photo credit: Jennifer Langille It’s that time of year everyone’s starting fresh. It’s exciting as a farmer because it means the beginning of trying out new plans that have been rolling around in the head for the past year. Every season we grow, learning from what we did right and wrong. It often takes […]
flower farming
Flower Farmers Journal: Low Till Farming
As many of you may know, “no till” farming is the new phrase being thrown around. If you grow root crops or dahlias that involve digging and uprooting lots of earth and many old weed seeds, no till is not an option, but lower till is. At The Painted Tulip I am working on being […]
How to Grow Dahlias
My first few years growing dahlias were ultimately unsuccessful. I grew healthy plants, but they would never bloom. It wasn’t until I met a 2nd generation flower farmer, John La Salle, that my dahlias started flourishing. Much of the dahlia-related knowledge he shared with me is outlined below. When living in New England, especially in […]
Storing Dahlias
Recently I received a request to write about my dahlia storage. So here we go. The pictures are not all beautiful, but provide you the information you need. Dig the dahlia tuber and shake off dirt but leave whatever sticks. Usually the dirt between the tubers sticks that’s fine, just let it be. I let […]
Flower Farmer Journal: Farm Structures
“I should have done it years ago…” How many times has a farmer said that after they invested in a piece of equipment? Once you’ve made the commitment, you can revel in that choice. We all have reasons to make the prioritizations we do on our farms. Maybe the choices are financial, holistic, guilt […]