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My reasons to go no till

No till

Some of you are probably wondering “no till” ooookay. The sound of it actually seems counter productive right? I thought so too. When you think of preparing your field or garden bed one of the first things you think of is ” I need a rototiller.” Once you have your spot and the tiller, you work back and forth until you achieve that perfect soft soil. No weeds, no clumps, looks and feels great. However is it really? Sure, for hundreds of years we have produced thousands acres of crops with this method but what if we can produce a better more abundant crop? Sounds perfect right. More land, more machinery, more help, more seed, more fertilizer, more tilling…..blah blah blah. I am usually hesitant to jump up on the soapbox…..so excuse me while I climb up.

Reasons

The reasons I chose to go with the no till method are these….First of all I wanted to try and grow super healthy blooms. We have pretty harsh seasons here in Minnesota. Super cold winters and where I live really hot summers. Second I do get a little nerdy about organic things…tend to lean towards them. Third, money. A new rototiller is just not in the budget. Forth, want to streamline the process since It is only me and a little helper. Fifth what if it works….

What I have been learning

I have to admit one thing. When I first started my beds I did use a tiller. I have a small mini mantis tiller which I think I have had for about 10 years.. still works. Even tho I do hope nobody watches me start it because I know it is a scene. So that was the only time I tilled, which Connor Crickmore from neversink farm says is ok.

When you till the soil your are making it easier to plant. Those of you who like to till, please feel free continue no offence taken. However tilling disrupts the life in the soil. So when you see the birds following the tractor….yes they are eating all the worms and bugs that are overturned and therefor do not make it back into the soil to do their thing.

If you can leave the soil in tack then these guys can do their work and essentially till the soil for you.

Making it workable

Making the soil workable and keeping the weeds at bay are helped by using tarps and black landscape fabric. I use a pitchfork to fork the soil. Not turning it but just loosening it. Next is scuffing the top layer of the soil on the beds and adding my organic fertilizers etc then cover the rows with black landscape fabric. I covered my in between rows with fabric initially because I made the rows to narrow to get my mower in between. Low and behold it totally helped with my weed control. Covering the soil also helps with erosion. I am excited to see how my flowers do this coming season.

reasons for going no till — reason for no till method

I will keep you updated on my progress here and let you know what is working for me and what is not. Please if you have anything to add please do so.

Flower Farmer inspiration

flower farming sources — Would love this farm setting

Here is a little of where I got my flower farmer inspiration. I do get some weird looks and questions from people when they find out I am growing flowers to sell. ” Sooo you like sell plants for people to buy….so what do you mean cut flowers? You must have a massive garden, wow I would love to see your yard. Where did you come up with that? That is interesting?” My answers though can be a little on the boring side. “No I don’t sell plants”, cut flowers, you know like the bouquets you can buy at the store….No I don’t have a massive garden and my yard is questionable. Although I do agree with the interesting part. It is also satisfying, addicting, and it takes work.

Books and Blogs

A few years ago I borrowed a book from the library called The flower farmer by Lynn Byczynski. I loved it. It was chalked full of information and inspiration. I did not really think about people actually ” farming flowers”. She had a small scale cut flower garden, that I copied on paper and was going to plant the following spring. I had no intention at that point to grow to sell. I bought the book!

I am not sure how I stumbled on floret. However this was the second batch of kindling that fueled my cut flower obsession. Erin Benzakein and her husband Chris have this amazing flower farming story. You should take the time to read a little about it. I also bought her book Cut Flower Garden . Amazing. Did I already say amazing..Erin also has a blog and sells seeds and tubers.

So one thing led to another and I decided to jump in. In the spring of 2017 I bought my first seeds from floret and Johnnys Seeds and got to work.

Another one of my sources of information has been from Curtis Stone ,he is an urban farmer from Kelowna British Columbia. I have learned a lot about soil management and crop rotation etc. Interesting stuff…

Continuing Education

I am convinced after my first year that I will be in constant learning mode. I hope to attend a few workshops in the coming year. It will be nice to learn “in real life mode”. I will keep you posted!

What’s happening in 2018

Hello! Happy 2018. I hope your Christmas and New Years holidays went well. Ours did. It is always so nice to take the time to reflect on what is truly important. I thought I would give you a quick peek at what happening here at Midwest Cut Flowers for 2018! Like always I have a hundred and fifty things I would like to do, but will probably only accomplish a few. Oh well, I am who I am right?

Branding

I finally had a professional logo made! I was so excited with the outcome!! Check it out.

The logo combines my flowers and my Etsy shop. I had Liz from just artin around design it. She was awesome to work with. I would recommend her! I can’t wait to order my business cards, stickers and tags.

Etsy shop

Speaking of my Etsy shop…. I have been lacking in keeping it updated and stocked with wonderful new and exciting items…..That however is supposed to change here in 2018! My plan is to add market bags, aprons and pot holders as I get them finished. My hope is to have a lot of inventory so I can be ready for the fall outdoor market at Mama’s Happy. This was such a great event that I am already in planning stages for it!

Cut Flowers

I have just ordered my flower seeds and dahlia bulbs. Most of my seeds are from Johnnys Seeds and this year I ordered bulbs from Swan Island Dahlias. Here are a few of the new dahlias and seeds that I ordered this year.

September Morn

Amber Queen

Queen Lime Orange Zinnia

Costa Mix Snapdragons

I am still hoping to get an order into Floret for some seeds. This is such a great website. It has been fun to follow them as their business has grown. Very inspiring.

Venues

I have another place that I am going to bringing my fresh cut flowers. It is right here in our small town of Delano. Red Rooster Soaps is an occasional shop that just opened in December. Exciting stuff. Stop by and check it out next time you are in town.

Blog

As for my blog, I am going to try hard and post at least once a week. If I don’t have time to ramble I will just post pictures of what is going on around here.

Little video

Sometimes things just take you by surprise. My oldest daughter sent this to me yesterday! I was so surprised to get it. What a fun gift. Thanks Erica.

It is such a good recap of my first year. I am looking forward to next year. I hope she will do another video for me.

Gifts for gardeners

gifts for gardeners Hi! Of course I have to a “gifts for” post right! As we are moving into the holiday season with Thanksgiving knocking on our door and Christmas running up the road…..here are a few things to think about for the gardener on your list.

This bucket is so awesome. Not the prettiest thing but super useful. I use mine all the time.

The gardener on your list will love these mason jar planters. No soil necessary! Very cool! Easy instructions to follow. What a great, middle of winter beat the blues thing to do.

Every gardener loves to watch the birds. I don’t know if it is because we are outside so much and notice them and their sounds…but every gardener I know loves them. What do you think? Do you like to watch the birds. It really isn’t just for old people you know! I really like the simplicity of this feeder.

I love Orla Kiely prints. They are bold and fun and always draw my eye. I received this journal as a gift from a friend and love it!! It has all the nerdy nooks and crannies that you love in a journal.

Of course a garden calendar is always nice. This one I found in Etsy in a shop called LouPaper. I love her illustrations. Check it out here.

Whoa! This thing looks amazing and scary at the same time. I would love this guy. It would come in handy for all kinds of garden jobs. Perfect gardener gift.

This wonderful time of year has come once again. Time to reflect on what we are thankful for and focus on what is important in our lives. Let us all take the time to slow down and enjoy all that the season has to offer. I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful Christmas.

First year flashback

So I am going to sum up my first year with a flashback of photos. I am already in next year mode. Trying to slow down….anyone have any tips for that?

A note a quote a gloat #2

Hey, its time for another installment of a note, a quote and a gloat. If you are new to this blog, I randomly will post little tidbits of flower information, a flower quote and notably a flower joke. aka a gloat.

This quote is said to originate from The Bishop of Geneva, Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622), yeah its been around for ages. This quote makes me think of my husband’s aunt. I was blubbering one day about life and she said “girl you gotta bloom where you are planted.” She cut me no slack…I so needed this little reminder at the time and since then. I have told myself hundreds of times….”self remember…bloom”

NOTE

Did you know that 80% of all cut flowers sold in the USA are flown in from other countries. There is a movement slowly moving back to flowers grown here in the USA. Hence my little flower farm. Debra Prinzing has been a great advocate for the local slow flowers movement. Most of the local flowers that are being grown, are being done without the use of pesticides. This way making it safe for both the farmer and consumer. Another plus to this, locally grown cut flowers last longer and look amazingly better. Seriously next time you are out and about and see a flower stand or at a farmers market. Pick up some locally grown cuts and see the difference for yourself.

GLOAT

What did the big flower say to the small flower?

Hey there bud!

If you missed the last a note, a quote and a gloat here it is post # 1

Hope you enjoy your day.

Fall in Minnesota

Fall in Minnesota is such a wonderful thing. After sweltering hot summer days and buzzing mosquitoes we are quite ready for fall. Fall in Minnesota brings amazing flowers!! They to are enjoying the cooler temps. Here are a few pictures of what is going on around here in the midwest.

My daughter is having a great time working at Nistler farms this fall. They grow such awesome quality produce.

This was my last cut for the flower stand this season!

I have planted quite a few tulips this fall. I still have one more bag to go. These lovelies were a gift from a friend!! Perfect, Thanks Heidi.

This picture was taken at Lake Rebecca park. We are lucky to live by this awesome park. There are biking and walking trails. Canoe and kayak rentals on the weekend. Picnic areas, play area etc. Check it out!

Some ornamental grass that I planted last year! So cool. I am planning on taking pictures of my garden this weekend, so next week I will post what that is looking like.

DIY Pumpkin centerpiece with dried flowers

With fall upon us and the cut flower season almost over, I thought I would share a post using the flowers I have dried. This DYI pumpkin centerpiece will be the talk of your thanksgiving table. Nothing says fall like orange pumpkins and the leaves changing colors. The muted colors of the dried flowers go perfect with the fall palete of pumpkins. Use your imagination and have fun. This is great project to do over coffee with your friends.

Above is a picture of the supplies you will need for the DYI pumpkin centerpiece. –

pumpkin
flower foam
a knife for cutting
craft glue (any brand)
a variety of dried flowers
grapevine wreath that your pumpkin will fit into

Wash the pumpkin with mild bleach water and wipe dry with a towel. Keep the stem attached. Cut an appropriate sized piece of the foam and press onto the stem. If the stem is really small add a drop of glue on the stem before pressing on the foam.

Cut the dried flowers into groups of various lengths and put your leaves and filler in separate piles.

Starting with the taller stems poke a hole into the foam with a sharp thin object. A wooden skewer works great, dip the end of the flower stem into the glue and insert into the hole.

Keep adding the flowers tallest on the top to shortest around the bottom of the foam until you have used all your dried flowers. Use the leaves and filler you have chosen to fill in where you can see the foam until covered. Look at the dried flower arrangement from all angles.

DIY pumpkin centerpiece — Thanksgiving centerpiece

This is such and easy DIY thanksgiving centerpiece project. Enjoy!

Linen apron

Hey, I have added a new products page to my blog. Here I will be selling linen aprons and market bags. Here is the linen apron in the photo below. Guarenteed to be your favorite. I also have a fettish for Marimekko fabric. I will sure be adding products made from that to the page also.

Fun, versitile and becomes softer after every wash! Follow me to see newly added products. Check out the page here. I am trying to move my Etsy shop onto my blog to keep everything together. My Etsy shop has been a great experience. If anyone wants to try it you should. It is easy to use. With the garden and the blog I do not have space in my brain to also do Etsy. I will keep my shop open for the remainder of the year.

Here are a few quick pics from the garden.