I know 2020 was rough on everyone! For so many reasons it feels good to turn the page on it, but I did want to take a minute to look back at some of the bright spots for us on the farm - because while we had to switch gears a few times, we actually love the direction that COVID forced us to take as a flower farm and I am excited to continue down that road in the new year.

Bouquet delivery

We started taking our flowers on the road in 2020 and we are not looking back! I was always fearful of dealing with delivery logistics but because traffic was reduced and, honestly, because we had to try, we started making deliveries - first for Mother’s Day and then “just because” - and it was a huge success for us! I LOVED delivering to your doorsteps and playing flower fairy - Delivering flowers ALWAYS brings smiles and enthusiasm. One of our loyal customers bought TEN bouquets (on several occasions) to spread some cheer to her friends - I mean how fun to have such a fun and thoughtful friend (and customer!!) It was so great to figure out how to get our flowers into more of your homes after years of trying to think through how to make it happen and we are excited to grow this part of our business in 2021!

Wholesale

Our floral designers were deeply affected by COVID - the shutdowns, social distancing and strict regulations on gatherings meant postponing / cancelling an unbelievable number of events in our area. Growing high quality flowers for wedding and event designers has been my focus since starting the farm and I will continue to grow with events in mind (think — white) in the new year. I greatly missed working with “my” designers on a weekly basis, watching them take our blooms and make magic with them.

In 2019 I and several other local farmers started a flower cooperative in an effort to work together to get our flowers into more designers hands in an easy one stop-shop capacity - we deliver to one location and they pick up or request delivery for an additional fee. It has been one of the best things I’ve ever worked on and while 2020 wasn’t what we thought it would be, we had a strong year, worked with old and new flower lovers, and the coop will continue our mission — I look forward to seeing how 2021 unfolds.

Cover crops

While the photos of our cover crops may not be as beautiful as our flowers, to me, they are one of the most beautiful and important things I’ve (FINALLY) implemented on the farm and am starting to see the fruits of my labor. Besides the insane beneficial insect presence they bring (this buckwheat literally buzzed with bugs!!), the other “instant” benefits we’ve noticed are moisture retention and weed suppression. We have to assume that some really good work is happening underground in the soil ecology / microbiology but truly those are things I have lots to learn about before I can write about them!!! Just know this - cover crops are worth the time and effort and I’m glad to finally have made them a priority in our flower field. There are options for the home gardener as well - Botanical Interests sells cover crop seed in smaller packets!

Dahlia Tuber Store

We started selling tubers in 2020 and will be doing more of the same in 2021 - Aiming for sometime in February! This was another highlight of our year - sharing the fruits of our labor so that home gardeners can try their hands at growing dahlias that are winners for cutting and vase life (as far as dahlias go!!). A plug to sign up for our newsletter - be the first to know when we launch our tuber store!

Speaking of our newsletter and this blog I am determined to write more often in 2021! I love having a place to look back at successes and mistakes - there are plenty of both - and especially love being able to look through the beauty that comes off the farm. An old friend was asking how I know what I’m doing, and truthfully much of what I have learned is from the internet! Having a place to document some of what is going on will help me remember and also share what works for us in the hopes it may help someone else sometime!!

Thank you as always for your support, enthusiasm and encouragement! We love sharing the beauty from our fields with you and sharing locally-grown goodness wherever we can! Looking forward to another flower-filled season!