Month: January 2021

So here we are at the eve of February 1. The light is really starting to change, it is up earlier and now we don’t have to do barn chores so early because at 5:30 it is still light. What a blessed thing that is. Now my gardening fun begins. Seed sowing! One of my most favorite tasks, watching the smallest little seed sprout in a matter of days, and in a few months create such beauty. I have always enjoyed working with seeds, back in the days of the old Woodman’s I would be sowing seeds up in the old seed shed at the top of the hill, In CT I was in charge of all seedling production from calculating starting dates to transplanting dates to getting them on the shelves dates. In Australia I was also sowing seeds, from seasonal color to Australian native seed, so seed work and I go W-A-Y back.

I am going to try something new this spring. I have been studying and I am going to have a go at sowing a trial batch of cool flowers. I will sow them tomorrow to be planted out in the garden around March 15 and we will see how it goes. I was looking at old photos of the gardens and lot of snow is already gone. Although I have no control over the amount of snow in the gardens, I can melt a bed with black plastic, and warm the soil enough to get the seedlings in. It will be mid March so it should be doable. Wouldn’t it be really great to have early stock, snaps and larkspur to go along with the spring bulbs? Talk about a spring bouquet!

I am trying a new seeding method this year as well just to challenge myself some more. I am going to try soil blocking. Here Ivan is posing with the soil blocker.

This is supposed to speed up the whole seeding process. Each block gets one seed, and there will be no more transplanting out into 806s, the little six pac’s that you buy at the nursery. Not only is this to speed up the process but it is supposed to make stronger seedlings because the growing medium is better, but I will also be eliminating plastic which is even better. Although I do recycle the cells pacs every year it sure would be good not to have to use them at all.

Also to be started tomorrow are the ranunculas and anemone’s. They didn’t get very good care at the end of their season last spring so I am not sure how they will do, to be completely honest.

But I figure nothing ventured, nothing gained. If they don’t show any swelling after being soaked for a few hours, I more than likely won’t bother to plant them. The really sad part is when I went to order some last fall they were sold out. That would be such a real shame because they were so early and so beautiful. Follow the blog to see how thing are going. I will be more organized this year, or I will try to be more organized.

The good news? I still have some dahlias that are looking OK. I am checking them weekly now. It will be interesting how many dahlias will be sold out when I go to put my order in this week. Lots of growers that are selling their tubers are sold out in a matter of hours after going online, so I will be making my list tonight and placing it during the snow we are supposed to be getting on Tuesday.

If you know of anyone who would be interested in locally, sustainably and lovingly grown flowers have them send me their email and I will get them on the blog and newsletter list. There is always room for more flower lovers. They can send me their address at flowersatlottarock@gmail.com and I will get them on the mailing list. Spring is coming and I don’t want anyone to miss out. Anything else? Ahhh, I will leave you with this last photo to whet your appetite of beauty to come.

Until next week. Allie

What a boring title, but what else is there to say. It is bloody cold, the goats, donkeys, dogs and chickens are not happy. Especially with the wind, but I keep telling them that spring is on the way. Granted, it is still seven weeks off at best, but there is a power of positive thinking.

I have been reading the book Cool Flowers, and did a webinar, the first of many this winter I might add, so I am hoping that spring will come earlier because of my new found knowledge. I know. Spring happens when she wants to arrive, but sowing seeds and planting them outside in a bed around March 15 is nothing but gasp! Stay tuned.

So my classes are going well. I was planning to be in the background with the NE Flower Growers Conference that is virtual this year, you know, just listening in, gleaning info , but crap, I have to really participate. I even have homework. Suck it up Kerwin. You can do this. Although being a wallflower is so much easier.

But getting back to the first zoom thing I did last Wednesday, I did glean a few things. I was not the only one that had problems getting their dahlias to bloom. This also happened to seasoned growers. I sigh deeply. I wasn’t just me. And I wasn’t the only one that was hugely worried about water, or the lack of to farm my flowers. And the most important message delivered last week is that people really do want flowers, they are important and not a luxury item. Especially this last year, and probably this year hopefully. It brings life and beauty into lives and now more than ever that is needed. I will try to price my flowers to bring joy to everyone.

Seeds are rocking in, although with our lovely USPS not as fast as they used to. It is a good thing I ordered early and hopefully I will have everything by the time I start sowing seeds in early February. The kitchen cooking island is covered with sowing schedules, calendars, catalogs with growing info, post-its and everything else to get me organized for the upcoming months.

So I leave you a photo of last year of what is to come. Till next time. Allie

One would think that even on these cold and mostly cloudy days that this flower farmer would be sitting around twiddling her thumbs waiting for spring, but you would be oh so wrong. Seeds have been ordered and some have arrived and some I am still waiting for to be shipped. Dahlia tubers will be ordered this week. I am checking the remaining of last year’s tubers almost daily and I think, fingers crossed that they will be OK. What a blow that was to find a third of the stored tubers mush. Off to the compost they went. More exciting varieties will be ordered.

Speaking of exciting varieties I might have gone a bit nuts ordering flower seed. I have lots of new varieties that I am going to try and of course many of the old tried and true favorites. The seed sowing schedule has been printed and I am gathering last year’s sowing notes. I am also signed up for a webinar this week on growing cool flowers so if I can get some of that knowledge under my hat I might have a larger selection of flowers available in the spring. It is all very exciting.

I am also signed up for a virtual “Flowering in the North Series” through U. Maine, a total of 6 nights in six weeks. I hope my brain will be able to handle all of this info. Two years ago I went to the same conference and came home with my brain a buzzing. If nothing else, it will make winter zip by even faster.

In the meantime, I walk the gardens, keeping my fingers crossed. I was getting worried about all the exposed beds where the snow had melted and where I had some tender bulbs planted and this fall’s crop of peonies, so I took all the Christmas wreaths that had been dropped off for the goats to enjoy, and l placed them over the raised beds to give added protection.

I also want to thank everyone that called for me to pick up their Christmas trees for goat entertainment. As you can tell, this was taken back when there was no snow.

Until next time, Allie

Here we are. 2021. I never thought it was going to happen but Yay! A new year, new flowers and new growing experiences. Everyone knows that flower gardening is never stagnent, but always changing, for the better or the worse, we are always kept on our toes.

To get you up to date, I know you have been waiting for this. The first batch of flower seeds have been ordered and delivered.

Then I realized that I had more to order, more varieties that is, than what was in the catalog so another huge order has been placed. Two or more orders to different seed companies need to go in this week. The word out on the gardening street is that orders are extremely strong and seed is selling out fast. Chop chop. Get those orders in. Lesson learned on Jan 1. A online dahlia sale was to go live on Jan 1 at 9:00am. When I got to the computer at 11:30 am all had been sold. Chop Chop.

Speaking of dahlias, I checked on the ones I had in storage and I lost about six varieties. Damn. I don’t know if they were stored to wet but they have now been added to the compost pile. The rest of the tubers look good so far so I am keeping my eyes open and my fingers crossed. Don’t worry, I will still have plenty of dahlias come next summer. All is not lost.

I am hoping that the snow cover finally stays for the rest of the winter protecting the flower beds. All that beautiful snow we had before Christmas melted away on Christmas day. NOT a very nice present I must say. I just need to have the spring bulbs, peonies and perennials that all got planted in the fall covered. I did put leaves and bark mulch on top of everything before the ground froze, but snow cover is just an added insurance. On the good note, the pond down in the donkeys pasture is as full as I have seen it at this time of year so I should be going into spring with adequate water.

Now that the gardens are going to be as large as I think they are going to be, (Don’t laugh, that is the plan) I am going to work on making the gardens more sustainable. Lots of flowers are going to be added in the verges for pollinator’s, and lots of cover crops will be sown to build up the soils. My flower pixie is busy making potions to feed the plants with from what I have already growing on the property like comfrey, nettles and dandelions.

As you can see, I have a lot of exciting things happening on the farm already this winter so stay tuned. One thing I can say. It wont be boring.

Until next time. Allie