Plenty to do this Winter
While winter can be a boring couple of months with nothing growing and everything a bit gloomy, us growers have plenty to do. I, for example, have an obsession with bulbs so I get super excited when bulbs come in a box and are ready to be planted. Then there is always seed sowing for summer and spring months and careful calculation and bed planning for next season.
As a first year grower I have eyes bigger than my plot. Seeds, bulbs, root-stock are all arriving weekly to my door step and every time I have a mini panic attack “Oh no I forgot I ordered so much!” but in the end all the little babies will find their home. Not everything will grow and not everything will do well, while other things will be weeds and will need constant pulling out to stop them from overtaking.
This winter I am just a normal grower prepping for next season and hoping things will go well, however the plan is for next winter to have flowers under the hoops and some hardy plants going all through winter. I am super excited to experiment with some things and make them work with me and florists. I like experimenting and seeing what grows and what does not like working with me. Plants are amazing things that an adopt to many situations and as long as I treat them with respect and some love I am sure they will work with me to the best of their ability.
So in any case on to the farm news! We have finally finished the hoop-house and it is ready for some seeds to start being sown. This weekend I will spend a couple of hours on the farm putting the last bulbs in as well as organising some seeds to start their journey with Alpine Blooms. I’ve also got a small experiment with Daffodils where I am going to try and get them up and running earlier and try and get them to go to sleep and wake up earlier as well. It is all new but I know it can be done so I am hoping to have some daffodils flowering for me in July and then subsequently in January for a very special client. Also in Alpine Blooms farm news: we have roses coming in. It is going to be just a bush of each variety but I would love to see them all flower and produce the most gorgeous blooms. I will be treating my roses as garden rose and not so much as a producer but I am sure there will be many blooms to pick and share. In my next blurb I’ll mention the varieties as they haven’t been confirmed yet.
So at this stage Alpine Blooms farm will have a bit of everything. We have a few trees around for foliage; we have roses, peonies, bulbs, annuals and perennials as well as plenty of determination and Hort knowledge. Spring I shall see you in a couple of months and we shall have the best time ever!
