Weekly Updates
Gearing up for the Season
3/13/24
One of my favorite ways to share Eleven Mile Farm is through our workshops. Customers can join, spend some time in Nature, be inspired and HAVE FUN! And I get a chance to meet people one on one.
Today we launch our preliminary schedule for Spring and Summer. With construction happening on the farm, I’ve had to limit things a bit. But by Mothers Day, we will welcome folks for a wonderful kick off to the season!
I am returneing to the Let’s Get Growing workshops. This series will include time spent in the field harvesting and learning about certain varieties of flowers, which we will then use for arranging.
All workshops will touch on a subject near and dear to me- the Healing Power of Flowers. Treat yourself or a cherished one and spend some time surrounded by all things natural. Your mental well being will be enhanced.
Weekly Update 1/31/24
Historically, Eleven Mile Farm has not participated in Valentine’s Day offerings very much. It’s a quiet time on the farm with limited fresh flowers and the Flowershop dedicated to growing crated tulip bulbs. This has changed the past couple of seasons, and now customers can choose from some fun things from the farm if they want.
Our dried florals shine this time of the year, and my team loves making our beautiful dried floral heart wreaths. They are stunning and show all of the exquisite florals in pinks, reds, purples and whites. It’s a perfect everlasting piece.
Our Floral CSAs are a perfect gift that keeps giving and for someone who loves seasonal flowers- a perfect offering that will last for weeks.
Of course, as you know, our hydroponically grown specialty tulips are shining and will be offered in bouquets and arrangements for the special day. Finally, gift certificates are always welcomed and allow the recipient to treat themselves when they choose- another easy and thoughtful offering. So, think of Eleven Mile Farm when you want to treat yourself or a loved one with a little floral love next week!!!!
CSAs!
Weekly Update 1/24/24
Community Supported Agriculture or CSA- one of the primary ways we share our flowers at Eleven Mile Farm. Heading into our 4th season of CSAs, I am proud to say that this year will be our biggest yet with 8 different options offered beginning with our new Winter Tulip CSA and ending with our Fall CSA. That’s approximately 10 months of fresh, local seasonal flowers. I could not be prouder of this accomplishment.
What are the benefits of a CSA? Customers get to the front of the line when they purchase a subscription of weekly flowers and are guaranteed the freshest cuts from the field at a discounted rate. Our bouquets are not like others- I aim to include unique, specialized flowers and foliage and to educate customers on what they are enjoying in their bouquet. I love to surprise customers with unexpected elements and inspire them to look at their garden and flowers differently. I want people to feel as excited as I do by fresh flowers and bring them into their homes or share with a loved one.
We start off in spring with Specialty Tulips and Narcissus bundles. Then, Spring bouquet CSAs showcase delicate spring flowers along with ranunculus, anemones and peonies. The Summer series includes early summer blooms like snapdragons, sunflowers and yarrow and then moves to heat loving beauties like celosia, amaranth, cerinthe and dahlias. And the Fall series wraps the season with dahlias, mums and beautiful fall foliage.
Here is how it works. When you purchase a CSA, you can choose pick up (free) at the farm or delivery if your zip is 15238 or 15215. Other zip codes should contact us directly regarding delivery options. New for this year- we are trialing a few special pick up locations, which will be available at sign up. So, if you can’t make it to the farm, you might be interested in picking up at another local place. Once you pay for your CSA online, you will receive a general email confirming your purchase. Because we don’t have specific start dates, but rather loose timelines, customers are then contacted the week prior to their start date via another email with details. I encourage everyone to review the 2024 Eleven Mile Farm Floral CSA contract at https://elevenmilefarm.squarespace.com/csa-info, which has additional details about the program, and let us know if you have any questions.
Two acres is a significant amount of land for cut flower farming, but we can only grow so many flowers. Thus, we offer a limited number of subscriptions each season. Thanks to our amazing customer base, we do sell out, so it is smart to jump online and order as soon as possible.
There is a rank for ordering as follows: First in line are last season’s customers. They will receive an email with directions on how to order with a 24 hour window to sign up. Next in line are our email/ mailing list subscribers. If you want to have a better place in line, be sure to go online and sign up for the mailing list. I promise you will not be inundated with emails- we send a weekly newsletter with updates on the farm and current items for sale. Plus, email subscribers get a head’s up on special offers such as workshops, special sales and open houses. Finally, we will post to Instagram and the public that the Floral CSA sign up is available a few days later.
I hope that you will treat yourself to a 2024 Floral CSA subscription. Sign ups will get rolling in February. And if not, I hope that you will purchase a Becca’s Bouquet at some point this season so that you or a loved one can enjoy our locally grown flowers. Thank you!
TULIPS-3 Methods for Growing
Weekly update 1/17/24
Learning different methods of growing flowers has been key to season extension on the farm, and tulips were a great place to start. I now offer locally grown specialty tulips winter through spring, giving customers over twelve weeks of these magnificent blooms.
Pressure from deer forced me to explore crate growing methods early in my farming days. Cued by Erin Benzakein of Floret Farm, I studied online about how to prechill bulbs and plant them in crates with soil indoors. Within two months’ time, blooms burst and could be harvested with the bulbs kept intact and stored for up to three weeks in a cooler. It was amazing to see my Flowershop filled with thousands of brightly colored special varieties, and it provided several weeks worth of flowers.
As the farm grew, I was able to fence in areas to control deer pressure. But there were different challenges to contend with. Smaller critters, particularly voles, can destroy a crop within days. Environmental elements like unrelenting soaking rains and unusually hot Springs can alter the expected growth of the tulips. We built special raised beds with hardware cloth, which I filled with bulbs and trusted they would “do their thing.” Indeed, we get a later flush of specialty tulips this way, thus extending the season an additional 6 weeks.
Finally, this winter, I explored the benefit of hydroponic growing- nesting prechilled bulbs in water trays for growth indoors. Like the crate grown method, their growth can be controlled by managing heat and light. Unlike the crate method, there is extra pressure to maintain a sanitized environment to minimize any disease. Ultimately, with this method, I should be able to offer home grown tulips just in time for Valentine’s Day- what an absolutely special treat!
Three methods of growing tulips- over three months of locally grown specialty tulips. I am looking forward to exploring what other bulbs I can grow using these techniques next!
TULIPS
1/10/24 Weekly Update
Nothing says Spring like a Tulip. Brightly colored, tall and strong on a single stem, a wide range of structures from smooth and sleek to wild and frilly. I simply Love tulips.
It wasn’t always the case. I liked them fine- or at least what I saw in local grocery stores and shops. Who can resist a simple vase with 2 dozen yellow tulips loosely grouped and spilling over?
But then I discovered all the unique varieties of tulips that aren’t found in general stores- Doubles that look like peonies, Triumphs that are as big as the palm of my hand, and Parrots which are funky and bold and simply amazing. If you want some inspiration, grab a bulb catalog and peruse the tulip section. What an enjoyment.
In my quest to provide floral offering year round, succession grown tulips have become my kick off to the season. When I first started farming, I challenged myself to learn alternative growing methods which have given me the opportunity to offer and use tulips for more than three months of the year. And if my current plan works, I will be adding another month to that and have tulips available for Valentine’s Day!
Over the next few weeks, I will be talking about our tulip production on the farm. As we build towards February and the launch of our CSA registration, you can expect to be at the front of the line for what and how we are growing this special flower.
Healing Power of Flowers Focus:
"Like flowers, mental health requires nurturing, patience, and understanding. Both bloom beautifully when given the right environment and care."