Raising Flowers and Horses
It’s Still Winter and I’m Still Coping (Barely)!
What does a flower farmer do during a snowy January? Here are ways to lift the spirits and a few of the plants that I’m starting now.
The Magic of a Worm Bin
A worm bin can help your seed starting efforts. What is magic about worm castings? Studies have shown that the microorganisms found in earthworm guts are beneficial to plants. They improve a plant’s ability to uptake nutrients, thus boosting growth, and they improve a plant’s resistance to disease. Studies also show that plants that have been exposed to vermicast extract tea have these microorganisms in their roots.
What Does a Flower Farmer Do in the Winter?
I often get asked, “what does a flower farmer do in the winter?” It’s a good question. It’s often cold, sometimes the ground is covered in snow, clearly there aren’t any flowers to harvest, so what does a flower farmer do in the winter?
My first thought is a quote I often see bandied about: “Anyone who thinks gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year; because gardening begins in January with the dream.” Josephine Neuse, author of The Country Garden.
My winter has been a little different.