With a new year comes new resolutions! It’s that time of year again when people take a moment to reflect on the past twelve months and decide to make changes. A few years ago, I learned that I need to set goals that make me happy rather than ones that create self-loathing (I’m looking at you, bathroom scale!). So, I started a tradition where I create goals that leave me fulfilled, such as spending more time with family, trying new recipes, and connecting with nature.
Another of my New Year’s traditions is setting my gardening goals for the season. Setting these goals helps me envision the season ahead and marks out what I wish to accomplish. Before I can plant that first seed or harvest that first flower, I need to set my 2024 gardening goals.
I’m happy to report that I accomplished most of my 2023 gardening goals, including staying active in my plant community, developing my bouquet skills, becoming a pollinator steward, and growing my cut flower business. Here’s hoping I can be as successful in accomplishing my 2024 goals.
So, here they are, my hopes and ambitions for the 2024 growing season:
Try New Varieties: This is an annual gardening goal. With thousands of plant varieties, why wouldn’t I want to try new ones each year? Growing new varieties keeps the garden fun and exciting; you can also gain knowledge. Last season, I grew many new dahlia varieties and about a dozen or more new cut flower and edible varieties. I’m excited to try a few new tulips, daffodil, peony, ranunculus, anemone, celosia, sweet pea, tomato, and dahlia varieties this season. I’m also eager to try my hand at growing heirloom mums!
Keep Better Records: I’ve kept a garden journal for over ten years. The recorded information is invaluable for future garden planning. However, I was unprepared last season for how much record-keeping is necessary now that I run a cut flower business. Ideally, I need to track seed sowing, germination, transplant, and pinch dates, days to flower, production numbers, stem counts, field notes, pests and diseases and their mitigation, succession sowing, and oh so much more. However, during the hectic days of the 2023 growing season, I fell behind in my record-keeping. This season, I’ve vowed to do better.
Grow the Business: Last year, we extended our growing season, expanded our outreach, and shared our flowers with more community members. We enjoyed watching our business grow, and with new tools in place (we finally have a cooler!) and fresh ideas, I hope to continue that growth in 2024.
Grow and Share the Beauty of Flowers: One of my greatest joys is sharing the beauty of flowers with others. I’m on a mission to spread kindness and happiness through every flower I grow. So, this season, I hope to grow and share even more flowers! Donating a portion of each season’s harvest is important to me, and by growing more blooms this season, I aim to donate a more significant portion as well.
Strive to Find a Farm/Family/Business Balance: It’s been challenging to juggle the responsibilities of being a mom, a farmer, and a businesswoman. I’m prioritizing this year to find a balance that works for me and my family.
Keep Learning: This is also an annual goal. I never want to stop learning as I grow. In the off-season, I take every chance I get to take classes and read through my stockpile of garden books. In the upcoming months, I’m taking two online cut flower courses, a flower dying and eco-printing class, farm business classes, and attending a CSA summit to learn from other growers.
Share Knowledge: Once I learn new things, I want to share them! I aim to continue sharing growing knowledge through my blog posts and teaching classes and workshops. I will also continue volunteering in my gardening community through our local Master Gardener program.
Don’t Lose Sight of Why You Grow: During the hectic growing season, it is easy to lose sight of why I started growing in the first place. I want to keep the joy of growing and my passion for flowers at the forefront of my thoughts this season.
Find Clarity in the Future: I have a lot of difficult decisions to make as I look to the future of our farm. I aim this season to gain clarity in which direction I want to steer our business. This includes deciding where and how to sell our flowers, whether to focus on specific varieties, changing the length of our growing season, and even farm expansion and location. I have a lot of thinking and soul-searching to do this season, and hopefully, by 2025, I will have found clarity in the future of Whistling Bee Farm.
Advocate for Pollinators: So, I’m a certified Pollinator Steward, now what? I aim to better advocate for pollinators and spread the knowledge I’ve learned to educate my community about the importance of these mighty insects (and more!).
Enjoy All the Moments: Life is fragile and fleeting. I don’t want to get bogged down in the nuts and bolts of the business or daily life. I must prioritize enjoying all the moments in my life and garden. So, I vow to slow down and soak in all the special moments this year.
Well, there you have it, my 2024 gardening goals! This year is about gaining clarity, spreading kindness and knowledge, growing (literally and emotionally), and slowing down to enjoy all that matters. As my sister, Deanne, so eloquently put it: “No more resolutions-only revelations!” Yes, indeed!
THISTLE BE THE DAY 