Early Summer Updates-A few months behind!

Lots of things happening! 

May was full of planting! I now have about 800 dahlias growing at our field, with the planting help of two dear friends. I planted the white and light pink dahlias a couple weeks before the rest got in, and I have cut the first few blooms of the season! We finally got the irrigation installed for the dahlias which has been the best change ever! Hand watering this field took an hour to an hour and a half, and now I don't have to worry about it! My husband also just surprised me with a fertilizer injector so we can have consistent controlled feedings all season long! 

Photo: Late June

I spent most of June expanding our field, doubling our growing area! What started as overgrown field that was sheep and goat pasture until about 8 years ago, and has just been a overgrown pasture field since then, is now twelve 3 foot by 35 foot growing beds! 

Clearing land to start a garden or growing space can seem so complicated, especially when dealing with lots of weeds or grass. What worked for us here, is not the best option for every situation. Tilling the ground can bring up years of seeds just waiting to see the sunshine and start growing, it disrupts the natural layers of soil and can lead to more compression over time.

We started this expansion by tarping the area late 2023, this helped kill off a lot of what was growing, as well as deplete some of the seeds on the soil surface.  Early June we hired someone to come out and tear up then deeply till the soil. This allows me to shape beds and walkways. I try to keep our walkways as level as possible to allow them to be more accessible/safe for all to walk on, as well as wide enough for a wheelchair to go down. 

More photos of the growing area addition and summer updates soon! 

Thanks for following my small farm. This is my second baby and I am so excited to share it with the community. 

Marta