Little Bubs Homestead sells pumpkins, gourds, mums, décor, and its own honey.

BY SHERI TRUSTY

If he had his choice, Braxtyn Hansen, 11, would spend his days picking pumpkins.

“My favorite thing about my business is picking pumpkins,” Braxtyn said. “After all the hard work I put into it, I finally get to pick them.”

Braxtyn isn’t complaining about hard work. It’s pretty much his thing. The young entrepreneur of Little Bubs Homestead thrives on being in the field and inside the shop he set up in a rented building in his family’s front yard.

If Braxtyn Hansen had his way, he’d pick pumpkins all day long.

Little Bubs Homestead is located at 959 N. Elliston-Trowbridge Rd. in Graytown. It can be reached at 419-552-6150.

The young lad is always planning for the future. Next year, he wants to add a new building to his holdings. Judging by his fast track to success, he likely will.

His parents helped him form his own corporation two years ago, and he runs the business nearly independently. This year, he made last year’s dream a reality when he began keeping bees on the property. The bees make good pollinators, and Braxtyn processes the honey and sells it in his shop.

A large variety of pumpkins and gourds is available at Little Bubs Homestead.

“The main reason he brought bees here was to help pollinate the pumpkins,” said his father, Brock Hansen. “By far, this was his best pumpkin crop yet.”

Little Bubs Homestead offers a wide variety of pumpkins and gourds, from small ornamental pumpkins to massive 200-pounders. The large pumpkins, Braxtyn said, are more challenging to grow.

“We have to put them on pallets so the bottoms don’t rot,” he said.

This year, Braxtyn Hansen began producing honey from the hives on his family’s farm.

In addition to his parents’ help, Braxtyn also gets assistance from his 7-year-old brother, Colt.

“Braxtyn pays Colt to wash pumpkins,” said their mom, Ashley Hansen. “Every day after school, that’s what they do.”

Little Bub’s Homestead sells several varieties of brightly colored, full-orbed mums. Mums are one of the few things Braxtyn doesn’t grow on his family’s farm – at least not yet. Growing mums was on this year’s dream list, but they require “a fancy irrigation system,” Brock said.

“We didn’t have time,” Braxtyn said. “But next year, I want to grow mums.”