Eleven Mile Farm January Wrap Up- New Growth
It used to be that January through March was a time of hibernation for me. Stepping back and cleaning up, cleaning out and restoring myself. I took several weeks to take a break from the farm and enjoy it from the windows rather than in the fields. Maybe I took an online class or worked on my volunteer hours for my Master Gardener certification, but it was at a leisurely pace.
Things are a bit different now. Each year, the winter To Do list grows figuratively and literally- things seem to keep developing here!
My biggest challenge this January was learning hydroponic growing of tulips. Inspired by The Tulip Workshop, I set the goal to extend my offering of locally grown flowers another month and have tulips available in February using this amazing growing method. Essentially, bulbs are pre-chilled and then forced in water under lights. I give myself a B- for the overall outcome. While I can say that I logistically will have those flowers for February, they came on in force a few weeks earlier than anticipated. I lost at least a quarter of my bulbs to two mistakes- a combination of missteps in growing techniques and poor selection of one variety of bulbs that are not fond of this type of growing medium. Granted, I backed into this experiment and had bulbs before hydroponic trays had arrived and growing spaces that were not ideal. My pivot turned out well enough, and I will do better next time round- but a loss of almost 800 bulbs is not easy to accept. The tulips are stunning and very much welcomed in these gray January days, however.
As we wrap the hydroponically grown tulips, the crate grown ones are lengthening right before my eyes. We spent a week tucking thousands of bulbs into soil in crates and nestled them into the Flowershop. This is my 4th or 5th season growing this way, and it brings the 2nd wave of tulip explosion to the farm. I expect to have only a few weeks pause on fresh tulip offerings!
We also pushed forward with our ranunculus and anemone planting this month. I have become an avid weather forecast watcher and saw a window of warmer temperatures. So, we presprouted our corms and got planting one 55 degree day. Only a few more trays to go! Next year, I am going to try to get them started in the fall with proper vole protection.
Speaking of voles, we lost some of our Hardy Annuals to critters and a couple of days with high winds and freezing temps. The row cover blew off of a row and some plants froze (although several varieties were fine nestled under a blanket of snow). Luckily, I succession plant these crops, and we have started seeds (the earliest we ever have to date!) to transplant out in March.
Amidst these projects, we have been dividing dahlias, cleaning buckets, purchasing seed and planning the upcoming season. We are selling our tulips and fulfilling our Winter Tulip CSA orders, and I was happy to be able to take tulip bunches to our friends at Local Provisions, too. We are cleaning and organizing the garden room and planning to relocate to the front of the farm in a few weeks (more to come on that next month!). Finally, we are prepping for Valentine’s Day with our dried heart wreaths and fresh arrangements.
I have been able to spend time reading, and here is a quote from Dr. Qing Li’s Forest Bathing:
“We all know how good being in nature can make us feel. We have known it for millennia. The sounds of the forest, the scent of the trees, the sunlight playing through the leaves, the fresh, clean air- these things give us comfort. They ease our stress and worry, help us to relax and to think more clearly. Being in nature can restore our mood, give us back our energy and vitality, refresh and rejuvenate us.”
Days are getting longer- treat yourself to a walk!!!
From the Fields- Becca