I’m excited to share that the fourth episode of The Floret Farm Journal is now available to watch! As we settle into the rhythm of August, our growing season has reached its plateau. The decisions we made earlier in the year are playing out, and the season’s story has been revealed—which is both beautiful and challenging.
The August episode explores lessons learned the hard way and how we transform some of our biggest mistakes into powerful learning opportunities.
It gives a peek into our little vegetable plot, which has been such a source of joy and nourishment for the season, and Chris makes his famous salsa using the garden’s tomatoes and peppers. We reminisce about the long and winding journey we’ve had with dahlias, look at some of the most special new varieties in our breeding program, and share the magic of our dahlia fields in full flower.
Finally, we are reminded that our journey is not simply to succeed, but also to learn and grow along the way—and that sometimes the only reason you need for doing something is because you love it.
EPISODE RESOURCES
Floret Shire Breeding Hoop Houses
Farmer’s Friend Gothic Caterpillar Tunnel
Garden Supplies
Chris’s Salsa Recipe
Ingredients:
- 12 to 15 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 bunches green onions, chopped
- 1 to 2 bunches fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 to 2 roasted jalapeño peppers (depending on your heat preference)
- ½ lime, juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Tortilla chips
Prepare the vegetables and add them to a food processor along with lime juice and seasoning. Pulse until the desired texture is reached—smooth or chunky. Refrigerate until chilled. Serve with chips and enjoy!
Featured Plants
Dahlia ‘Venus’ [25:16]
Dahlia ‘Rhubarb and Custard’ [30:09] (this variety was noted as “the most coveted dahlia in all the world at this moment in time”)
Be sure to explore the Floret Library, where we’ve documented all of the plant collections we’ve grown here on the farm, including more than 500 stunning dahlia varieties and many of the flower varieties you see in this month’s episode.
DIG DEEPER
Recommended Dahlia Sources: We have grown more than 1,000 dahlia varieties over the past 20 years, and every season we trial dozens more. In this post, we share some of our favorite dahlia suppliers for quality and unique offerings located in the United States, Canada, and internationally.
How to Grow Dahlias: Learn how to grow dahlias from tubers and how to grow dahlias from seed in these posts. We share with you all the supplies, methods, and techniques needed to grow this magical flower. But be warned, once you’ve been bitten by the dahlia bug, there’s no turning back!
Floret Farm’s Discovering Dahlias: For an even deeper dive into dahlias, check out Floret Farm’s Discovering Dahlias. In this book, you can learn more about growing, saving seed, and even hybridizing dahlias to create your own beautiful treasures!
Dahlia Fall Mini Course: In this upcoming three-part video series, you’ll learn how to dig, divide, and successfully store your dahlia tubers over the winter. The course is free, but registration is required. To participate in the course, sign up here and keep an eye on your inbox. You’ll get an email with a link to watch the videos on October 7.
Floret’s breeding program: Dive deeper into our journey to develop new flower varieties. Read about our dahlia breeding adventures and dahlia experiments, get an overview of our breeding program, meet the Floret Originals themselves, and catch up with the latest on our 2024 year-in-review and breeding update.
Growing Floret TV series: If you’re interested in learning more about the farm, you can watch this documentary series that chronicles our mission to bring more flowers into the world. Be sure to check out season 1 episode 2, ‘Crossroads’, for more backstory on the “dahlia decision” referenced in this month’s Farm Journal episode.
After you watch, I’d love to hear how doing something simply because you love it resonated with you. Please leave a comment below telling us what you do just because you love doing it. We read every single note, and your journeys are so inspiring to us.
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