That must be Katie's house with all the flowers...

We have so much planning and work to do that sometimes I get discouraged.  We're starting so small that this may not be viable and may not translate to a larger property/project later on.... the more and more I get interested in this and am looking around for ideas... I find more and more folks doing the same thing I want to do... IN THE SAME AREA.  But I take heart in a few things:

1) I am genuinely excited about the possibilities ... it's fun to think about and plan out the nitty gritty details!

2) There ARE other people doing the same thing I want to do... in the same area.  That means my ideas must be on the right track!

3) The local community and the larger community seem welcoming and it makes me think about something that Doug Fabbioli (Winemaker at Fabbioli Cellars) posted recently... "Call me crazy but I love to see people happy and succeeding.  Life is a journey, not a competition."  Doug has done much to foster this sense of community around Loudoun County and Virginia winemaking and I know it has had a positive effect on other industries as well.  I will take this to heart as we venture into the local flower farming movement and will endeavor to learn and grow and contribute to the overall sense of community.  Above all, I want to feel a part of something larger than myself and something that I'm passionate about.

A friend of mine came to visit us recently.  I really haven't seen her as much as I would have liked over the last 20 (gulp!) years but we are forever bonded by our high school experience.  We went to separate colleges and now live across the country from each other and although we knew each other really well as young adults, we might not know each other as well now that we have become adults and parents and all the other changes that life brings.  But the first thing she said to me as I met her in the driveway was that as she and her family were driving up our street, she told her husband, "That must be Katie's house with all the flowers..."

And so it begins...

Since we don't yet have beautiful flowers to show you, we thought you might like to share in our view (until they build homes behind our house) and our gorgeous sunsets... perhaps next year we will have dahlias in these colors...

It may not look like much, but our little seedlings are starting to sprout.  It's been 2 weeks and we've had some near-freezing weather overnight and I thought all was lost.... but... there is life under those row covers!  The Love-in-a-Mist is starting to sprout, as is the Dill, the Larkspur, the Bupleurum... no Poppies and no Rudbeckia yet.

We also finally got the second bed amended and planted with clover... I'll check on that tomorrow but it was already looking promising just a couple of days in.  We are also supposed to have some pretty warm temperatures this week so as long we can keep everything watered, I think we have a chance of having some plants come early spring!

Right now our watering system consists of my watering can (first Mother's Day gift a few years ago) filled by one of our two rain barrels.  This may not be the most sustainable system going forward so we are going to look into installing irrigation drip tape hooked up to our rain barrels at least by Spring.

We also have sent in our first soil samples and should get results by the end of the week.  Then we'll know what we need to do now and/or in the Spring to make sure we grow the best flowers we possibly can.

In the interim, I've been drooling over the Floret website and have been especially inspired by the stories of urban flower farming on tiny little plots of land:  http://www.floretflowers.com/2015/04/small-space-flower-farming-part-1/

It makes me think that we can do so much more on our 1/3 acre (which also includes the house).  Now I just need time at home to dig more beds... good news on that front is that my work location is moving closer to home so I will get about an hour back a day!  So excited!

Meanwhile, my perennial beds are expanding even more.  My aunt and uncle brought out some more plants and I'm hopeful that we will see them come back next year.  And so it begins...

First Hardy Annual Bed Planted... and Other Tasks Accomplished in 15 Minute Increments

I should mention that we've also read The Flower Farmer's Year by Georgie Newberry.  In this book she mentions that flower farming CAN be done in 15 minute increments and while you have children at home - 15 minutes to weed a 3'x10' bed, 15 minutes to plant a few perennials, 15 minutes to bring in your first harvest.  I'm taking this to heart and am already starting to see that it is true.

It sounds obvious (or too good to be true), that just tackling a little bit at a time WILL add up.... especially when trying to dig a new flower bed and I get three shovelfuls in and have to take off my boots and go inside because the kids didn't actually stay down for their nap... but.... look at what all we've done.

Mike got the first 3'x10' annual bed dug out ...

and I topped it with compost and fertilizer, planted seeds directly in the ground and covered with a row cover.  We've been watering every evening and are hopeful we'll see something other than weed seeds pop up in the next week or so.

Also, I finally got the first tiny perennial bed dug and planted with transplants from my Aunt Barbara's garden.  So excited to see these come back next year - peonies, russian sage, lilies, echinacea, artemesia, and iris!  In digging the perennial bed, I uncovered a water problem... too much water.

So I dug a trench all the way to the fenceline to drain the water out.  I then mounded the bed with at least 5 layers of compost and horse manure and hopefully have it raised and amended well-enough that those peonies won't have wet feet.... only time will tell.

We still have a lot of work to do:  finish the trench, cart away the sod and dig two more 3'x10' annual beds and plant with clover, plant spring bulbs... slowly but surely we will get it all done.

As I'm looking at the last of my spent flowers, I'm dreaming of what I will be harvesting from my garden next year.  This year has been spent growing babies (Will is now 6 months old) and getting an understanding of what is already established in the landscaping around our new house (not much).

So it is now Fall and time to dream..... Annuals and Perennials, oh my!  Of course I also work full-time, have a horrendous commute, and am otherwise occupied with the shenanigans of our two year old, Owen.  Sounds like the perfect time to take on a new all-consuming hobby of flower farming, right?

I do have to admit that I have an amazing support system in my husband, Mike, and in my step-daughter, Ellie (though she is currently away at college).  With this kind of love and support anything is possible.  Mike has already starting digging and preparing the annual beds and my aunt, uncle, neighbors and coworkers have offered up divided perennials for planting.  At the very least, we will have a colorful yard next year and I can't wait!

We'll be following the advice of Lisa Zeigler of The Gardener's Workshop and Lynn Byczynski who wrote The Flower Farmer and will post updates of our progress periodically.  Looking forward to sharing this journey through the seasons with you!