My big dreams of an abundant late summer flower harvest from the seeds I started in July DID NOT happen. The only productive and legit flower crop I managed to squeak out this summer, was a small patch of Zinnia's in my vegetable garden. In addition to this little patch of Zinnias, I was lucky to have some of my favorite and reliable herbs from the garden, and my hydrangea bushes (for which I am very grateful).
While not truly being in production -yet- was a bummer (I can really set the bar high sometimes - too high!!) I cannot let this summer's disappointment slow me down...Now- I am going to admit- that in the first place, I did not have the right set-up for my summer seeds, when I jumped into this feet first. In all my excitement and wanting to kick start my dream RIGHT NOW, I was winging it. What the heck was I thinking? I tried to make do with the supplies and seeds I had laying around the house. And well, naturally that mixed with bad weather, going on vacation, and just plain old bad luck, I did not get the best results- and so I failed.
Now, on the flip side, of what I call a little disappointment- is the bright side of things! My bright side is that in my spare time this summer (after working full time, and being a mom and wife) I was READING. All summer I have been researching and devouring any flower farming articles, blogs, videos, and resources I can get my hands on. The main sources for flower farming information that I have found useful are:
Lisa Ziegler The Gardeners Workshop (I love her!!)
Erin at Floret (Oh my gosh, have you seen her flowers and farm?? I first read about her farm in Sunset magazine and my flower farm dream sparked!
The ASCFG an excellent resource
Johnny's Selected Seeds (what a great company) and
The Flower Farmer -an older book from the 90s ( it's the nitty gritty and practical knowledge one needs)
And on a side note, I spent a lot of hands on time in the vegetable garden and observing mother nature.
So I placed my seed and bulb orders with professional flower farming companies, I purchased quality seed starting supplies, and I'm off to a good start. That is the beauty in this flower farming journey. You get a chance to start again with the coming and going of every season. It's amazing!! A clean slate for fall. And I have SO much more knowledge than I did just a few months before. That reading and research is paying off! My little fall seeds are thriving and I'll be putting them in the ground within the end of the month. My first official flower bed on the farm is almost ready. I'm so excited and a little nervous to be honest. I worry about the timing of everything, pests, weeds, frost, and the winter to name a few. But hey, I just have to try. The excitement of what the spring could bring outweighs the worry of what might go wrong.
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