Can I please just get a day in the garden?

Well it is officially the First Day of Spring!  We've had some pretty major ups and downs temperature-wise and I know a lot of folks in the area have been worried about their early flowering plants... either I'm a little cooler where I am or I put stuff in the ground late last year and that is why they are late.  I suppose we shall see next year what schedule they are on.  I have been able to pick some daffodils and they make me so happy!  Just sunshine in a little cup!

I also went up to my local nursery and picked up (finally!) a forsythia and a flowering quince.  I did receive some gifts of each of these from my aunts but they don't seem to have fared well so I'm starting from scratch.  It is so nice to see those bright flowers in the garden while everything else is still brown, though with a bit of green poking around at the bottom of some of the plants.

Because of our temperature swings, I haven't cleared out the garden yet, basically wanting the old plant matter to provide some additional protection from the high winds and cold temperatures.  It looks like in the next 10 days we have one more night that might get to the 20s but everything else looks like 30s, 40s and even 50s as low temperatures.

These two little ones, in between eating dirt and who knows what else, smacking each other upside the head and picking up things that they're not supposed to... they make it a little hard to get anything done.  But, guess what, they did help me plant a rose bush last night... they dug their little holes and I dug mine and they helped me cover it up... progress!

And, of course, my Mike... who puts up with me as we both are trying to figure out all of this and try to get it done right... or just get it done!  He made the planting template so now we just need to get the landscape fabric situated on the beds and Thursday night I am planting my first seed block transplants!!!  I am so excited!  They are probably hating me right now because they should have been planted weeks ago and are getting to such an overgrown state that I'm not quite sure how many I have.. but, whatever, they are going in the ground!  I have some snapdragons too and they might just end up in the same bed as the stock because they are so few (maybe 6).

I have been losing confidence in my Green Thumb abilities with soil blocking... but I have my third round of seed blocks going and I MAY have gotten it right.  The first set was too wet and cold, the second too hot and dry... and this third... not dry... maybe a little too warm... but it's looking okay at least.  Anyhow, I guess some plants are better than none and I've noticed that when I give up on snapdragon seedlings... then somehow those trays start to show a little life.

So I really don't get much time in the garden, and last night I came home from work, kicked off my heels and threw on my boots and went out to the garden... dress and all.  I know my neighbors must wonder what I'm up to but I just needed to get out there and changing clothes takes time.  So, in this cute little number - ha! - I planted two rose bushes, three heleobores, got my dress caught on a raspberry vine and tried to keep the boys away from daddy who was setting up the drip irrigation.  But can I please just have a day in the garden?

Is this Spring?

We've had such a strange winter... or lack thereof, that I think the plants and all of us are a bit confused.  I've had cheerful little crocus heads peaking up at me in the morning in all of their yellows, purples and whites.

As I head off to work I check on the daffodils and the tulips to see how much they've grown (and if the bunny rabbits and/or deer are continuing to munch on the tulips).  I saw life from a peony that I had long ago given up for dead and was just overjoyed to see it poking it's funny little purple/red fronds up.

We go from 70 degree days to 40 degree days within the same three-day span and while I'm excited to see all these signs of Spring, it comes with worry that it comes too soon.  Technically we have seven weeks to go before our official last frost date of 18 April and I wonder if some of these plant babies are going to make it through the temperature swings that are ahead of us.  

I'm continuing to work on my seedlings and soil blocking.  I've already learned some "what-not-to-do's".  Basically, it seems that where I was starting my seedlings was a little too cool and I had quite a bit of damping off.  I also over-watered which didn't help anything.  We went out and purchased a $40 space heater and it seems to have done the trick (along with the 70 degree days).  So, I've rescued what I could of the snapdragon seedlings (oh, I might have five left...) and the stock (these did much better) and am at a point where I need to get them in the ground.  Here they are hardening off on the front porch.

We are a little behind on getting our beds going... but the boys are enjoying their makeshift sandbox!

In the background you can see the original three beds we prepared.  Two were planted with a cover crop of clover.  I've heard that the benefit really comes from letting them flower before you turn them over, but I might just bite the bullet and turn these into the bed for the seedlings I have that need to go in the ground now.  The third bed was planted on 3 October with cool flowers and they are continuing to flourish.  In this photo you can see dill and larkspur that will need to be thinned once they get a little taller.

The next projects are to get the beds on the other side of the house prepared and outfitted with drip-tape irrigation and landscape fabric (to cut down the need for weeding).  The longer term plan is to hook the irrigation up to rain barrels but we may initially hook it up to our regular hose-bib with Town water until we can get all of our barrels in place.  Lots of projects ahead, but also hopefully lots of flowers!  I can't wait... and maybe Spring isn't going to wait either...

Patience...

This winter has been all about dreaming and planning and preparing.  I have ordered seeds and soil blocking equipment and have started to develop my spreadsheets of what I will plant where and when.  And I have created an impromptu filing system for my seeds with notes on when I will plant, how many, etc.

Every now and then I go out and peak under the row covers to check on the tiny little bed of hardy annuals I planted back in October... they are still there which means the bunny rabbits have somehow stayed away!  I suppose I can uncover them, but since we are about to get another cold snap next week it won't do any harm to keep them covered.

And I have just completed my first bit of soil blocking.  Thank you Lisa Mason Ziegler for your videos and generosity in sharing your expertise!  Oh how I love playing in the dirt!  I have a seed starting area set aside in one part of my basement.  An old folding table serves as the main work surface where I mixed the soil and water and created the blocks.  My husband thinks they look like little brownies and I have to admit that they do.  Of course my two year old heard that and now I won't be surprised if I find him nibbling on one in the near future...

For my first foray into soil blocking I started with snapdragons (some from The Gardener's Workshop and some from Floret) and stock since both are hardy annuals that I should be able to put out in the garden before the last frost date has passed.  It was fun making the little blocks and honestly somewhat zen-like using the seed pan and toothpick to put the seeds on the blocks.  Although I was zoning out while doing that, I was also comforted by the sounds of all my boys in the next room:  my husband playing the guitar and the two year old and baby running/crawling/scampering around.

And this morning I went in to check on the little blocks... and now patience as it should take 3 to 7 days for the snapdragons to germinate and 7 to 14 for the stock... patience, patience, patience.

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!