Getting Started~The Trial Year!

Well its seed starting time! Woohoo!

Finally time to start playing in the dirt again, I've been anxiously awaiting for this.

I have so many varieties to start this year and trial. In fact, I have over 100 different flowers and fillers to germinate in the next two months and this doesn't include all the veggies, herbs and natives plants that

I'm planning to sell from the farm as well.

Now lets be clear, I'm not always going to grow 100 different flowers. A lot of the varieties have multiple color options, some are fillers for bouquets, a couple showcase (wow) flowers, a few will be dried for crafts and others are for the pollinators and birds to enjoy.

You see this is my trial year to narrow down what I truly want to invest both my time and money in for the years to come. I'm sure that this narrowing down may take a couple seasons before I find my favorites but I'm pretty confident that after this year, I will narrow this list down quite a bit (I know, probably wishful thinking). More than likely I will find that some varieties, while beautiful, require too much babying, time, or money to make it worth it.

While I do LOVE a lot of the 'One and Done' flowers , I feel that growing some of those this year may be the only year I do so (i.e. flowers that only produce one harvest, and once cut will not bloom again).

One exception will be the bright and happy Sunflowers. In fact, the plan is to plant over 20,000 sunflowers alone. I will be starting around 1000 a week from March - early August and in 11 different colors and petal types depending on the season.

So far since the 1st week of January till now I have started over 2500 seeds and will be planting at least double that over the next 2 weeks. We are currently about 9 weeks away from our average last frost date of April 6th. Though the weather man is never accurate, they are now predicting due to our warmer winter that we expected to have our last frost date closer to mid March (Wowzer).

So it's definitely time to get seeding!

There are a variety of plants and veggies that can be started soon to ensure strong plants by spring and summer. I'll share a list of what can be started indoors in early winter and what to start outdoors as well on our Facebook page soon.

My 2023 motto (something I'm keen to stick to in this new venture) is...

"Work Smarter, Not Harder."

So even though this year is a trial year, I know that if I want to get to the point of not killing myself during grow and harvest seasons, I've got to narrow down my niche. To accomplish this I will need to do a bit of over planting and also stay open-minded to possible new avenues.

Lord help me!

You see I love it all. I love to learn and research (yep, a nerd) and though I was not a fan of school in the traditional sense, I do enjoy solving puzzles and discovering new things.I have a need, no more of an obsession, to create and share.

Much to my husbands dismay and at times annoyance, I can't be idle for long. I need a project and it's rarely a simple one.

I want to try, do, and learn it all. I need to use my hands and diligently delve deep into books, videos and workshops to understand how it works.

You know the term, 'Go Big or Go Home?' Well that's me. It may be more of a curse than a blessing but I'd like to believe that it's a bit of both. With tenacity and drive comes success but with every success there are failures. Failures that teach and mold us, keep us humble, and will help us to succeed!

Gardening is all about trial and error and so obviously failures are a given. I have and will kill many plants along my journey. In fact its already happened this year.

That's right I'm admitting failure and....Yes, I'm a plant murderer!

Due to timing issues in not getting my hardy annuals started in the fall (beds weren't ready), I'm now starting a lot of them indoors to be transplanted out in about a week. Some are absolutely thriving while others have been complete fails. Bells of Ireland and Bupleurum to name a few. Colors of some varieties, Pincushion (Scabiosa) and Statice, germinated better than others and so more seeds have been started to fill the gaps.

To be honest I am still completely thrilled with the germination success that I have had and the seedlings are ready to go.

We are currently adding another 1/4 acre to our garden this year that will be the main production plot. Already 18 beds have been plotted out that are 60ft long and 30" wide. There is also an additional 40' x 100' section that will eventually be home to mixed perennial borders and beds. The mix will contain peonies, roses, and hard woods for retail. As well as native trees, fruits, shrubs, grasses and flowers for wildlife. The goal being to mostly plant what will help and provide for nature but the farm too. To build and maintain a balanced ecosystem, for what we put into and give to the land, will give back to us in abundance.

We want Thyme 2 Bloom Gardens to be a safe haven for not only wildlife but for people too.

A place of healing, learning and teaching. A spot for gathering with friends, family and community. To enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while walking the gardens. To sit for a spell and have all your senses spark while just being present among such life and color. To create a community that seeks to learn from, help and support one another.

We aren't just selling flowers, we are wanting to gift an experience. In this ever chaotic world we are living in, we believe it's essential to take the time to JUST BE.

To take in nature, unwind and leave feeling a little bit lighter.

Of course, to take home a colorful floral bundle that you were able to pick yourself is definitely a bonus!

So please continue with us as we take our leap of faith. We need your support to make this a reality and we hope to inspire others to create their own haven at home and in their communities as well.

The list of what seeds I have started thus far will be listed on our FB page in a few days.

FACEBOOK PAGE

As always please like and share our posts when you can to help get the

word out!