Tomorrow is Earth Day, and I thought you would find it interesting as a flower grower what I do every day growing flowers, not just on Earth Day, or the week of Earth Day but every day for the Earth.
First, and although you probably know this, no chemicals are used here at the farm. Not even “organic approved” chemicals. Even though they are allowed for organic certification, any pesticide, organic or not, kills. And that will not happen here. I strive for biodiversity with hedgerows, brush piles and bird houses placed all over. Yes, I fence out the deer, but only in what I am trying to produce. They have free range everywhere else on the property. The hedgerow material gives habitat as well as food sources, and pollinator plants are also planted on the edges. I want the birds and the amphibians to do their work on the insects. If I have to, I will squish, with or without gloves…
Water for all the verge plantings are watered with tank water collected from the roof every rain storm. Even though we have well water, I try to save that for the house, although the large cutting garden is on well water, the beds are all on drip irrigation and are mulched heavily.
Once the flowers are harvested they are placed in clean buckets with clean water. If you don’t want to drink the water, you flowers won’t want to drink the water. I don’t used floral preservative, but you are welcome to especially for the summer “dirty flowers”. Keep your vessels clean, change the water often, cut the ends of the stems when you change the water and the flowers will last.
When I wrap the flower bunches, or bunch the bouquets, they are wrapped with brown kraft paper and tied with raffia. When the flowers have gone by, they are safe to add to your compost pile without any harm. The cups you are welcome to take your flowers home are already recycled, and you are welcome to use the same cup each time you come to get flowers. These McDonalds are already being recycled.
I do everything I can to make this flower farm, and the rest of the farm here sustainable and safe for every critter. Yes, my flowers are more expensive that what you would get at Shaw’s or Trader Joe’s, but remember, they are safe to give, safe to compost and even safe to eat if they are edible, and many of them are. Support your local flower grower, no matter where you live. We are all making the Earth better.
On to what is happening here at the farm. I seem to be behind in seed sowing, but that will get done tomorrow. All of the perennials and biennials have been planted out…self sown seedlings will be transplanted tomorrow to places they need to be versus willy nilly. The last of the forced tulips will be harvested this week and the field grown ones are showing buds! Hopefully the remaining irrigation will be hooked up in the high tunnel before Steve leaves for a photo tour with friends…The narcissus are starting to color up, the peonies are starting to show more than buds and the farm is a happy happening place.
The last two photos are of the tulips that were offered last week, and one more…
So until next week, may you be kind to the earth, support any local flower grower and enjoy the days of sunshine.
Allie. I dream of flowers. Do you?