Here We Grow Again In the 2014 Season

So the time has arrived to cut pussy willows and forsythia and bring them indoor to force blooming for winter markets and our accounts.

We do this every year from Jan -April or until I am out of product.

We are starting to grow inside during the winter. Last season my anemones and ranunculus crop were a success.  Though last year, the season was a bit short due to warming temperatures in the cold frame. A shorter than expected season is just a reality to accept in our growing experiments in our climate. I have some thoughts of expanding my greenhouse and installing a wood pellet stove to extend the season.  I would also like to be rid of propane heat  to lessen the eco-footprint.

We have soaked our corms and placed them in their 52-cell trays. We keep them at specific, stabilized temperatures in the design studio so they grow evenly. It takes a few weeks to notice any sprouting and about 5 months till they bloom.

It is a ton of work and a labor of love…not profit.

I have also experimented with planting half of the anemone corms in the cold frame under compost & wood chips with row cover placed on top to keep the earth they are planted in from freezing. Hopefully staying at cold hardy Zone 6; normally in Vermont we are Zone 4. This was in hope of getting an earlier crop, or at least being able to put all anemones in the cold frame and just pre-spout the ranunculus.  So  it is less work?

Also I have started our Katz series stock seed. Normally I start the seeds February 15 but the stock doesn’t get tall, due to relative heat in the cold frame. So this season I will try to growing indoors in crates with new Philips LED growing technology.

Winter is a powerful season in Vermont, and it’s tough to fight against it and create an artificial Spring so we can begin to grow. If you need to experience a bit of Spring early, you can see us at Burlington Farmers Market: Winter Market at Memorial Auditorium
Corner of South Union and Main Street
10am-2pm dates are

January 4
January 18
February 1
February 15
March 1
March 15
March 29