International Seed Shipping Update
Learn how to start your seeds
Home Blog This Week On The Farm: Week 9
February 23rd 2015

This Week On The Farm: Week 9

Written by
Floret

edited week 9-9 edited week 9-10 edited week 9-11The ladies got moved to a fresh patch of grass running the length of our driveway. Oh, our poor neighbors! I’m sure they wish our place was tidy and cute. I remember the day the neighbors to the south moved in. Both kids were outside in their rain boots, with umbrellas, buck naked playing in the puddles. Elora wandered over and introduced herself and showed them her favorite bumble bee boots. We all still laugh about that first meeting. Little did they know what they were in for.

edited week 9-17

The dahlia tubers we pulled from the basement and planted into bulb crates to take cuttings from are just about ready. I’m working on a detailed photo post for you on how we do this, so stand by! It’s a really great way to multiply your stock when you’re first starting out, only have a few tubers and want to increase your stock rapidly or you just want to get a jump on the season.

edited week 9-8 edited week 9-16The Icelandic poppies have decided that it’s officially spring here in Washington, despite what the calendar says. I’ve been picking a handful a day for the past week and full time harvesting is right around the corner. They are definitely on of my top favorite flower list and if you don’t already grow them, do consider it.

edited week 9-6The book writing is clipping right along. Even though it’s HARD, I finally feel like I’m getting the hang of it. We’re coming up on the first big deadline at the end of the month. Last week Michele Waite was here shooting for the winter chapter. We covered a lot of ground and I’m so excited to see what she captured. I pretty much decimated the hellebore patch in order to create some very special flower images. You know those moments when you can feel the air get really still and you know magic is underway? Well the hellebore shoot felt like that.

edited week 9-18The propapgation house (our one heated greenhouse) is already bursting at the seams with tens of thousands of baby plants. Sweet peas, lupine, nigella, snapdragons, cerinthe, campanula, queen anne’s lace, stock, icelandic poppies and so many more. It’s going to be such a beautiful season. I have 7 trials in the works for this year. A record number! I can’t wait to share what I learn with you here.

edited week 9-12 edited week 9-13The first round of compost tea for the season got applied. With such sunny weather and warm days it seemed like an ideal opportunity to feed all of the babies and keep them on the road to good heath.

How about you? What’s happening in your neck of the woods? Still buried in snow? Sowing seeds yet? Dreaming big dreams about the season to come?

 

16 Comments

  1. shawn on

    Loving you blog, thank you from a small farm wanting to explore the cut flower side of things. Just wondering if you ever posted a how to on planting bulbs in crates. Being that we are just starting we are just trying to learn the different ways to grow cut flowers. Thank you

    Reply
  2. Molly Baker on

    It feels like summer here in Southern California! I am just starting all of the summer things, I feel like maybe I have missed the spring window since all of the wildflowers are nearly in full bloom (I was vacationing in Oaxaca) I think we have definitely reached last frost. I wasn’t expecting to grow any cut flowers this year, but my hands are itching to! I was wondering if anybody had any ideas for me in terms of drought friendly flower farming? Any varieties? Any tips for me in terms of getting started?

    Thanks for this blog space!

    Reply
  3. Gracie Pelsue on

    Hahah I love this. I’m always so thankful for our three feathered ladies that keep our breakfast eggs as colorful as the ones above. We definitely don’t have as big of a gaggle as yours though! So amazing. I think you’ve officially inspired me to try poppies, love the colors here. Hmm I give himalayan blues a shot!

    Reply
  4. Michelle Shackelford on

    Were are still in the grips of below freezing temps and lots of snow. The sun has been making an appearance more than normal though. I’ll start my first field planting around mid April assuming that the snow will be gone by then. Much to do!

    I put in around 100 hellebores last year. Some were already old clumps from my previous home.

    I’m growing over 30 varieties of sweet peas this year. Some new goodies such as cotton, mina lobata, poppies, scented geraniums, etc. Plus, my 28 and counting Austin roses should be a pretty show, unless the freezing temps did them in.

    This year I will be ordering all of the fall planted bulbs by April. I never end up ordering anything as I always forget.

    Happy farming!

    Reply
  5. Laura on

    Sadly we’re still buried under 3’+ of snow and dealing with daily single digit temperatures here in western NY! I’m starting to wonder if I’ve some how ended up in northern Canada by accident…sure feels like it. At the moment all I can do is organize materials/supplies and prepare of the big melt (aka…mud season) which we all know is coming. I think all of western NY is ready for SPRING!!!!!

    Reply
  6. Fanny on

    According to the meteorologists it’s supposed to be spring here in the south of Sweden, but it’s not gardening spring yet. Looking forward to your post on the dahlia tubers, since I bought my first ones just the other day. In my dreams I see myself making arrangements with half open dahlias and lady’s mantle this summer. Time moves so slowly…

    Reply
  7. Viv on

    We still have ice and snow here in Indiana. I’ve been looking for the Appleblossom tubers that I couldn’t find last year. Alas, I can’t find any this year either. Hoping that my first crop of dahlias from last year is going to make it through the winter in my basement. I won’t start my zininas until April. I’ll sow sunflowers again, too. Getting a seed order in line to go in, but, also thinking of ordering some plugs, since I don’t have a hoop house. Temp. down to 10 tonight.

    Reply
  8. Mara - TheFarmAtOxford on

    Starting seeds indoors, makeshift greenhouse in a sunroom, seems to be working ok so far! Placing the rest of my orders for spring, and have to tackle the farm plan/layout.

    Please do a post on the dahlia cuttings, also how you start them to get them ready to take the cutting–looks like you have a clump of tubers there in the crate vs a sole mother tuber. I love hearing the various ways people do this. I will start in 2 weeks–hopefully I can get some additional stock this way!

    Reply
  9. Madeline on

    The temperature is finally back to double digits; but the ground is still covered with snow. We had our second meeting today with a contractor who will build an addition on our house that will function as a greenhouse/solarium/conservatory. It was done with the candlestick, by Professor Plum in the CONSERVATORY. Yippee!!

    Reply
  10. VillageKid on

    Spouse sure giggled with me when I read about the kids, puddles and birthday suits :-) As much as I should not admit it there are plenty of those memories of ‘skin feeling the breezes’ up here in the north!! (Even a personal story of spouse grabbing ONLY a gun, shoes and a hat to shade the eyes as a report of a Brown bear that had been ‘bothering’ the neighbor was headed our way…but no introducing himself to the neighbors :-)

    Ahhhh spring keeps trying to show up in our corner of Alaska. No snow for some time and mostly temperatures above freezing. Frost is quickly leaving the ground.

    There are lots of trays of newly sprouted seeds, just planted ones and more to come in many corners of the place. We will be directly seeding within a week or two and cannot wait!

    Saw my first bulb tips showing today….flowers to come!!

    Enjoy all those parts of making a book, the time will fly!!

    Reply
  11. Jan Bramwell on

    Good Morning from Australia…
    Tried to purchase the farmer and florist leather tool pouch plus your notes on growing fillers from your website but shipping wouldnt show up so message was to contact you re shipping…perhaps sadly you dont ship to Australia…fingers crossed I hope so. Would you mind letting me know as would dearly like to purchase these items and more for our new venture of working with flowers.

    Warm Regards
    Jan

    Reply
  12. Sharrie on

    It’s still icy in north Texas. It’s hazardous taking the dogs out — so slippery! And my balance is not what it used to be.

    It will finally get above freezing this afternoon but will drop below freezing tonight. And then we are expecting snow, maybe rain?

    The main roads are okay but all the neighborhood streets are slick, slick, slick! We will be staying home!

    Reply
  13. Waverly School Farm on

    Our neighbors have city ordinance on their side, so this week we have to ship off our four beautiful (but noisy) young roosters, hatched last October by the kindergarten. Two are going to Mojave to a goat farm, and two are going to Fresno to be kings of the breeding pen. In return, we’re getting a few little pullets. Bittersweet!

    Reply
  14. Killoran Moore on

    Beautiful weather in Victoria! I’m waiting for the cold snap – I know how it goes! This week I started a bunch of seed – my first commercial adventure! Each day I look at them and say “none of them are going to grow. I did it wrong. Oh my god.” And then I remember that plants WANT to grow. It’ll be okay!

    I also did my first rose-pruning. Nerve-wracking, I tell ya. It’s hard to follow the rules when all the growth is old, every cane is tangled with at least five other canes, and all the good, healthy stuff is smaller than a pencil. Haha. But I did my best and it’s looking sad, but a lot better!

    Apparently I was a big fan of being naked as a toddler. Off went the clothes the minute I stepped outside (where I also introduced myself to the neighbours)!

    Reply
  15. Corina on

    In my neck of the woods, it’s T-shirt weather and pea planting time. Crazy, ey?
    With all this gorgeous weather, I can’t believe I’ve been indoors so much… writing my bootie off, just like you. Except mine is just an e-book on homesteading, whereas yours is a big, gorgeous book. Still… kind of fun, this writing thing!

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Floret Farm's Small Plot: Big Impact

Small Plot: Big Impact

Inspiring stories, profiles & advice from 45 flower growers from around the world

Stay in the loop with our updates

Close

Join Us

Join the Floret newsletter and stay in the loop on all the exciting happenings here on the farm

Close