Success and Missteps in 2023
Hello and Happy Holidays! I hope that you have been able to rest and spend time with loved ones. I have been quietly reflecting on the hits and misses of the season to guide me in planning for 2024. Personally, it was a milestone year for me as I embraced becoming an Empty Nester. In truth, I think I challenged myself with learning flower farming 8 years ago in preparation for this moment. It has been a life saver for me.
All in all, 2023 was a great year for the farm. We made many new connections with customers, other growers and designers, challenged ourselves to learn new skills in the field, and embraced unique opportunities for growth. Let me emphasize here- I am so deeply grateful and excited about our customers- both old and new. Whether you visited us via a workshop, purchased flowers, liked us on Instagram or simply quietly followed along, I am So INCREDIBLY THANKFUL for you.
Some of the star successes of the year- we expanded our tulip succession series and doubled production by planting bulbs in the fields in addition to our crate grown tulips, which meant we had locally grown tulips available March- May. We joined the Greater Pittsburgh Flower Collective and connected with many other local flower growers as well as designers who value using local, seasonal flowers for their production. We built our relationship with Local Provisions, a community market and restaurant run by my friends Jessica and Brian Pekarcik, and offered seasonal bouquets and fun floral items throughout the year. Finally, I launched my specialty workshops focused on growing and using specific flowers for arrangements and my Healing Power of Flowers series which tuned into the mental health benefits of working with flora.
Despite many successes, there were some bitter failures, as well. Within every failure is an opportunity for learning, and I am certainly taking notes. In my journey to learn about a regenerative practices in growing, I’ve had to embrace the challenges that go along with this. Weeds, settling beds, pests, watering nightmares- these battles took up far more time and effort than I expected. Crops suffered, and I am reformatting several of the fields to accommodate these challenges. They say it takes extra time to get beds to their prime production using this methodology, and I’m weighing what is physically feasible for my team while not sacrificing too much in productivity.
The second big flop was a more personal one for me. Expanding the offerings of the farm requires reliance on extra hands to help, and it’s all about team work. To date, I have been very lucky connecting with people who have been wonderful fits for the farm- energetic, creative, smart and passionate. I hold each and every person who has dedicated some time here close to my heart as they have taught me much. However, this season was a bit off. I panicked in response to the goals that I set for myself and added too many new folks without planning for the time and focus that they would need for training and supervision. I expected my existing team to take over management of them without first checking if this was something they wanted to do and without giving them the support they needed to accomplish it. Needless to say, it was a disaster.
Building the farm requires a vision and clear expression of that vision is so others can join and contribute in ways that benefit all of us. I am taking the time to examine where the farm is currently and what I want Eleven Mile Farm to be in the next one, five and ten years. If you know me, you know that I dream BIG and for sure, you will see what I mean in the upcoming weeks. However, I am being extra thoughtful about building my community here, and who I need to help me accomplish my dreams. At the end of it all, it’s about the people- my team, my customers- that makes me most fulfilled. See you in the New Year! B
