How and What do we grow here?
I’m just gonna put it out there that I am a beginner flower farmer… and I hope to never quit learning.
Ok. This is a pretty big and overwhelming topic. I may come back and break it up into more easily digestible bits. Like maybe trail mix with some chocolate chips.
Some backstory
On the farm and growing up I watched my Dad ‘doing everything the hard way’ mostly by hand, always cautious and careful to treat our animals and land gently so that they would thrive. He treated everything like a resource he was in charge of managing for a time, and was taking care of it so that it would be as good or better when the next person took over (this was long before being ‘environmentally friendly’ or ‘green’ was even a thing). For me- as a youth or teenager- this resulted in a very large and annoying amount of work. Of course, some of the best times of my life were spent out there in the pasture or the bush: learning, laughing, toiling and arguing with my dad. Working out there really taught me to appreciate the slow beauty and seasonality of nature and farming.
I approach the farm now as a way to cultivate what is possible in nature, just a little more intensively, so that I can grow flowers enough to sell and share in a way that is efficient, easy, and healthy for me, the critters, and everything else that makes up the environment out there. I don’t want to pollute or produce a bunch of needless garbage
Soil Management
I am aspiring toward a low-or no till approach, but as I started out with clay hard pan with sandstone in one section, and a pasture composed primarily of quack grass, clover, with some thistle just for fun- this did require tilling and the import of some topsoil. It is an ongoing process of hand weeding and mulching to manage the ‘undesirables’ (some plastic landscape fabric, some wood chips, some old hay, some leaf mulch). Fortunately, decades of hand shoveling manure into tidy piles has resulted in some very top notch (if also weedy) aged cow poo compost which is applied sparingly as most flowers don’t require really fertile soil and I can easily end up with too much foliage and not enough flowering. I had to get some neighbourhood help to till as I didn’t have the equipment. I have spent a few years now shovelling dirt around by hand, making and moving my beds and they are getting there, but I suspect I will still have to incorporate some light tilling in the newer beds to manage weeds at the end of the season. I have committed to not purchasing any more of the plastic landscape fabric I used in the beginning, and using only available plant waste mulch in the future.
Water management
In 2023, I had maybe 1/4 acre growing and I set up irrigation as it was obvious very early that hand watering everything would be a full time job (and also not an efficient way to use water). 2023 was the hottest year on record, and was brutally dry from late winter through the rest of the year. Like many farmers, I spent hours outside breathing in the smoky air from out of control forest fires, and worrying about whether those fires would literally burn the whole farm down. Fortunately, the barn has it’s own well for the cattle waterers, and so I was able to convert one waterer to supply my irrigation zones ( I use drip tapes- they are really awesome for watering row crops!). As a solo farmer who doesn’t even live full time at the farm- irrigation is an absolute necessity.
I also have two water cubes set up to collect rain water from the barn roof, but I have yet to set up an effective pump out system as the flower plot is about 200-300ft. away and at an incline, so for now they get drained out into 5g. pails for other flower beds, or the saskatoon belt will get a drink.
Drip irrigation is very effective and efficient, it also has the side benefit of reducing the amount of fungus/pathogen spreading splashing that overhead watering will, especially when covered with mulch. The drip tapes deliver water slowly into the root zones and you don’t have to worry about soil erosion or compaction (or washing away newly planted and delicate seedlings).
Weed and Pest Management
Weed and Pest Management
We take a hands-on approach to weed management (groan LOL)—pulling weeds by hand, complemented by tools like garden forks, hori-hori knives, or spades when needed. To further help our flowers maintain a competitive edge, we rely on natural mulch or fabric. These not only slow down weed growth, giving our blooms a head start, but also help retain soil moisture, making it easier to tackle weeds. The mulch acts as a physical barrier, reducing the number of weed seeds that germinate. Our goal? Always keeping our flowers just a little taller than the weeds—though, let's be honest, some days it feels like we're doing a balancing act!
When it comes to pest management, sustainability is key on our plot. We steer clear of pesticides and even avoid insecticidal soaps to avoid foliar damage. Our approach hinges on balance: pests tend to self-regulate in a healthy ecosystem. Natural predators such as spiders, wasps, and birds play a crucial role in keeping infestations in check. For more stubborn cases, like aphid colonies, a strong jet of water does the trick without harming beneficial insects. However, every gardener has their nemesis, and for us, it's the grasshoppers. Their destructive nature and swift mobility posed a significant challenge during the 2023 season—but we're always learning and adapting to maintain harmony in our garden.
By prioritizing sustainable practices and embracing the dynamic nature of gardening, you can relax knowing you and your loved ones can put your hands on our flowers and touch nothing but nature.