Rock Falls’ Selmi’s continues to evolve nearly 90 years after growing its first crops

ROCK FALLS — A lot of people can say they have roots in Rock Falls, but not all of them can say that they’ve turned them into a thriving business that’s been part of the local landscape for generations.

Nearly 90 years after Francisco Selmi planted his first vegetables at his farm east of town, the same Selmi soil continues to help produce plump fruits and veggies that have made the family name one of the most recognizable in town and put their produce on countless plates and picnic tables throughout the Sauk Valley for more than 70 years.

Through four generations of Selmis, the family operation has just kept on growing, now, with Francisco’s great-grandson, Matt Selmi, carrying on the family tradition, continuing to offer fresh fruits and vegetables while finding new ways to keep the business fresh, too.

Like his parents, Frank and Connie, before him, Matt has helped the farm evolve from a market to an agri-tourism experience. Today, a visit to Selmi’s is more than just a shopping trip, it’s a family outing for all ages. Among the attractions are some “feets” of fun: a 60-foot Jumping Pillow where you can jump for joy, the 200-foot Mt. Selmi Slide, or a 40-foot track for Rat Rollers, and those are just a few of the fun things to do.

The past four years have been ones of change for the farm, Matt said, from going back to the drawing board during the coronavirus pandemic to the launch of U-pick experiences for apples and pumpkins starting this fall.

“What was important was coming out and walking out on the farm to see the different things you see on a farm,” Selmi said. “Right now I’m trying to spread this farm out to where they can be out in the back to see where the corn is, or out picking apples, just venturing out on the farm and giving them a glimpse of how it’s done. We’ll take them and show them around and answer questions and interact with them, and it’s a great way to get to know our customers.”

Selmi’s seasons begin in April, with the spring season that gets a green thumbs up from customers shopping for plants – annuals, perennials, vegetables and tropical indoor and outdoor varieties – straight from Selmi’s greenhouse. The summer season brings fruits and produce to the market, with tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, hot and sweet peppers, zucchini grown on the farm, as well as wholesale fruits and vegetables. Finally, the fall season (Sept. 13 through Halloween) wraps up the year before a winter break, and it’s a busy season. In addition to the farm’s other family activities, there’s a haunted house and haunted hay rides in time for Halloween, an amazing maize maze, Minion Cart tours of the pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, face painting and magic acts, and hot apple cider donuts and slushies.

Pumpkins and sweet corn have been among Selmi’s best-selling items for the past 30 years, but with Matt’s involvement in the business, he took on a task that his parents thought of but never got off – or in – the ground: apple orchards.

Matt began planting apple trees in 2018, starting with honeycrisps. Today there are around 5,000 different trees that grow 15 dwarf varieties.

Apples had been part of Selmi’s market for years, but brought in from other growers, so Matt sought to grow them on his own in the same soil that’s been so good to his family for years.

“I was watching what customers were asking for,” he said. “My parents carried honeycrisps from local farmers to sell and people loved them. When I tasted that honeycrisp, I was like, ‘Wow! That’s a different kind of apple.’ That’s kind of what got me going and deciding to grow some apples. It really fits into our whole farm with growing sweet corn and growing flowers.”

It took plenty of perseverance and trial and error, though, to make the orchards a success but Matt’s found plenty of support from his peers.

“The family orchards of Illinois are awesome,” Matt said. “They’ve been super helpful and are able to answer any questions you may have. It’s been a world of knowledge to take in, and we started growing totally different after we started going around and looking more.”

The apples have been a big hit with customers, rivaling Selmi’s signature corn and pumpkins in popularity.

“I think every generation adds their little thing to it that they like and enjoy,” Matt said. “My dad was a sweet corn man and grew the varieties that everyone loves. Him and Mom devoted a lot of time to that, and then started the pumpkin patch. Having something to grow off of is nice.”

The Selmis were one of several families who came to Rock Falls from Italy during the early 1900s. Francisco and his wife Natalina emigrated to the United States in 1912 and settled on a farm north of East Coloma School; their son Agostino (“Art”) turned the family farm into a business, Shore Acres Greenhouse, in 1951 and moved it to a farm about one-quarter mile west, where the business is today.

Agostino’s son Frank was the first in his family to graduate from college, having studied agriculture at the University of Illinois. Along with running the family farm, he taught horticulture at Whiteside Area Vocational Center in Sterling during the 1970s and 80s. Frank and Connie gradually sold their interests to Matt during the 2010s, but continue to work on the farm when they can.

Matt and his wife Melanie have two children, Anthony and Kellen, who enjoy working alongside their father and grandparents. Matt is hopeful they can carry on the family tradition to a fifth generation of ownership in the future.

“We meet so many new people, and we’re getting people from further and further every year,” Selmi said. “It’s neat to tell our story to people who don’t know it. Then our local customers tell other people when they travel. It’s a real cool feeling. We do work hard and definitely see that people appreciate what we’re doing.”

Find “Selmi’s Greenhouse, Farm and Pumpkin Patch” on Facebook, Instagram (@selmifarm) and YouTube; go to selmi.com or call 815-626-3830 for more information.