Well the leftover & customer donated pumpkins have been eaten by the goats & sheep, all the flower beds have been prepped for planting in the spring, and now it is time to start new seedlings for the 2021 season! The teeny tiny Lisianthus seeds will be the first as they take forever to grow, but the end result is pure heaven! I’m trying some new varieties this year… stay tuned to see the progress as these are one of the slowest growing flowers I know
Well NH has finally gotten a forecast of rain but I doubt it will be the 14 inches we need for this year!!! I will be hopeful and grateful for what we get! Hand watering this year was crazy & ate my time!! That fact has showed me that drip tapes are a must for flower farming because of global warming. This is our second year in drought, so I doubt the trend will stop, but if everyone could be mindful of water use, it could slow the progress. Flowers just can’t be spectacular without water, so I will use best practices to conserve water. I will continue to catch rain water, but will need to supplement with other water too. If we can all start to do small things to fix the earth… for example buy local so there is less transportation, we can help! My flowers have never been on a plane, boat or the like as I do my part. Today I will do my research for the best drip tapes to purchase with my sustainability in mind.
Today on the flower farm will be busy trying to secure things and keep the leaf mold where it belongs. I am behind, but I am confident that a few extra minutes can get my landscape cloth down over the leaf mold. Trying to heal the soil from the last blooms is so important, and I do this by adding natural ingredients to the soil that boost the microorganisms and nutrients. The leaf mold is key. As it decays it will add what the soil needs, and help with weed suppression. So much work goes into the flowers, and many don’t realize that without these extra steps, the flowers would not be premium but weak and lanky with blooms that last just a few days.
