What’s Growing on in the Garden: July 2024

Here we are in August, and I can hardly believe it! July was such a busy month that the time just flew right by. Unfortunately, I was so busy that I didn’t get to post on the blog. Our theme for the month was travel, as we spent much of our time on the road, visiting five different states. July isn’t an ideal time to be away from the farm as the flowers are in peak production, and many chores need my attention. But family life needed my attention more, and I’m so happy I took the time to recharge and reconnect.

First up was a much-needed family trip to Maine. Nothing recharges my battery like a walk on the beach! And with my son entering his senior year in high school, I soaked in every moment. As I put my toes in the sand, listened to the sound of the waves, and laughed with my family, I could feel the season’s stresses slip away. I didn’t realize how much I needed to step away until I did.

I feel like a broken record when I say that growing has become more challenging. Due to climate change, each season has come with new difficulties that I’ve never encountered before. Now that my business is growing flowers, I’m acutely aware of how much these changes have affected the plants and my ability to grow them. Over the past three years, we have dealt with unpredictable weather conditions, including early and late frosts, record temperatures, wildfire smoke, drought, and flooding. These conditions stress the plants, and when stressed, they become more susceptible to pests and diseases. And this season, there are pests and diseases that I’ve never dealt with before.  

This season has been particularly challenging for the dahlias. Shortly after planting our tubers, we had record heatwaves and no rain for weeks, leading to stunted growth, massive tuber losses, and disease. The dahlias that survived are way behind schedule, and I’m not sure we’ll get many blooms this season. And I’m not alone. Farmers across the country are struggling with growing their crops in extreme weather. So, yes, stepping away from the farm felt good to recharge.

We also traveled to New Jersey for the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG) regional conference. This two-day conference included tours and classes and, perhaps most importantly, a chance to connect with fellow farmers in the area. I’ll share more about this experience in a future post!

July also included trips for college tours (sigh, how could it be?) and a memorable trip to visit with my mother and sister. While I’m weary of being on the road and longing for some time back on the farm, I loved every moment of our travels and will cherish our memories.

In between road trips, I spent the month of July in a perpetual state of catch-up. The weeds didn’t stop growing just because I was away! From arriving home to leaving on the next adventure, I frantically weeded, watered, deadheaded, harvested, arranged, and shared our flowers. And despite all the traveling and the challenges with weather, pests, and disease, I’m thrilled to say that we managed to grow some beautiful blooms.

July brought flowers such as hydrangeas, snapdragons, feverfew, celosia, gomphrena, Cerinthe, salvia, amaranth, marigolds, zinnias, and more! It was a beautiful time on the farm. I thoroughly enjoyed returning to the blooms each time I arrived home. I love harvesting flowers for our CSA members and our community and drying them for future projects. July was also when we completed our Berries & Blooms CSA, sharing weekly bountiful bouquets and our fresh blueberries with our members. It brings me such joy to share what I grow with our community.

Besides flowers, we also had plenty of edibles growing on the farm! Our blueberries were in peak production in July, and we harvested bowl upon bowl of the sweet berries. Peppers, tomatoes, bush beans, herbs, and cucumbers were also abundant. Each time I arrived home, I would excitedly run out to the veggie patch to see what had grown while I was gone. After eating at restaurants while away, feasting on homegrown produce was such a treat!

Now that our trips are over, I look forward to settling back into a routine on the farm. Once I catch up on weeding (does anyone ever catch up on this task?) I can enjoy the blooms that August will bring. The petals of our first sunflowers of the season are just starting to open, and the zinnias and celosia are in full swing. Hopefully, our dahlias will decide to join them, and we will enjoy some of their blooms in the upcoming weeks. I also look forward to our final CSA of the season and the cooler temperatures and slower pace that fall will eventually bring. That’s what’s been growing on in my garden; what’s been growing on in yours?