Your Local Wedding Flower Primer

All local Alaskan flowers in a large, lush, cascading bouquet.

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As the summer winds to a close I’m reflecting on a very fun (but hot and smoky) wedding season.

For those of you looking to get married in 2020, I want to talk you through the how-tos and what-to-expect when using our local flowers for your wedding.

Sourcing

During the blooming months of summer (May through September) I source all my flowers for weddings and events from my garden and/or from my flower farming friends in the Matanuska/Susitna Valley.

My garden (Turnstone Farm) produces blooms from tulips to dahlias and a variety of smaller blooms and foliage. In addition, I love walking my local trails and alleys looking for foraging material.

Two of my other favorite farms are Brown Dog Farm and the Persistent Farmer. The former grows a huge variety of high quality blooms and foliage. The later is an expert in growing dahlias. Both are a very far trek from my home garden and studio but worth the drive when I need additional design material.

Design

My ideal wedding customer doesn’t necessarily need to have the local vision. But she/he must want something a little wild and edgy. Not because this is what you get with local, but because this is how I like to design! As the photo above represents, I like the bride to look like she’s holding a garden in her arms.

My happiest customers want a variety of floral textures and may have a color palate but aren’t in need of specific floral varieties.

Pricing

The photos of your wedding will last a lifetime! The flowers in your photos will forever represent your amazing day. Because of this, they are worth every penny.

Local flowers are not necessarily less expensive than the local wholesaler. Why?

1. Farming in Alaska is more expensive than many places in the Lower 48. We have to ship supplies, seeds, equipment way farther than most farmers.

2. I pay fair market value to the farmers I source my flowers from.

3. I pay my employees a living wage.

Every penny you pay for local flowers, however, supports your local Alaskan economy! Thank you!!

How to Book a Wedding

Booking a wedding with the farm is easy! Head over to our “Flowers” page and scroll down to the “Weddings” section. There you will be prompted to fill out a quick contact form. We will get back to you ASAP so we can talk about your flower vision.

Other Things to Think About

When visioning for your special day, look at lots of online images. Hone your ideal wedding bouquet/arrangement/etc. to one final image. As you scroll through all the great pintrest photos, remember most of the images you see online don’t necessarily represent what’s in season locally. Know that we can produce a floral piece that represents your style while not always getting you every flower variety you request.

If wanting to DIY-it with our bulk flower buckets, look at photos and count the number of blooms/foliage stems in each piece. This will give you a good idea of how many buckets you need for your event.

Why Support Local Sustainable Floristry

What is the benefit of buying local, sustainably grown flowers? Keep reading to find out!

1) You support a local business! Purchasing from a local business keeps money in our community. Our business in turn supports other local businesses. So where does your dollar go when you purchase flowers from us? To local grocery stores, to employees that live in your neighborhood, to local banks, to our local garden stores and to other local farmers.

2) They’re freshest! Most flowers make a journey around the globe before landing on your dining room table. Since our flowers are cut right before you buy them, they will last longer in your vase without the need for chemical floral preservative.

3) Lower carbon footprint! Since we’re way up here in Alaska, most flowers in the grocery and at the flower wholesaler have traveled thousands of miles while being refrigerated. That’s a lot of energy just to bring you blooms! But our farm is RIGHT DOWN THE STREET! We can walk our flowers to the market!

4) No harmful chemicals! Most flowers you buy at the grocery have been pumped with floral preservative after harvest and doused with chemical herbicides and pesticides before harvest. Here at the farm we ONLY USE ORGANIC GROWING METHODS! This means we nurture our soil to avoid weed and pest problems. If we do have issues we only use products that fall under organic certification. After harvest we treat our blooms carefully by keeping them cool, giving them fresh water and selling them super fresh so we don’t need to use floral preservative.

5) Eco-friendly design! All our design is done foam free. Why does this matter? Floral foam is filled with nasty carcinogenic chemicals and never biodegrades. It simply breaks down in the landfill into micro-plastic compounds. What a disaster these are! Not to mention the chemicals released when handling this product. And since we don’t use a preservative in our flowers, after your event, you can compost them worry free!

6) This is my dream! By buying our product, you are supporting my dream of growing and designing flowers. Thanks SO MUCH!

I’d love a comment to let me know what YOUR DREAM is and how I can support you!

9 Great Shop-Local Mother's Day Gifts

Hoping to buy a mom something special, unique and LOCAL? Keep reading and I’ll highlight some ideas for gifts that I (and any other Anchorage mama) would LOVE to receive.

1) A massage from Nina or Helen at Open Space - for a mama who needs some great bodywork, Nina and Helen are experts.

2) Jewelry from Wolf + Rove - order online, it’s easy and fast. And her earrings are AMAZING!

3) Jewelry from Shovonne at Arctic Treasures - I just read about her in the Press and would love to support this local mama and Alaska Native artist.

4) Ice cream cone from Wild Scoops then a stroll on the Coastal Trail

5) Dinner at Jack Sprat- for a little more adventure, ride bikes on the Bird to Gird trail!

6) Dinner and an art film at Bear’s Tooth

7) Cinnamon rolls and coffee at Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop - it you haven’t checked out their new South Anchorage location, you must!

8) Our very own BOUQUET SUBSCRIPTION program from the farm! Buzz on over HERE to learn more.

9) A MARKET CARD from the farm so your mama can load up on her choice of flowers, herbs and greens all summer long. Did you say “Yes, please?” then learn more HERE!

Do you have more GREAT ideas? Share them below for all to read!

Starting your seeds indoors

After a long winter there’s nothing more hopeful than pushing seeds into fresh potting mix.

For many years I have been starting my seeds indoors under lights before transitioning them to an outdoor unheated hoophouse.

I want to share with you how easy seed starting can be!

I’ll start by outlining what you’ll need to get started:

• Pots and domes

• Seeds

• Potting mix or growing medium

• Lights

• Heat mats

• Shelves

Now I’ll walk you through each of the above items in more detail…

Pots and Domes

I use 11x21 inch trays and fill them with soil blocks. Interested in soil blocking? Read more HERE!

You can also use 4 pack or 6 pack plastic containers. Or plant straight into 3-4” pots. You can find all these options at your local garden store.

So should you choose a larger pot or smaller pot? If you plant into larger containers you won’t have to worry about transplanting later when your plants are getting big. But if you’re growing a lot of plants you’ll get more plants in less space if you use the 4 or 6 packs.

Also invest in a few plastic domes! These will help keep the humidity perfect for seed germination.

Seeds

Ready to order seeds? Go to my blog on where to order seeds HERE. It’ll help you get off to a great start.

Potting Mix

There are a few products that I really like. If you’re in Anchorage, you can find them at Southside Garden Supply or Alaska Mill and Feed.

1) Pro-mix MP Mycorrhizae Organik. This is a great all-round potting mix and it’s organic! I’m using this for all my seed starting needs this year. It is also working great for soil blocking! Find this in cubes at Grow Generation.

2) Fishy Peat or Alaska Earth - made in Alaska! I’ve had success with both products. They are not organic but are made with wholesome natural ingredients. Both can be found at Alaska Mill and Feed.

3) Fox Farm Light Warrior or Ocean Forest- this company has a variety of potting mixes and seed starting mixes. They use natural products and they work great! Grow Generation and Alaska Mill and Feed carry these.

Note, that if you’re growing a lot of starts, buying a cube will be more cost effective than buying individual bags. Ask your local garden store if they offer these products in cubes!

Lights

To be honest, I tend to be opportunistic when it comes to lighting. I look for free stuff and cheap stuff. And what’s great is that they’ve all worked just fine. So here’s what I’ve used: LED shop lights from Costco, florescent shop lights as found in any hardware store, grow-specific LED lights. All these will do the job! I say buy whatever fits your budget best.

The most important steps when it comes to lighting is 1) to keep the lights just a few inches from the plant to prevent “leggyness” and 2) to give your plants 16 hours of light (an inexpensive outlet timer works great for making this happen).

Heat Mats and Thermostats

For the BEST germination, invest in a a seed starting heat mat AND thermostat made specifically for this. This will cost you around $70.00-$80.00 If you can’t afford this your first season, don’t sweat! But even soil heat at around 75-80 degrees will give you the best seedling germination (for most plants).

Soil temperatures are roughly 10 degrees cooler than ambient room temperature, so often your soil may be cooler than you think without a heat heat mat.

Shelves

I use simple metal wire shelving so I can stack my seedlings. But get creative here! You’ll just need a place to hang the lights and a place underneath to set your trays.

NOW you’re READY TO PLANT!

1) Fill your pots with damp soil.

2) Put 1-2 seeds on top. Your seed packet will give you a germination rate for each seed. If its less than 80% put 2 seeds in each pot.

3) Lightly cover with soil. Just barely cover as light aids the germination of most flower seeds. I like to cover just so there is a bit of soil contact on top of seed.

4) Cover with a plastic dome and place under lights and on heat mats.

5) Keep seeds damp but not overwatered. Once seeds germinate I vent the domes by making sure there’s a bit of airflow between the tray and the dome. You can also take the dome off if it’s getting too moist in there.

Happy planting out there!

Planning Your Dream Garden

I know it’s the middle of winter but believe it or not, it’s time to plan your dream garden!

To be honest, here on the farm this is a HUGE undertaking. Every year it gets a bit easier but I am always surprised by the time this takes.

As a home gardener your task is a little simpler but give yourself time and have fun!

I want to break down your garden planning job into a few smaller tasks. Next to each task I will have a description on how I do this and a link to an actual PDF sample of my planning tools.

1) Make a crop list. List all the crops you are going to grow!

How do you decide? I like to grow things I like to eat! Start there then browse through your seed catalogs and find a few other things you might like to try.

How do you choose varieties? Read about each variety carefully. For Alaska, shorter days to maturity is important especially with very long season crops (like tomatoes). Also try to read between the lines. What are the descriptions NOT saying. For example, I tried a short season cucumber advertised as a great variety for northern growing. Sure win right? Not quite. The flavor and texture was almost unpalatable. Our chickens feasted on those.

I make a simple spreadsheet with the following information on it: crop (i.e. broccoli), variety (Belstar), source (where I bought my seed), days to maturity or DTM (you’ll see this in the description online or on the back of the seed packet), weeks to maturity WTM (just divide your DTM by 7 - I like to do this cause it’s way easier to count back by weeks than for days to figure out when you need to plant), notes (YOU MUST TAKE NOTES THROUGHOUT THE SEASON ON EACH CROP).

CLICK HERE to see a sample of my planing spreadsheet! I have left on a few extra columns here in case you want to add these on yours too.

2) Draw your garden. Sit down and draw your garden!

I like using grid paper for this. Then each grid increment can be a 1 foot or 6 inch increment. OR you can just draw on plain paper and just mark off your actual garden dimensions.

Pencil in where you want each of your chosen crops to grow. Remember to think about taller plants (or plants that need to be trellised) - place these on the north side of your garden so they don’t shade smaller crops. Crops that stay in the ground the whole summer (like broccoli or potatoes) can be further away from your paths than crops you might harvest more often (like salad greens).

This helps you plan where things go and how much you can fit in your area. This also becomes a record (keep your dated drawings) so you can rotate where you grow each crop in subsequent years.

3) Make a planting calendar

CLICK HERE to see a sample of my planting calendar. I plan by week. Week 1 is the first week of the year - using week numbers (and not just dates) is helpful in order to use past planting calendars to plan for future planting dates since actual dates may fall into different weeks each year.

In order to make sure I’m seeding things when I need to I usually start by planning when I want to harvest each crop.

For example, if I need all my broccoli harvested by September 1st, I’ll count back its weeks to maturity (days to maturity/7). If broccoli has 66 days to maturity (or 9.5 weeks to maturity) I will make sure my plants are planted in the ground by the end of June. Note that since broccoli is usually started indoors, I need to add additional time for germination (maybe a week) and indoor growth (a few weeks). So I would start my seeds the first week of June.

Remember you don’t want ALL your beans or broccoli or whatever to be ready at once, so stagger your plantings. Each plant is different but Johnnys and High Mowing, two of my favorite seed saving companies, are usually good at suggesting how far to stagger your plantings in order to get a steady supply of crops all summer.

CLICK HERE to read my previous blog all about ordering seeds.

A note on days to maturity (DTM): DTM is a best guess the seed company can give based on when the plant goes in the ground. Crops usually direct seeded (salad mix, peas, beans, carrots, etc) have a DTM from date sown. Crops usually transplanted (cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.) have a DTM from the time you plant them in the ground. I know this is a bit confusing so remember to use DTM as a guide but not as a written-in-stone rule.

So there you go! Now you’re ready to get started planting.

My 5 Favorite Seed Companies

If you’re a gardener (seasoned or aspiring) I hope you will find my garden resources helpful! Every year I discover new ideas, techniques and sources. I hone and streamline my gardening processes and am here to share what I know.

What I love best of all though is that with gardening you never stop learning. There are endless varieties and variables that can lead to success or failure. And remember, failure is where you really learn! I’m failing all over the place :)

To start, here’s a breakdown of where I order my seeds.

I prefer to order all my seeds online. The variety is endless and it’s easy to source organic and heirloom or open pollinated varieties if that’s what you’re looking for.

1) Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Johnny’s is a comprehensive seed company out of Maine. They carry almost everything you would want to grow AND have tons of growing guides and resources. They carry organic, heirloom, open pollinated and conventional seeds.

I usually order the bulk of my seeds from Johnny’s as the quality and webpage functionality is outstanding.

They offer free shipping for orders over $200.00.

2) High Mowing. This is a company that sells exclusively organic seed out of Vermont. I love this company because I know everything is organic and extremely high quality. Most of my salad greens seeds come from High Mowing.

They offer free shipping on orders over $10.00! This is a screaming deal.

3) Bakers Creek Heirloom Seeds. A company out of the Ozarks that sells heirloom and old fashioned varieties. Their prices are VERY reasonable. Their print catalog is also SUPER fun to look through.

I usually only order some rare and unusual veggies or flowers that I can’t find anywhere else. Even though I don’t order much from them each year, what I have ordered has had great germination and good quality. And their packets of seeds usually have way more seeds than other seed companies.

4) Foundroot. These guys are an Alaskan company out of Haines. They have hand picked varieties that do great in Alaska and cater to home gardeners - which means their packet quantities won’t overwhelm you.

5) Fruition Seeds. Another great seed company based in New York. These guys are a small company with lots of passion and great seed starting resources. All their seeds are organic and open-pollinated.

So there it is! Page through some of these online catalogs or request a print catalog. Curl up in your cozy chair and dream about your spring garden.

Oh, and when do I do this?? I start putting together my seed orders in December. If I have any last minute purchases, I’ll do another order in February or March.

Don’t wait too long as specific seed varieties do sell out.

And, before you know it, it’ll be time to start your seeds!

Do you need holiday gift ideas?! Here are 5 Favorite Books from my Gardening Library

Looking for that special gift for a gardening friend?! Or need an addition to YOUR gardening library? I’ve got you covered this season.

While I know it can be overwhelming to sift through ALL those gardening books (there are so many), when you come across a winner it can be SO valuable in helping your skills grow.

Here you can see a handful of my favorite books that are currently on my farm/garden library shelf.

1) Cool Flowers by Lisa Mason Ziegler.

Flower growers this book will blow your mind! It will debunk all sorts of conventional advice on when to plant your flowers. Use this book to grow super hearty blooms that are ready to enjoy from EARLY in the summer to LATE in the fall. A perfect how-to in a compact book. Flower gardening

2) The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman.

I grow organically. And as far as I’m concerned there is no other way to grow (or eat for that matter). No one needs more toxic chemicals in their lives.

At some point down the road I might move toward certifying my farm but at this point I’m too small for it to make financial sense. BUT I follow organic guidelines and Eliot is the man to learn from if you need some extra info!

In addition, he grows in a cold climate so has pertinent information on northerly food production. A CLASSIC READ THAT NEEDS TO BE PART OF EVERY GARDENERS LIBRARY. Vegetable gardening

3) Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre by Brett Markham.

Ok, I admit when I read titles like this I tend to roll my eyes. But my husband bought this book awhile ago and when I was hungry for something to read I picked it up and was 1) surprised how much I learned and 2) a little taken aback that I hadn’t read it sooner!

The chapter on compost alone is worth the price of the book. I’ve read a lot about compost (and honestly have struggled with implementing a good system on my farm) but for some reason this book really made composting make sense (finally!) and simple.

In addition, you will learn how to grow way more veggies on your tiny urban plot by following Brett’s guidelines. Vegetable gardening

4) Grow your own cut flowers by Sarah Raven.

Although Sarah writes from the perspective of growing in a much more temperate climate, this comprehensive book is loaded with valuable information for every flower gardener.

It is conveniently organized by flower type so is easy to reference. She also throws in some great info on cutting and arranging from your garden flowers! Flower gardening

5) The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower’s Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers by Lynn Byczynski.

Although this is meant to be a manual for commercial flower growers it is loaded with gorgeous photos and packed with GREAT information for every flower grower. In fact, the person who recommended this book to me was a home gardener!

Lynn gives the home gardener a simple plan for a personal cutting garden, covers everything you need to know to grow great flowers and has fun profiles on flower farmers from around the country. Flower gardening

Have other favorite gardening books YOU want to share?!

Leave a comment below. I love to read and am always looking for more books to add to my library.

10 Must-grows! My absolute favorite varieties from the 2018 flower cutting garden

The end of the growing season is a good time to reflect on what went well and what needs improvement for next year. There is simply nothing that compares to learning things from experience, sometimes the lessons are hard and other times they are joyous.

I’m going to focus on the latter and share with you my ABSOLUTE FAVORITES from my 2018 cutting garden. These flowers stunned me every time I entered the garden with their productivity, abundance and beauty!

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Tickseed (Coreopsis hybrida): this lovely small and abundant flower is GREAT for cutting. It is full of small one inch blooms that will transform from tiny bud to flower in the vase for a super long lasting cut. In the garden this flower looks full and bushy and has colors ranging from white to yellow, to orange and red.

Breadseed Poppy (Papaver somniferum): a super easy to grow flower transforms from a large and delicate lavender flower with a grape colored center to HUGE poppy pods that look super cool cut in a bouquet or dried for a fun project later.

Madame Butterfly Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus): snapdragons love growing in Alaska - they like relatively cool weather. Mine bloomed continuously from early July through the end of October!! This variety is an open faced frilly bloomed version of the standard snapdragon. I just LOVED these flowers. And they would look great as a dessert topping as snapdragon blooms are edible.

Amaranth - red spike (Amaranthus cruentus): A fun deep red/burgundy grain that looks stunning in arrangements and in the garden. Very easy to grow!

Cerinthe - kiwi blue (Cerinthe major purpurescens): This was my first season growing cerinthe! It is a great early season bloomer. Blue/green foliage with tiny blue/purple bells. So fun!

Dahlias: Linda’s Baby: a pinkish-orange specialty dahlia that is SO prolific in blooms, you will be amazed. Nice and long stemmed for cutting.

Cosmos - double click cranberry (Cosmos bipinnatus): Deep burgundy/pink double blooms that bloom mid summer till first frost. Huge plants and plentiful blooms.

Nigella - love in a mist (Nigella damascena): A fun flower that ranges from blue to white (it is so hard to find a true blue flower and here is one!). You can cut in flower stage or wait for the seed pod to emerge for a funky floral addition to your dining room bouquet.

Rudbeckia - cherokee sunset (Rudbeckia hirta): Simply big and gorgeous! Although the wait for blooms always seems long, they are well worth it. Big, showy burgundy to yellow double or single blooms that have a long vase life and long bloom time on the plant. Very hardy - these can be planted before the last frost.

Dusty miller - new look (Senecio cineraria): These will be looking great till the end of October this year! they’re an easy all season frosted leaf that looks great cut in a vase or in the garden. You can even dry them for making wreaths or dried bouquets.

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If 10 varieties seems a bit daunting to you, pick 5 and add them to your garden next year!

I will advise that the garden stores might not carry these varieties, and that’s why I highly recommend starting your own seeds. Then you can grow EXACTLY what you want to grow.

Leave a comment here telling me 2 of YOUR favorite flowers to grow!

3 Easy Recipes to Dress up your Salad Greens

If you’re like me, you LOVE a salad every day all through the summer!

Now don’t even think of using that store bought dressing. Not only does it taste inferior to your homemade variety, but it can be loaded with yucky additives, fillers and undesirable oils.

Honestly, if I'm short on time I'll just have a bottle of extra virgin olive oil and Grand Reserve Balsamic on our dinner table to drizzle on top.

BUT, if I want something a little extra special I'll whisk up one of the following quick and easy recipes.

ANYONE can make these at home and they sure will dress up your greens!

Simple Garden Salad

Carefully wash and dry: 

4 generous handfuls of salad greens (use any of the following combinations: lettuce, salad mix, mustard mix, arugula, spinach)

Mix together then whisk thoroughly:

1 garlic clove

1 T vinegar (use red wine, white wine, apple cider or balsamic vinegar)

Salt to taste

Fresh ground black pepper

3-4 T olive oil     

Put salad greens in a large bowl, add about three quarters of the vinaigrette, toss and taste. Add more dressing if needed.

(adapted from Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food)

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Combine all ingredients in a sealable container, cover securely and shake until emulsified. Or whisk thoroughly in a small bowl. Taste to season. Add more salt or fresh ground pepper as needed.

1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

1/4  C balsamic vinegar (my favorite is Napa Valley Naturals Balsamic Grand Reserve)

1T maple syrup or honey

1 T Dijon mustard (to emulsify)

2 T minced herbs (choice of whatever is fresh in the garden: chives, shallot, green onion, oregano, thyme, etc)

Salt

Fresh ground pepper

Makes about 6 oz of dressing. Store unused dressing in refrigerator for future use. Bring to room temperature before using as oil will have thickened.

(adapted from Farm Fresh and Fast cookbook)

Asian Wasabi Vinaigrette

In a small bowl whisk together:

2 t wasabi powder

2 t water

(if you're not a fan of wasabi, you can omit these ingredients and just skip to the next step)

Stir the following ingredients into the wasabi mixture:

1 T minced garlic or green onions

1 1/2 T honey

1 1/2 T rice vinegar

1 T soy sauce

1/3 C orange juice

Slowly pour into the above mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly:

1/4 toasted sesame oil

Garnish salad with:

1 T sesame seeds

Make this into a full meal by:

Tossing in other seasonal veggies (peppers, sprouts, radish, cherry tomatoes, etc) and topping your salad with grilled wild Alaskan salmon or chicken. 

(adapted from Farm Fresh and Fast cookbook)

Spring Fever: 5 Veggies you can Plant NOW (Before the Last Frost)

I’ve been talking to folks lately who are antsy to get into their gardens but are waiting till the last frost (usually sometime in mid may).

Don’t wait! There are hardy vegetables you can sow now for early season bounty. Get fresh produce from your own yard weeks before your neighbors by planting these crops now:

1) Peas: plant as soon as the soil can be worked, 1-1 1/2” between seeds in rows 12” apart. Plan and install your trellis early, as growth can come on quick once they’re up. Keep in mind that as they grow they will cast shade onto whatever crop is north of them. Because of this I like to save the northern edge of my bed for peas.

2) Radish: another crop that prefers cool soil to warmer soil. Plant seeds 1/2-1” apart in rows that are 2-4” apart. These grow fast! So I like to make extra use of space and plant in between my carrot rows. You will have eaten them all by the time the carrots are starting to fill in!

3) Carrots: plant now for a summer harvest! Plant about 1/2-1” apart in rows about 12” apart. Thin to 1” apart once seedlings germinate. Be patient - germination often takes 1-3 weeks and may be closer to 3 in cooler temps. 

4) Spinach: a SUPER cold hardy crop and grows best in the spring or fall when temperatures are low. Leaves can freeze and then thaw when the sun warms them. Sow as soon as the soil can be worked. For baby salad leaves plant 60 seeds per foot in rows 2-4 inches apart. Harvest outer leaves when they reach the size you most prefer for salad.

5) Kale: baby kale can be planted for continuous cutting as soon as the soil can be worked. Plant 60 seeds per foot, 2-4 inches between each row. Once you have salad sized leaf, you can cut baby leaves for salad. Cut outer leaves, so the inside ones can continue to grow for continuous production.

Yay! Now you’ll be harvesting a full salad in no time!

Be forewarned: germination time may take longer in cooler temperatures. Be patient and keep beds moist but not drenched.

Comment below and tell me what your favorite early season veggie is!

Happy Gardening!

Starting Seeds with Soil Blocks

New Methods

A few years ago I was inspired to change up my seed starting system to include soil blocking. I now use it exclusively.

If you’re not sure what soil blocking is, I’ll walk you through the whole process! Soil blocking requires taking a wet growing medium and using a little blocking press to create perfect stand alone squares in which to sow a seed or transplant.

I invested in a 3/4” blocker for germinating slow growers and tiny seeds and a 2” blocker for transplanting into or sowing larger or quick growing seeds. These are available from Johnny’s Seeds (my favorite online planting/growing store).

After lots of experimenting with growing medium (I’ve mixed my own, I’ve purchased all sorts of seed starting mix) I’ve settled on Pro-mix MP Mycorrhizae Organik. I purchase large bales at Southside Garden Supply each spring.

If you’re interested in trying to mix your own starting mix, here’s a recipe from Lisa Mason Ziegler. She’s author of Cool Flowers (a great book about maximizing your cool shoulder seasons for planting early in the spring or late in the fall - I’m still trying to perfect this method in a snowy climate, and honestly still sort of flailing):

Recipe

16 C sifted peat or coco fiber (I used our local Fishy Peat mix available at Mill and Feed) 

4 C of sifted compost (I used Susitna Organics humidified compost)

1/4 C greensand (available at Southside Garden Supply - let me put a plug in for this awesome local shop. Thanks to the marijuana industry, this place is loaded with great stuff for the urban farm or garden set-up)

1/4 rock phosphate (Mill and Feed or Southside Garden Supply)

6-7 C water

How To

Mix all ingredients well in a large tote or bin. One batch makes around 600 mini blocks.

If you’re using Pro-mix MP Mycorrhizae Organik or another pre-made mix, just mix a set amount of soil in a tub and add water until it’s a very wet mud.

Once your planting medium is all mixed grab your blocker, dip in a dish of water (aids in releasing blocks), firmly press your blocker down into soil medium a few times to really pack it in, scrape off excess, and while holding just above the bottom of your seeding tray depress the plunger until blocks release.

It takes a few tries to get the hang of it! Seeds can then be planted in the little depression left my the blocking pin.

Get creative about what you use for trays. I use regular seedling tray bottoms with no holes. I reuse these every year for 3-5 years! Folks also use lunch trays, plates, left over styrafoam trays, yogurt lids, etc.

Growing on

To water, less is more. Although you don’t want to desiccate your precious seedlings it’s easy to over water and get disastrous results (like damping off). Be sure to water from the bottom to preserve the delicate soil block structure. They wick up water like crazy. 

Once the 3/4” blocks are ready to transplant, plant directly outdoors or up-pot into a 2” or 4” block. I up-block into a 2” block for most of my starts.

The larger seed blockers come with a different blocking pin that creates a square indent that perfectly fits a 3/4” block.

Now go grow some epic plants!

Grants Galore

I imagined the winter months of 2017/2018 would bring more time for leisure, running, skiing, art, movie watching and more (and in fact I am doing a TON of these things). But I find myself also completely inundated with office work: website creation, bed planning, seed sourcing, and toiling over the application for three grants. Let's hope at least one comes our way in 2018! For a low-profit business like farming, startup money can be slim and grants can be a big help in paving the way towards profitability. Although writing them feels daunting, it's one of the reasons I LOVE farming-the fact that I have to do (and be relatively proficient at) many things: growing plants, designing systems, communication, basic accounting, marketing, business planning, budgeting, etc, etc. Cheers to the new year! And another year of farming!