Winter. The season where people assume crop farmers sit around all the time and have nothing to do. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although Winter is the slowest time of the year for us as flower farmers, we are still busy in the preparation and planning stage.
Catching Up
“ Winter should not be considered as only negation and destruction. It is a secret and inward working of powers, which in spring will burst into visible activity. ~Henry James Slack ”
There is always something to do around the farm. When Spring arrives, there is a flurry of activity starting with getting the seeds planted in the greenhouse, preparing the soil and gearing up for planting outdoors. Winter is the season of catch-up, all the things during the Spring, Summer and Fall previously where we said, "When Winter comes, we will do this or that". Cleaning the equipment, organizing the potting bench, re-organizng the barn, fixing little things that got worn down, and on and on the list goes. It is also the time of year where I reflect on what worked and didn't work in the previous growing season and how I can improve, expand or cut back.
Seedy practices
“ My mind is a garden. My thoughts are the seeds. My harvest will be either flower or weeds. Mel Weldon ”
One of my favourite projects in the winter is ordering the seeds for next year's planting. One day, I hope to be able to harvest seeds from all of the flowers that we grow but at this point, I am still ordering seeds for the most part. I get excited when the emails start coming "Order your seeds now!" I literally spend weeks poring over catalogues, narrowing down my choices to a manageable size (I would grow everything if I could!) and placing my orders around the world. Yes, our flowers have parents from around the globe and it is exciting to see the products of so many different cultures blooming in my 'back-yard'.
I also start planning the flower field layout and ordering supplies that got lost, broken or destroyed in the process of growing our floral beauties. Most of my shopping takes place online or over the phone to my regular suppliers. They say the early bird gets the worm, sometimes, I think I get to things so early that the work has not arrived yet! I have to remind myself to take some time to relax...after all the busy season is coming again and if I don't catch up on some relaxation and family time now, when will I? The ground is taking a break and so must I.
So Winter is really not a quiet time of the year per say, but it is a tad more laid back. It is all about letting the ground quietly sleep in anticipation of when it will finally awaken and burst forth in beauty again. I can't wait for the scent of the wet ground, the ability to trade my over sized Winter coat for a sweater and getting my hands in the dirt again. Soon....very soon.
“Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like?"... "It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine...” ― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
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