There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into planning for an upcoming growing season. I will be honest, I have been procrastinating this year. Between working full-time, being a mom, and moving... I just haven't had the brain power to sit down and plan. But the other day I had short window of opportunity to sit down at my favorite coffee shop. I was able to get a lot accomplished! Farmhouse Flowers is currently a "side hustle" and because of this, I have to find time to weave the flowers into my life.
This morning I have a little bit of time before the day begins and I thought it would be fun to give you the inside scoop to how I plan for the upcoming season!
First thing is first! Order seeds. I like to order my seeds right after we wrap up harvest in the fall. Just like everything else right now, seeds can be back ordered or sold out and I like to get a jump start. This year I got carried away and I ordered a bunch of new varieties.
It is important to buy a mix of focal flowers, fillers and secondary blooms. I have struggled with growing enough filler so this year I focused on adding new options like ornamental grasses, ornamental kale, amaranth, statice, basil, etc.
The second step is to create a seed sowing schedule. I start a lot of my seeds indoors under grow lights. I usually start the first round in March. I pair the days to harvest with the date on the calendar to plan out when I should start those seeds. For example Snapdragons need a bit more time to grow compared to Zinnias. I also make note of which flowers prefer direct seeding. Sunflowers can be planted outside as soon as the risk of frost has passed.
Up next, map out the space. Last year I added a sunflower patch, so I now have two "flower fields." (I don't know why I put quotations around flower fields, sometimes it is hard for me to think of myself as a flower farmer because it still feels like a hobby but really it has grown so much in the last few years). Succession planting provides the opportunity for blooms all summer long. It takes me a while to get everything planted and therefore succession planting kind of happens naturally but by starting seeds at different times, we can extend the harvest window.
Some varieties need special treatment, for example I have a few seeds that need to be chilled a couple weeks before planting.
I am very much a pen and paper person! I love to write and draw to help me visualize the thoughts in my head.
Thanks for reading! My blog tends to lean towards a personal journal and I love sharing our journey with you!
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