Tulips aren’t the most common flowers in the U.S., but they are uncommonly beautiful. At Holland Ridge Farms, a tulip farm in NJ, you can easily spend hours admiring them and enjoying many other attractions.
This isn’t a small-time operation; it’s a vast farm growing millions of tulips. They stretch out colorfully almost as far as your eyes can see and make gorgeous backdrops for photos. You can even pick some to create personal bouquets.
Are you ready to learn more about this fantastic tulip farm in New Jersey? Let’s go!
What Are Tulips?
Members of the lily family, tulips are among the world’s favorite flowers. They are graceful but sturdy, and the petals form a distinctive cup shape.
There are a few thousand varieties of tulips, mostly in brightly-colored hues like red, yellow, pink, and white. Many people associate them closely with the Netherlands, where farmers widely grow and export them. However, they originated in Central Asia.
Tulips are edible flowers, but most people enjoy them for their statuesque beauty. Botanically, they are bulbiferous perennials, so they sprout from bulbs yearly.
How Long Is Tulip Season at the Farm in NJ?
The tulip season is spring and usually lasts two or three weeks. However, when it starts will depend on temperatures, sunshine, and rainfall, but it’s typically in mid-April.
You can expect to enjoy the blooming tulips at the tulip farm in NJ through the latter part of April and usually into May.
Where Can You Pick Your Own Tulips in New Jersey?
One of the best places for picking tulips is Holland Ridge Farms in New Jersey.
The tulip farm in central NJ has a start date of April 23, 2023. With their knowledge and experience, the growers expect many of their tulips will be in full bloom by then. They plant about 15 varieties, some early blooms, while others take a bit longer to mature.
To keep up with the incredible demand, they’ve planted eight million tulip bulbs!
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About Holland Ridge Farms in NJ
The people behind Holland Ridge Farms are the Casey Jansen family. They have over a century of experience in the tulip business in Holland. After many years of planning, they brought their skills and knowledge to a prime piece of New Jersey farmland.
Besides a bountiful tulip harvest, the Jansens also grow various other flowers, too, including sunflowers, dahlias, and mums.
To ensure that they have something for everyone, their farm has many other attractions besides these floral wonders. They hold a festival in the fall and have a feeding and petting zoo featuring rescue animals. You can also catch a ride on a horse or pony or aboard a horse-drawn carriage.
This tulip farm in NJ has a bakery, museum, and gift shop. They also have food trucks on the premises and offer tractor-pulled hay rides in the fall.
Another fun thing they do at Holland Farms is shipping their flowers so others can enjoy them remotely. By subscription, they mail boxes of fresh-cut flowers and bulbs throughout the year. So you don’t have to visit Holland Farms to enjoy what they do. However, it’s so much better in person!
Read on for more details about this incredible tulip farm in NJ.
Location
The Jansens’ farm is in the tiny community of Cream Ridge, New Jersey. It’s off Interstate 195, about 18 miles east of Trenton. That makes it an easy hour’s drive from Philadelphia or New York City. If you’re a music fan, it’s only a few miles from Bruce Springsteen’s hometown.
History
Casey Jansen Sr. dreamed of this place for years before implementing his plan. He taught his son, Casey Jansen Jr., what he learned during his years as a tulip grower and seller in the Netherlands. They opened their family business in New Jersey in 2018.
The U-Pick Tulips Experience
Even if you’ve never picked a tulip, it’s simple to get the hang of it. They provide a bucket and clippers, or you can do it by hand. Reach toward the bottom of the stem and gently twist it to break it off. Pick as many as you like; they are a dollar a stem, plus tax.
Costs and Tickets
General admission is $13, with no extra charge for tax. Infants 2 and under get in free. The tickets are valid only for the time slot you choose.
There is no additional fee to take photographs on this tulip farm in NJ, but professional photographers need to buy a ticket, too.
Fall Flower Festival
Although the tulips come and go far too quickly, sunflowers are another big attraction at the farm. These blooms bring cheer to the autumn months and are a centerpiece of the farm’s fall festival.
Rather than being a one-time event, the festival is a series of family-fun activities in September and October. Like the farm, its fall festival continuously evolves to include new features yearly.
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How Many Acres is Holland Ridge Farms, NJ?
The Jansens’ tulip farm in New Jersey covers around 300 acres, including the farmhouse, buildings, and parking areas. That’s almost half a square mile, so there’s plenty of room to spread out at the busiest times.
Is Visiting the Holland Ridge Tulip Farm in NJ Worth It?
The main reason people visit Holland Ridge is the tulips, which are so captivating that they are almost irresistible. But there’s so much else to do on the farm that it’s worth visiting throughout the year.
A visit to this one-of-a-kind tulip farm is fun, lively, and a breath of fresh air. It’s a memorable and educational experience. You’ll learn more about the enchanting world of tulips and life on a family farm.
Besides your fresh-cut flowers, you may also walk away with admiration for a Dutch family who accomplished their American dream.
Is visiting this tulip farm in NJ on your bucket list?
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