Meet the Dahlia Harvest Cart 1.0
Meet the Dahlia Harvest Cart 1.0
Let me introduce you to the Dahlia Harvest Cart 1.0
It’s a bit of a rough design, but it gets the job done!
Harvesting Dahlias is extremely time consuming and somewhat cumbersome because we sanitize our snips in a 10% bleach water solution between every single plant… which means we have to haul the solution with us up and down the aisles while harvesting.
(This protocol is recommended by the American Dahlia Society to help prevent the spread of virus and other disease from plant to plant. Virus is easily spread via snips, which is why we don’t allow anyone else to harvest our Dahlias. We work hard to keep our Dahlia fields as disease free as possible!)
We used to carry a bucket down the aisles with us, dipping our snips into bleach water between each cut.
However, 3-4 hours of constantly bending over to dip the snips in the bucket was hard on our bodies!
So we started imagining a better system that would allow us to sanitize the snips without bending over.
The Harvest Cart has a caddy that holds our bleach and rinse water jars. The bottom of the cart has a large bucket for holding the cut flowers.
It’s so much easier on our bodies and now we’re not bending over a million times a day!
Here’s our workflow for harvesting Dahlias:
Fill clean buckets with cold water and drive them out to the Dahlia field in the golf cart.
Scrub and sharpen snips. Good sanitation practices are important to keep plants healthy!
Fill the jars with bleach solution and wheel the Harvest Cart out to the Dahlia field.
Push the Harvest Cart up and down the Dahlia aisles, cutting stems with freshly sanitized snips between each plant.
Drop cut stems into Harvest Cart bucket (bucket is dry, but stems are only out of water for a few minutes).
When finished with the row of Dahlias, push the Harvest Cart back to the golf cart.
Place cut stems on a table or golf cart seat and begin processing - cutting off foliage and unnecessary side shoots into wheelbarrows.
Before placing in water, recut the stems so they can take up water.
Once buckets are full, place them in a cool, dark place to rehydrate overnight before arranging.
We’ll likely make some modifications in the future, but for now… it works!
QUESTIONS?
Ask them here and I’ll get back to you!
Ready for More?
If you’re serious about growing the garden of your dreams this year, register for my online course, “Backyard Cutting Garden 101”. You’ll find everything you need to plan, grow, harvest and arrange your stunning blooms. I can’t WAIT to help you grow! Click on the button below for all the details.
The Bane of My Existence: Cucumber Beetles
The Bane of My Existence: Cucumber Beetles
Let me introduce you to the bane of my existence this time of year: cucumber beetles. All it takes is one nibble, and the bloom is destined for the compost pile instead of being proudly displayed in a vase.
With the extreme drought we’ve been experiencing on our farm (only about an inch and a half of rain since May… when we usually get about an inch a week) AND the extreme heat, the Dahlias are stressed. Unfortunately, stressed plants are magnets for pests.
It’s a real bummer, but it’s also part of the reality of growing ANY crop, especially one that has to be 100% blemish-free to be acceptable.
EMBRACING THE REALITY OF LOSS
I’ve learned to expect that I’ll lose ⅓ of my blooms to pests, disease, or weather-related issues. While that might sound defeatist, it actually gives me a TON of peace of mind. Instead of:
Freaking out
Getting upset
Fretting and stressing
Beating myself up
Feeling like a failure
…I simply acknowledge the issue, chuck the bloom into the compost pile (where it will turn into AMAZING soil to grow next year’s flowers!), and move on with my life. Since I plan on losing ⅓ of my blooms, I make sure to plant ⅓ MORE than I expect I need.
A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO PEST MANAGEMENT
We could put organza bags over the blooms to prevent cucumber beetle damage, but with over 1,800 plants and multiple blooms per plant, it would require thousands of bags and hundreds of labor hours to cover, uncover, harvest, and recover the blooms. This would mean I’d have to charge an exorbitant price per stem just to break even. Instead, I simply accept that loss goes hand in hand with growing. Nothing has gone wrong—this is real life!
I’m sharing this with you because it’s easy to look at other people on the internet and think they have it all figured out and that you are doing everything wrong. It’s not true. We’re all just out here, stumbling around and figuring things out as we go! The people that “fail” the most are also the people that try the most.
HOLISTIC PEST CONTROL: PARTNERING WITH NATURE
I get lots of questions about what we spray on our flowers to keep the bugs off of them, and many are surprised when I say that we don’t use sprays. There are lots of reasons we don’t spray:
It’s expensive.
It’s time-consuming.
It can be hazardous to the health of humans, animals, and the environment (many insecticides are not safe for use around pollinators). We love knowing our fields and flowers are safe and won’t cause long-term health issues.
Instead, I like to take a more holistic approach. Instead of trying to dominate nature, I like to partner with it.
Instead of trying to control everything and stressing out about a damaged bloom, I accept the reality that there will always be loss in growing.
We plan on loss because loss is normal.
CREATING A BIRD SANCTUARY FOR PEST CONTROL
My dad was a biology teacher, and I grew up spending a lot of time in nature, studying how ecosystems work. I’ve always been fascinated by how all the parts and pieces work together to create a healthy, thriving environment.
So when we started noticing pest damage on our Dahlia blooms about a month ago, I didn’t reach for a bottle to kill all the bugs (if you do decide to use insecticides, PLEASE read the instructions on the bottle very carefully, follow the directions precisely, and make sure you know EXACTLY what pest you are targeting).
Instead, we made a trip to the hardware store and bought several bird feeders. We decided to make our flower fields a bird sanctuary. We set up feeders, created water sources, and made places to perch. We rolled out the red carpet for the birds and invited them in because birds are nature’s #1 ally for pest control.
THE RESULTS OF OUR EXPERIMENT
Do we still have pest damage? Yes. Is it less than the previous years? Yes. Is it because of the birds? Not sure.
It could be that the pests have completed their life cycle, the drier weather has slowed them down, or maybe the birds really have helped to restore the balance.
Either way, it’s an exciting experiment, and hiring the birds to do what they do best has been a lot of fun!
Working in a farm ecosystem that is fully alive with plants, insects, and animals is very rewarding. I encourage you to:
Observe what you see in your ecosystem
Mimic how nature works to solve problems
Partner with nature instead of trying to dominate nature… because spoiler alert - Nature always wins. ;)
QUESTIONS?
Ask them here and I’ll get back to you!
Ready for More?
If you’re serious about growing the garden of your dreams this year, register for my online course, “Backyard Cutting Garden 101”. You’ll find everything you need to plan, grow, harvest and arrange your stunning blooms. I can’t WAIT to help you grow! Click on the button below for all the details.
How to Grow: Bells of Ireland
How to Grow: Bells of Ireland
Bells of Ireland have to be one of my favorite foliages/greenery to grow on the farm.
Not only do they add incredible texture and color to arrangements, they are also long-lasting in the vase... and bonus! They smell delicious! To me, they smell exactly like lime flavored Skittles.
Bells of Ireland are often considered a “Hardy Annual”, which means they prefer cooler weather and have some frost tolerance. This also means they are a late spring/early summer blooming flower (they usually die out by mid/late July, when it gets hot).
Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of growing Bells of Ireland for cut flower use.
PROS
They last a long time in the vase (in fact, they can even be dried and used as an “Everlasting Flower”).
They are an excellent foliage/greenery for bouquets and compliment nearly every flower type.
They smell good - clean and fresh, with a hint of citrus.
They are beautiful, unique and provide visual interest.
CONS
They can be notoriously tricky to start from seed. If you’re a beginner, maybe put this one on hold until you have more experience.
They need to be supported with netting or they will be flattened in a rain/wind storm.
They develop “spines” that can prick your hands if they are not harvested early enough.
The plants are not particularly long lasting. They are finished on our farm in mid-July. We pull up the plant and put in sunflowers to fill the beds.
They prefer cooler weather and do not handle heat well. For those living in climate with weather extremes, growing Bells of Ireland successfully can be difficult. Here in Michigan, it’s not uncommon in the spring for our temperatures to fluctuate over 60 degrees in a matter of days. Bells of Ireland do not handle these extremes well - they can get stressed and succumb to disease.
CHOOSING SEEDS
Choosing seeds is easy, because there is only one variety of Bells of Ireland (Moluccella laevis) that is generally used for cut flowers.
HOW TO SOW
The most difficult part about growing Bells of Ireland is starting the seeds.
They seem to be quite unpredictable and in all my research, I can’t seem to find a “Fool-Proof” method for germination. Instead, I’ll share some suggestions that may help.
First of all, storing the seeds in the freezer until you are ready to sow them is a smart idea. The freezer mimics the natural cold/dormant period the seeds need to germinate properly.
*Side Note: I store all of my seeds in the freezer, with no ill effects. I figure that if the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the world’s seed saving experts that are preserving seeds for humanity in case of major global disaster, can store all their seeds in a freezer, so can I. As a bonus, all my hardy annual seeds are always chilled and ready to go.
Another tip is to soak the seeds in water for 24-48 hours before sowing. This helps to soften the tough seed casing.
Here is my method for germinating. It’s a bit of work and seems a little fussy…. But I’ve had good success!
1.Soak seeds in water for about 24 hours. Place seeds in a damp paper towel. Put the paper towel in a plastic bag and set it on a heat mat or in a warm spot (on top of your fridge).
2. In just a few days, the seeds will begin to sprout.
3. Carefully transfer the sprouted seeds into seed trays, tucking the "tail" (root) into the soil.
4. Seedlings can grow the trays for a few weeks until they have 2-3 sets of leaves.
Transplants or Direct Sow?
Transplants should be started indoors 6-8 weeks before the last spring frost.
Some people have better success direct sowing Bells of Ireland and don’t even attempt transplants. If you live in a mild climate, you may be able to sow the seeds in the fall or very early spring. They need a cold/dormant period to germinate properly. The freeze/thaw activity also helps to break open the tough seed casing.
For people living in colder climates, I recommend trying both methods. Start some indoors and also direct sow some seeds outdoors as soon as the soil can be worked.
Bells of Ireland can also be grown using the Winter Sowing method. Find out more about Winter Sowing.
PLANT SPACING
Bells of Ireland should be spaced 12-18” apart.
GROWING on
Bells of Ireland prefer rich soil, with plenty of nutrients and plenty of water.
If you live in a place with cooler summers, the plants may continue to produce for a few weeks. In Michigan, the summers get too hot and the plants stop producing mid-July. Enjoy them while you can!
STAGE OF HARVEST
You’ll know the Bells of Ireland are ready to be harvested when you see the tiny white flowers inside the “bells”.
Cut deep down into the plant to get long stems. You may notice the plants begin to develop “spines” as they mature. Watch out!
Strip off the leaves/bells at the bottom of the stem.
POST HARVEST CARE
Bells of Ireland don’t require any special care after harvest.
Like all flowers, store in a cool, dark place after harvesting and allow stems to rest for a few hours before arranging.
Some people like to remove all the leaves. It’s personal preference whether you do this or not. Sometimes, the leaves will turn brown or spotted, but the bells are still in great shape - in this case, simply remove the leaves.
QUESTIONS?
Ask them here and I’ll get back to you!
Ready for More?
If you’re serious about growing the garden of your dreams this year, register for my online course, “Backyard Cutting Garden 101”. You’ll find everything you need to plan, grow, harvest and arrange your stunning blooms. I can’t WAIT to help you grow! Click on the button below for all the details.
How to Grow: Celosia
A “must-have” for your cutting garden!
How to Grow: Celosia
Pronunciation: sel-oh-see-ah
Celosia is another underappreciated and overlooked cut flower. It’s unfortunate, because Celosia is beautiful, long lasting and comes in a wide variety of shapes and colors! It also makes an excellent “Everlasting Flower”.
While they are not a flower you would likely display on their own, they compliment other flowers so nicely and shine in bouquets, adding much needed texture and shape.
“Delhi Pearl” Celosia
The types of Celosia grown for cut flower use are different than the types you normally find at a garden center. This means you’ll likely have to start your own Celosia from seed.
Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of growing Celosia for cut flower use.
PROS
They come in a multitude of colors, sizes and types.
They are easy to grow.
The plants are productive for a long period of time.
They are bright and cheerful in bouquets.
They love hot weather and thrive in the summer.
They have an excellent life of up to 2 weeks or longer, with proper harvest and care.
They make a great dried (“Everlasting”) flower.
CONS
They like hot weather and won’t do well in places with cool, wet summers.
The seedlings can succumb to “damping-off” disease in cool moist conditions. Keep those babies warm!
CHOOSING SEEDS
Since most of the Celosia varieties offered at garden centers will not grow tall enough for cut flower use, you’ll probably have to start your Celosia from seed. Thankfully, they are easy to grow from seed. Even if you are not able to start transplants indoors, you can still direct sow them in some climates.
Be sure to look for varieties that reach a minimum of 24” tall.
Celosia is divided into 3 main types:
1. Crested Type (Celosia argentea cristata): These are the “Cock’s Comb”/ “Brain Coral” types.
2. Plume Type (Celosia argentea plumosa): These are feathery and wispy looking.
3. Spike Type (Celosia argentea spicata): These have an upright, spike shape.
Plume Type: “Texas Plume”
Here are a few of my favorite Celosias to grow for cut flower use:
“Chief Series” (Crested Type)
“Cramer’s Series” (Crested Type)
“Sylphid” (Plume Type)
“Pampas Plume” (Plume Type)
“Texas Plume” (Plume Type)
“Celway Salmon” Celosia
HOW TO SOW
Celosias are heat loving, summer blooming flowers. They do not like cold temperatures and can’t handle frost, so do not try to plant them too early in the season.
Transplants or Direct Sow?
Celosias can be transplanted or direct sown, but transplants are recommended for most climates.
Sow seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your Average Last Spring Frost. Be sure to keep them in a warm place as they are growing. They can be transplanted out after the threat of frost.
The seeds can also be direct sowed into the garden well after the threat of frost has passed. Celosia will not germinate or grow well in cool weather.
Seeds are tiny and I recommend sowing them using the “toothpick method.” Pour the seeds into a container, lick the end of toothpick and use the toothpick to remove seeds one a time. Sow 1-2 seeds per cell.
PLANT SPACING
Most varieties can be pinched to encourage branching and should be spaced at 9”-18”, depending on type. I grow most Celosia at 9” spacing.
GROWING ON
After the transplants are established and growing, it’s helpful to “pinch back” the plants when they are less than 8” tall. To pinch, simply use clippers to remove the top of the plant, only leaving 2-3 sets of leaves behind. I know this seems counter-intuitive and you probably just freaked out, but trust me!
Plants that are pinched are more productive than plants that are not. Experiment for yourself - pinch half the plants and leave the other half alone. The un-pinched plants will bloom earlier, but the pinched plants will produce WAAAAAY more blooms.
Pinching signals the plant to go into overdrive and send out multiple branches, with multiple blooms.
“Ruby Parfait” Celosia
“Ruby Parfait” Celosia that has been pinched back to produce multiple stems per plant
STAGE OF HARVEST
Unlike other flowers, Celosia has a long “harvest window”, so there is no rush to harvest them. In fact, the will continue to get bigger, so harvest when they are the size you want, but before the florets on the bottom start to look dry and form seeds (like the one in the photo below - you can see how dry and “tired” it looks, and it is dropping seeds).
POST HARVEST CARE
Celosia requires no special treatment after harvest.
All types of Celosia can be dried and used as an “Everlasting Flower”. Be sure to dry/store them out of direct light to help retain color.
QUESTIONS?
Ask them here and I’ll get back to you!
Ready for more?
If you’re serious about growing the garden of your dreams this year, register for my online course, “Backyard Cutting Garden 101”. You’ll find everything you need to plan, grow, harvest and arrange your stunning blooms. I can’t WAIT to help you grow! Click on the button below for all the details.
How to Grow: China Asters
How to Grow: China Asters
Pronunciation: ka-LIS-te-fus chin-EN-sis
China Asters (Callistephus chinensis) are a lovely addition to the cutting garden.
There are many types of Asters, including popular cultivated and wild native Perennial types. However, here we are going to discuss only the Annual blooming China Asters (Callistephus chinensis).
“Optimo Alpha Light Blue” and “Optimo Red”
There’s a reason why China Asters are so popular as a cut flower. They are sturdy, tough and long-lasting in the vase. They also come in wide range of colors and shapes. Some of them even resemble fluffy Peonies!
However, China Asters can be a bit tricky to grow, since they are “day length” sensitive and must be planted at juuuuust the right time to achieve good stem length (more about that later).
They also can be susceptible to some difficult disease issues, depending on where you live.
Because of these challenges, I categorize China Asters as best for “Experienced Growers”.
On our farm, we love growing a variety of China Asters as both a Focal Flower (large flower that is the focus of a bouquet) and Filler Flower (medium-sized flowers that complement the Focal Flowers).
Some China Asters will produce 8-12 large flowers on long stems, while others may produce dozens of smaller flowers on a “spray” type stem (one main stem with multiple flowers).
“Optimo Red” and “Optimo Alpha Light Blue”
Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of growing China Asters for cut flower use.
PROS
They come in a multitude of colors, sizes and types.
They are very sturdy plants.
The flowers are durable and not easily damaged by handling.
The flowers “hold” for a long time in the field, giving you a long window of opportunity to harvest the blooms.
They often produce multiple blooms per plant.
They have an excellent vase life of 7-10 days with proper harvest and care.
CONS
They must be planted at a specific time due to day-length sensitivity. If this “window of opportunity” is missed, the plants will likely bloom on short, unusable stems.
They are not a good candidate for “succession planting” since they perform best when planted at a specific time.
They are very susceptible to Aster Yellows disease, which is spread by leafhoppers and thrips. If you live in an area where Aster Yellows disease is common, you may have a difficult time growing healthy plants (this is a BIG challenge for us!).
They can experience “Aster Rot”, a fungal infection that causes the plant to rapidly wilt and rot.
CHOOSING SEEDS
There are lots of different types of China Asters you can try, so choose ones that have colors and shapes that please you.
Be sure to look for varieties that reach a minimum of 24” tall. Many China Asters are sold for bedding plant/landscape use and won’t be tall enough for cut flower use.
The following China Aster series are a great choice for cut flower use:
Azumi X
Bonita
Matsumoto
Optimo
Tower
“Optimo Red”
Here are a few of my favorite China Asters to grow for cut flower use:
Azumi X “Rose”
Tower “Chamois”
“Optimo Alpha Light Blue”
HOW TO SOW
China Asters are easy to grow from seed in trays. Bury seeds about ⅛ deep and keep seeds moist and warm until germination occurs in 10-14 days.
Transplants or Direct Sow?
China Asters should be transplanted. Direct sowing is not recommended.
Sow seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your Average Last Spring Frost. They should be transplanted out after the threat of frost when the soil is warm.
It’s important to transplant the seedlings promptly so they can grow as much as possible before the Summer Solstice occurring around June 21(ish) in the Northern Hemisphere. As the days shorten after the Solstice, the plants begin to set their blooms and the stems will not grow much taller.
Ideally, you want the plants to grow as tall as possible before the Summer Solstice to get the longest stems possible.
“Succession Planting” is not recommended for China Asters, since transplanting additional successions later in the season will result in short, unusable stems.
“Optimo Alpha Light Blue”
PLANT SPACING
Most varieties can be grown at 6-12” spacing. We usually grow at 9” spacing, but could grow most varieties closer for more efficient use of space. Closer spacing will encourage longer stems as the plants compete for light.
“Bonita Shell Pink”
GROWING ON
If you live in an area where Aster Yellows disease is a problem, I recommend covering the seedling with insect netting IMMEDIATELY after transplanting. You can find my favorite insect netting and clamps HERE. This will help to protect the plants from leafhoppers and thrips.
If the plants DO show signs of Aster Yellows or Aster Rot, remove them immediately and throw them away (do not compost). Be sure to rotate where you plant China Asters each year to help prevent disease issues.
To reiterate, it’s important to transplant the seedlings promptly so they can grow as much as possible before the Summer Solstice occurring around June 21(ish) in the Northern Hemisphere. As the days shorten after the Solstice, the plants begin to set their blooms and the stems will not grow much taller.
Ideally, you want the plants to grow as tall as possible before the Summer Solstice to get the longest stems possible.
Fertilize and water the plants regularly when the plants are young and actively growing. Once the buds begin to form, back off on feeding but continue watering.
The plants are sturdy but still benefit from netting or support to keep the stems straight.
Pinching is generally not necessary or recommended, however some types may benefit from it. If desired, you could experiment by pinching a few plants and comparing them to unpinched plants. Note: This is how I discovered Optimo series does NOT like to be pinched! ;)
STAGE OF HARVEST
China Asters bloom in mid to late summer (usually around mid-August on our farm in Michigan). Unlike other flowers, China Asters have a long “harvest window”, so there is no rush to harvest them.
Harvest when the outside florets begin to open. Single stem types can be harvested one stem at a time, while spray types do best as a whole plant harvest (cut the entire plant off at the ground).
“Tower Chamois”
POST-HARVEST CARE
China Asters require no special treatment after harvest.
QUESTIONS?
Ask them here and I’ll get back to you!
Ready for more?
If you’re serious about growing the garden of your dreams this year, register for my online course, “Backyard Cutting Garden 101”. You’ll find everything you need to plan, grow, harvest and arrange your stunning blooms. I can’t WAIT to help you grow! Click on the button below for all the details.