The Little Farmstand

I have a tendency to delay beginnings until I can do something perfectly. This has never served me very well. We started our farm stand with a make shift folding table stand that did not live up to my idea of how things should look. However, people bought flowers and eggs anyway! In fact, we sold out several times. Our neighbors were nice enough to approach me and offer a perfect spot along the main road which helped even more for visibility.

As the weather started to change, I knew we didn’t have a lot of time before the rains came. We needed a weather friendly stand asap. Many thanks to my husband for helping me design something practical and spending his fleeting spare time building it. We set it up on the way out the door for school drop offs one misty morning. Thus far, it seems to be a success…in all its tiny glory.

The farm stand is now in a new location (see about to find us!). The bouquets have become bigger and the products have changed…ebbed and flowed. I really enjoy the stand as a creative outlet!

Jenni

Late Bloomers...

I’ve grown Dahlias in pots and raised beds on a small scale for years, but never as a cut garden. They are a satisfying flower in that they bloom readily and happily in the proper circumstances. They will bloom well into the fall and carry a fantastic vase life, making them a must-have among florists and flower farms.

This year my dahlias bloomed late and we still have blooms bursting forth, despite the weather starting to cool and change. This has allowed me to start our flower stand a little late and will likely buy me some time when winter comes to transfer into wreaths and other holiday gifts.

I’m not expert as I’m still figuring out how to encourage larger stems, keep the earwigs away, plus weed and stake properly. We chose to use a netting method combined with staking this year, and it’s working well. Staking is my least favorite part. I tend to have flopped over dahlias at some point! I am hopeful the netting helps! I use dahlias as statement pieces in my bouquets and often build around them with cosmos and other wildflowers. Come to the farm stand to see how beautiful dahlias look in a bouquet!