So, a disappointing July did not get me down, but because I had to start again, and continue to fight the drought this year, I have been quiet here & my social media. We have had our first frost, and will have another one tonight, so I will be using the tiny bit of time I have in the mornings before work to try to get my website and social media up to date!
So (above) you can see what our poor ground looks like even today- although we have had a couple storms, the rain is very hard for a short time and runs off quickly! Not helping the soil. In the few hours of dampness, the heat dries to soil to powder again. The trees survive by allowing leaves to brown and dry, and the plants are at a constant state of stress. Our clay soil is so hard, that when you walk on it, tiny clouds of dust powder puff after your steps. This fall was brown with a dappling of color because the trees were stressed. Our days are still in the high 70’s to 80’s during the day and 50’s at night. It appears that we will start a cool off soon, and I can only hope rain comes with it. But I have been trying to take every opportunity to use this time wisely and not to dwell on mother natures decisions.
First we set up a rain & dew collection area and pumped all caught water to the flowers- that’s why I have been able to have blooms at all!
I called and emailed nagging my well company weekly -sometimes daily- only to be told that I was bumped again because drinking water came first. Drought is hard on peoples wells and I completely understood, but wanted to be sure I didn’t get lost in the insanity. I continued going to any markets, festivals & food truck events I could, selling bouquets and stems and making new friends. I have been meeting so many wonderful people who are really supportive and want Acres Abloom to continue & they helped me get up at 5 every morning to get out to the fields!
Friends and Family came to visit and reminded me how much we really have accomplished in the first year. We went around Dickson and showed our guests why we chose this special town, and everyone agreed we did good! We found a friendly community with great events & the cutest downtown! We love Dickson, but somehow having the people who are in your heart, SEE that we are in a great place, well it’s hard to explain, but heartwarming and gave me a love sandwich I needed to keep going .
then the special day came the last days of August- the well truck arrived! But it was broken, and we waited another 2 1/2 weeks for it to be repaired- supply issues – Ugh! The day arrived for drilling and we hit water at almost 400 feet- a costly and not very productive well, but better than nothing! I can home from my day job to find that the truck was gone and the well was capped- I ran inside to see if there was water- nope! it would be another 2 weeks to get the actual pump and pressure switch and tank set up, but on September 18th we had running water! This winter and spring we will be setting up our irrigation and next years flowers will not be as stressed! I tried again for a NRCS help and was denied- Ill try again.
While waiting for the watering woes to be resolved, we were busy growing, mulching, harvesting, selling, and building. We are doing the finishing touches on our flower barn! not only does this area have our cooler and office, it has room for us to have and area to do workshops and bulk sowing of seeds, bucket washing and bouquet production. But probably the best news is – the barn cats finally get out of the tiny spot they were in and have a home.
At the end of October, we had to say goodby to our Elvis kitty of 20 years and we took a weekend away to go to NH. And after that much needed boost, we came back with vengeance and have been hitting the fields hard!! The rows are prepped and almost all mulched, many rows are planted, and we have set up the low tunnels (no thanks to NRCS- denied on that too). most bulbs are ready to go in and it’s really looking good for next season! I still have seedlings to transplant and cover before tonight’s dips in temperatures – so I’ll have to sign off for now – thanks again to all of you for your support of my dream.
