Ashby Lake Agricultural District
Kelly Farm
A working Ontario farm—and one of Ashby Lake’s safest places to land.
Welcome to Kelly Farm
Kelly Farm is the long-established family farm of Robert and Debbie Kelly on the rural outskirts of fictional Ashby Lake, Ontario. Their son Chris grew up here and works alongside Robert, balancing farm life with his role as a volunteer firefighter.
This is a real working property shaped by cattle, crops, weather, repairs, muddy boots, early mornings, and the kind of family table that always seems able to make room for one more person. It is practical rather than polished—and deeply woven into Tasha Zima’s interconnected Ashby Lake romance world.
Kelly Farm at a Glance
Location: Agricultural District, on the rural outskirts of Ashby Lake
Owners: Robert and Debbie Kelly
Primary operators: Robert Kelly and Chris Kelly
Farm type: Private mixed beef and field-crop operation
Main crops: Corn, canola, and alfalfa–grass hay, with a smaller experimental lentil crop
Known for: Practical work, family gatherings, Debbie’s tea, and giving people a safe place to begin again
Home to: Robert and Debbie Kelly; Katie Quinn lives at the farm for much of However Much or Little and Looking Up
A Working Mixed Farm
Kelly Farm maintains a modest beef herd and grows field crops suited to its Ontario setting. Corn, canola, and alfalfa–grass hay move through a multi-year rotation, with hay or pasture remaining in place for several years before a field returns to corn.
Chris also champions a smaller experimental lentil crop. It is a specialty trial rather than one of the farm’s dependable income sources—a little agricultural optimism tucked among the practical decisions.
The farm changes with the season: spring mud and planting, summer haying and crop checks, autumn harvest, and winter cattle care, stored hay, snow clearing, and equipment repairs.
The Kelly Family
Robert and Debbie
Robert is a longtime farmer: practical, steady, community-rooted, and more likely to solve a problem with work than a speech. Debbie is the farm’s warm, observant emotional centre. Her kitchen, her tea, and her instinct for making room for someone are every bit as important to Kelly Farm as its fields.
Chris and Lara
Chris is Robert and Debbie’s son, a farmer, and an Ashby Lake volunteer firefighter. Calm, loyal, and dependable, he grew up on the property and works alongside his father. Chris’s wife, Lara, owns and operates The Perch. Her exact day-to-day role at the farm has not been established, but her place in the Kelly family is not in doubt.
A Place to Come Home
Katie Quinn
Katie is Lara’s cousin and a major Kelly-family connection. She lives at Kelly Farm for much of However Much or Little and Looking Up. During those books, the farmhouse is her home base and part of her everyday life—not merely somewhere she visits for family gatherings.
Erin Kelly
Erin is Robert’s niece and Chris’s cousin. When she returns to Ashby Lake, she stays at Kelly Farm before settling above Erin’s Veterinary Clinic. The farm reconnects her with her late father’s family and offers the Kellys’ characteristic kind of care: tea, food, work, patience, and the quiet certainty that she belongs.
Kelly Farm in the Ashby Lake Books
Kelly Farm is Katie Quinn’s home for much of However Much or Little and Looking Up. It also gives Erin Kelly a safe landing place when she returns in Nothing Too Fancy. Across these stories, the farm functions as a refuge, family home, gathering place, and emotional anchor rather than a decorative country backdrop.
Nearby Agricultural District locations include Ward Wines and Goat Haven.
Kelly Farm FAQ
Where is Kelly Farm?
Kelly Farm is on the rural outskirts of fictional Ashby Lake, Ontario, in the Agricultural District. Its exact civic address has not yet been established in the books.
Who owns Kelly Farm?
Robert and Debbie Kelly own the family farm. Their son Chris grew up there and works the property with Robert.
Who lives at Kelly Farm?
Robert and Debbie Kelly own and live at the farm. Katie Quinn also makes Kelly Farm her home for much of However Much or Little and Looking Up. Chris works the farm, while the exact residence of Chris and Lara has not yet been established.
What does Kelly Farm produce?
It is a mixed beef and field-crop farm with a modest cattle herd. Its established crops are corn, canola, and alfalfa–grass hay, along with a smaller experimental lentil crop.
Can visitors tour Kelly Farm?
No public access has been established. Kelly Farm is a private working farm and family residence, not a petting zoo, tourist attraction, or public retail property.
Is Kelly Farm a real place?
No. Kelly Farm is a fictional location in Ashby Lake, Ontario, the interconnected romance setting created by Canadian author Tasha Zima.