers becoming hooked on agriculture, and the rest of his 22 years on earth has been devoted to learning how to become a successful gardener. He counts being a successful florist with his business called Clara Joyce Flowers. “When I was 11-years-old, I decided I wanted my own garden,” Groezinger said. “I shared my vision with my father and a spark lit in our eyes. At first we grew produce for our family and close friends, but it soon grew to become more.” By eighth grade, Groezinger was selling produce to the neighborhood as well as local farmers’ markets. He didn’t stop there. He built a produce operation to sell to local farmers and serve families through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). His great-grandmother was proud of the young grandson that took hold of his dream with a carrot seed. It is Groezinger who would take the flowers he grew to his great-grandmother during her later years of life. The two shared a bond and a love of gardening. He said she loved orange flowers, and she shared her love of the flower Dahlias with him. Groezinger dives into his memories of his great-grandmother with each bloom that flourishes in the farmland he plants seeds in each year. He now has four greenhouses. He created Clara Joyce Flowers, named after loved ones who helped shape his life. Groezinger studied, both on his own, and at Highland Community College. He planted the name of a business, hit the soil […]