When Steve Hackett retired in 2020, he had no idea he was about to discover a new calling as a farmer. As he began tending to his gardens and orchards, his journey resonated with a global audience and transformed him into FarmerSteve727, an accidental TikTok sensation to tens of thousands.
At 60, Hackett and his wife bought five acres in northern Connecticut and gave new life to a neglected former horse farm that had gone wild after two decades of little care. Instead of seeing an overwhelming mess, Hackett says he saw possibility. Followers on TikTok saw the same, and his account eventually grew to 67,000 followers.
“I never did gardening before or anything,” he says. “But I always wanted to have fruit trees … so I said, I’m going to put a little orchard in, and I’m going to start gardening.”
Hackett dived into research on food forests and permaculture, determined to grow as much food as possible, while making it as visually appealing as possible. Over time, he planted about 30 fruit trees, mostly peaches, apples and pears, along with a few cherries. Planted in 2022, the trees are finally starting to reward his patience, especially the peaches, which have become a household staple.
The work started simply with clearing brush, pulling poison ivy and imagining what the land could become. Curious neighbors watched from lawn chairs as he slowly carved out garden beds and experimented with raised beds, vegetables, pumpkins and, eventually, towering sunflowers. These same 12-to-14-foot sunflowers led to Hackett’s first viral video.
Today, the harvests are far beyond the “two or three tomatoes” he once celebrated. He cans, freezes and shares generously. “I give a lot away … the senior center gets bags every week,” he says.
TikTok wasn’t part of the original plan. It started as a family suggestion, sort of a joke, he says, until his first videos suddenly drew an audience. Overnight, FarmerSteve727 found 1,000 followers; within a year, he had 8,000. Then came the idea that changed everything: a sunflower “room” beside his koi pond.
He planted the structure of sunflowers in a semi-circle, illuminated it with lights, added chairs and waited. Hackett says he filmed the progress as the sunflower room came to life.
That first video of the sunflowers is when his followers started to increase exponentially.
“I put a video on in June, and overnight, I got 17,000 more followers. I think the original video got 2.5 million views, and then I put a second one on, and that one got like 1.8 million views, and then it took off from there.”
By that time, Hackett says he was up to about 34,000 followers within a couple of weeks, and the growth just continued, he says.
People connected with the creativity, but also the message, realizing that if he could do it, maybe they could, too.
Despite his online popularity, Hackett doesn’t see himself as an expert. He sees himself as a student who happens to share the journey.
He’s learned what many lifelong growers eventually do: The garden runs on patience.
“It isn’t instant,” he says. “Once you plant something, everything in the world is going to try to eat it. It’s a challenge, but I really enjoy it.”
He’s also found unexpected joy in foods he never thought he’d love, particularly squash and zucchini, and in the simple rhythm of tending, harvesting, cooking and preserving.
This year, after undergoing surgery and scaling back pumpkins, he focused instead on expanding a sunflower maze and thinking about what’s next. Part of that future involves rebuilding much of the garden so he can film clearer how-to videos and talk more directly to the camera.
TikTok viewers might soon see “Cooking with Farmer Steve,” along with new raised beds, longer-form storytelling and more behind-the-scenes glimpses into the work.
“I want to rebuild it and make better videos of how I did it,” Hackett says. “And I’m going to add something special to the sunflower maze.”
What started as a retirement project has become an orchard, a garden, a creative playground and a source of encouragement to thousands of people who dream of growing something themselves.
Maybe that’s why Hackett resonates with his followers. He didn’t start farming at 20 or 40. He began at 60 with curiosity, time and the willingness to learn out loud.
And standing inside a glowing room of sunflowers taller than he ever imagined, Farmer Steve says he’s still just getting started.
