"Gardening is learning, learning, learning. That's the fun of them. You're always learning".
- Helen Mirren
If I had to put my finger on what it is that I like most about farming/gardening, it has to be the fact that no two seasons will ever be the same. We are always learning, making mistakes, switching things up, growing new plants, and hopefully making improvements to grow better plants each and every year.
It's exciting and it can be stressful, but it is mostly very rewarding and so worth the hard work. For me, growing flowers is the fun and easier aspect of the business. It's everything else that goes into business ownership that I find more difficult to navigate.
As we move into the 2021 growing season we are prioritizing our goals for this year, working on winter farm projects, starting spring seeds and caring for those already in the ground. We are also in the process of hiring new seasonal employees and planning for some exciting new expansion opportunities for the farm and floral business.
One of the projects we are currently working on is a new addition to one of our barns. This lean-to addition is going to hold our new walk-in cooler which will give us a lot more space to hold flowers once they are picked and processed. This past season we were constantly shuffling flower buckets around the cooler in an effort to create more space to fit in as much as possible. Coolers are an essential part of our operation as they allow us to pick and store freshly picked flowers so that we can hold them for several days until they make it into the hands of our customers. With the farm expansions we have made over the last couple of years, we realized last season how helpful it would be to have access to more refrigeration. Refrigeration helps to slow down the rate at which the flowers mature so that we can ensure an excellent vase life. In addition to the cooler, this space will also house an area for our workers to have a break room and for us to have an office space. Operating a business in a location that is also your home oftentimes means that there isn't much separation and therefore dirt, seeds, and all sorts of other garden supplies are left all over the home. I am excited to have this new space for us to use during the work day.
One of the more positive things that we have noticed since the start of COVID has been people's interest in growing their own plants and also wanting to participate in workshops. This fall we decided to offer a Grow With Us Kit which included some of our favorite spring flowers we plant in our gardens. This spring we are planning to offer another kit featuring some of our favorite summer annual flowers, perennials, and bulbs. We hope to share more information on this in the upcoming month. Additionally, one of the new offerings I am really excited about is our Monthly Flower Bucket Club! With not being able to host on-farm workshops last season and having uncertainty about the upcoming year, we have decided to offer a once a month flower bucket pickup. This bucket club will allow you to create your own arrangements using our farm fresh blooms. Each month we will select a different type of vase from our collection to demonstrate how you can arrange your DIY bucket of flowers on our Instagram page. From April to September we will feature different focal flowers in your bucket along with other seasonal favorite filler flowers and types of greenery. If you love flowers and a little DIYing this is the perfect way to relax, unwind, and spend an hour or two each month.
You can choose to purchase a 6 month subscription in order to receive a fresh bucket of blooms every month or you can select just the month(s) you would like to receive a bucket based on your flowers of interest. For more details on our new Bucket Club, visit our website to learn more and to subscribe!
Growing Update - This fall we planted our ranunculus and anemones a few weeks later than we do some years. They are growing well though and we are anticipating blooms around the end of March or beginning of April. If you love our spring flowers, we do still have some spots remaining in our spring CSA which will begin in mid-April once the flowers really start to pickup. Information regarding our weekly flower bouquet shares are available through our website. We can also send you a certificate to present to your friend, significant other, or family member if you would like to gift a share for Valentine's Day, or for any other reason!
So far this winter has been very mild on the flowers, but February is generally when it gets the coldest. This coming week looks like a really cold one and we will be burning through lots of firewood to keep our heated greenhouses warm! On these super cold nights we also may have to supplement our heating with propane. This week I made sure to fill our propane tanks in anticipation of the cold weather to come. Fingers crossed, the weather stays above zero.
Thanks for following along and wish us luck as we go through this cold snap! We're looking forward to the other side.
Tracey