Goodness, garden friends, can you believe we’re already in the month of November? Where has the season gone? Gardens are definitely winding down. Fall leaves look like confetti scattered about the ground, and dahlias are making their final appearance. The photo below shows the last harvest of blooms from the field here at our farm.
It’s time to dig up and store those dahlia tubers. If you need advice on doing this, be sure to check out the K. van Bourgondien blog on lifting and storing bulbs.
But you know what else it’s time for? It’s time to garden ahead! Flower farmers and gardeners alike are thinking ahead to the coming season because the time spent in autumn will result in months of blooms come spring. Yes, I’d say it’s the perfect time to garden ahead!
If you haven’t yet planted your spring-blooming bulbs, you’d better get in gear because the cold freeze will arrive soon, which means the ground will freeze and it will be too late to plant those bulbs for a bountiful spring harvest! I admit, I’m guilty of delaying. Let’s make a pact to head out to that garden or field right now and start planting!
A good number of the flowers we drool over are spring crops—ranunculus, anemones, tulips, fancy daffodils and balls of allium, just to name a few favorites! Because there are so many beautiful spring flowers, we have to prioritize. When farming flowers, we have to think about the time, the season and our space.
As a flower farmer, you have to push through, in not-so-fun weather conditions, to get your bulbs planted. So, it’s a good idea to know the expected first frost date for your area—if you don’t know it already—and to work in advance of that first freeze. You’ll be thankful that you pushed through, because without spring sales, summer sales can be rough and unpredictable. It’s the whole idea of supply and demand.
You know what separates the hobbyist from the commercial flower farmer? Gardening ahead and making good plans!
Happy Autumn, Garden Friends!
Pamela Anthony
Beehind Thyme Farm & Garden