September 24, 2023

"The year is getting to feel rich, for his golden fruits are ripening fast, and he has a large balance in the barns, which are his banks. The members of his family have found out that he is well to do in the world. September is dressing herself in show of dahlias and splendid marigolds and starry zinnias. October, the extravagant sister, has ordered an immense amount of the most gorgeous forest tapestry for her grand reception."

-Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

We'll have market bouqs in the shed today but I can't promise we'll have them tomorrow. We picked the fields clean yesterday and brought everything in to dry. With the cool temps and rain this week, I'm not sure we'll have much blooming. Stay tuned!

Ten years ago, I came downstairs to find a 35lb turkey standing in our living room. No big deal. That was our life in a nutshell. Oddly enough, I found myself looking at offerings at a hatchery again last night. Yikes. Good thing I woke up this morning with a clear head.

Anyway, the farmstand is open bright and early at 7am and we'll keep it stocked until 7pm.

We're having lots of new customers reaching out wondering how the stand works. It's easy peasy. 

1. Pull through gate and park on gravel by little brown farmshed

2. Go into shed and shop

3. Add up your total (don't forget to peek at free book corner)

4. Pay with cash/check, Venmo, Square, or Paypal (details are on wall above the little checkout table). 7.7% tax is already included in the price to keep the math simple. No need to make a bunch of loose change.

5. Go home with your fresh flowers and goodies and have a great day!

Updates!

Tonight I made the decision to wrap up our farmers market season for 2023. Four weeks early! It's pulling at my heartstrings because I love the farmers market, the amazing customers, and the time spent with the other vendors. It's been one of the highlights of the year. However, I'm still struggling with some daily health issues (let's not get into that again) and with teenage helping hands back in school and sports, dahlias subscriptions this month, and the farmstand, I just can't quite pull it off. While it does feel disappointing, it opens up a space for our sweet friends Melissa and Mike of Sweet Bloom Farm to slide into our booth spot and the timing is just perfect as their gorgeous dahlias are hitting their stride. 

For us, we will continue with our twice weekly dahlia subscriptions and deliveries through the end of September as well as the daily farmstand blooms.

Farmstand will be closed on Sunday as I have a family commitment.

I will miss our farmers market customers but will look forward to seeing you all next season and you're always welcome at the farmstand.

Thank you all so much for your support this season and for your understanding!

#changeofplans #farmersmarket #farm #flowers #farmstand #vanwa

Just a reminder that I won't be at the farmers market today, but these bundles and more will be available in the farmshed.

Thursday dahlia subscribers-today is the day. All dahlia bundles on the green metal table are reserved for you. 

Thanks so much for your amazing support and kindness!

Market bouquets in cozy fall colors went to the farmstand at 11am along with sweet little pint bouquets that are perfect for the first day of school.

Thinking of all the littles and bigs as they set off on a new year of school adventures, challenges, and opportunities for growth and self-discovery. With so many different learning styles and multiple intelligences, we can only hope for vibrant classrooms full of  understanding for the individual and respect for the learning community as a whole. Sending you all big hugs!

"Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives. The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility—these three forces are the very nerve of education."

Rudolf Steiner

11:30 Sunday restock. I'm at the height of my floral joy. These are the days we dream of during the off-season and I while I feast my eyes on the color, I'm also snapping as many photos of possible to keep me inspired and hopeful all winter. 

I'm planning to shut the farmstand for the season right around October 5th which is the same time the Salmon Creek Farmers Market at Legacy Hospital wraps up. It's the earliest I've ever closed up the farm and I'll explain more soon.  That means you have about 40 days to get your fill of our farm fresh blooms.

Sending you love.

Heading out to the @salmoncreekfarmersmarket at Legacy Hospital and will be there from 11-3.

The shed does have market bouquets but I will be unable to restock until tomorrow. If you want a bigger selection, come see me at the market. I'm so excited to load up on the weekly goodies from other amazing vendors.

Just a note that on Wed and Thursdays I have a very difficult time responding to messages as Wednesdays are usually 15 hr workdays and my hands are wet in the field. I'll get back to messages tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks for understanding!

#farmersmarketflowers #farm #flowers #localflowers #flowerfarm #clarkcountywa

Am I obsessed with the peaches, oranges, and pinks? I think so.

This new batch went out to the farmstand at 9:30. Will keep the stand fully stocked until 7pm.

Hoping you find lil bits of beauty and joy this weekend.

#orange #peach #pink #summer #flowers #farm #clarkcountywa #vanwa #vancouverwa #hockinsonwa 

Hey Loves. These $25 (yeah, $25) market bouquets went to the shed at 10:30. Today has me a little sideways and I'm reminded that as much as I think I farm alone, at this point, I do not. Not well. I greatly miss extra hands right now. 

The farm has expanded just outside of what I can manage singlehandedly and having reliable, hard-working, motivated helpers makes the work week so much more efficient and my life much more enjoyable. At the risk of sounding cringe (as my kids would say), "teamwork makes the dream work." 

Anyway, these are my fave bundles of the season. Because I'm sideways I may not be able to restock until 2pm so if you want one of these, come early. 

Have a beautiful day and remember to lean on your people when you need them. We all feel better when we feel helpful. Feeling stuck, bored, depressed? If ya can, go lend a hand. I promise it helps.

💞

#teamwork #help #grateful #farmer #flowers #barn #love #flowerfarm #zinnia

These $30 bundles are in the farmshed and 100% of all flowers sales today will be donated to @ainamomona to help aid the people of Maui. 

If you aren't in need of flowers, but would still like to helpwith a monetary donation, you can access their donation options here:

https://www.kaainamomona.org/social-links?fbclid=PAAaZh6h3rmYQjH2fd-YzPsY8bNxWw8TZ_lhucVAwmgXa7VlY6M6d9fY19xPU_aem_AXP1AOSYvOZUUo2xDKep1EAvBrmy3S0fOV8uYnfMP1p_X40WozUF989IrBM_WlCnYf8

Thanks, friends!

#flowers #community #give #love #farm #grow

It's Friiiiiday and I need a lil breather. The past two days have been sooo incredibly busy, I'm dizzy. Yesterday was a record day between the farmstand and the farmers market and I can feel it in my bones. I stocked the stand this morning and it's already been hopping. I physically and mentally need a few hours to regroup and take care of family things so I don't intend to restock until about 3:30.

Thanks so much for understanding and for completely knocking my socks off the first three days of August. Wowzer! I love it. 

I went to bed at 6pm last night after taking Nyquil. Wowzer, what a ride. So many bizarre dreams. I won't go into details but one of them was focused on plastic use on the farm. I'm guessing the topic invaded my dreams after reading a note from a customer asking for plastic sleeves for the market bundles, however, it is a topic I wrestle with constantly.

Years ago the stand primarily offered arrangements in vessels and we offered a credit for returning your vessel so they could be reused. We offered little baggies for the stems of the market bouquets. Somewhere along the line, the demand for market bouquets took off and I've found myself making more than ever. 

Right before the farmers market last Thursday I realized the folded papers were low. I told my friend I just ordered a box of 1250 sheets and should have at least half a box left. Nope. We had gone through them all. That was 1250 bouquets in record time for our little farm. I had to go back and check our books to verify. In June and July, market bouquet sales increased by 90%. While this makes my heart sooo happy, it means I cannot offer little plastic baggies. It goes against my conscious and doesn't feel responsible.  In our personal lives and in the business, we have tried to eliminate the use of disposable plastics as much as possible. At the farmer's market, I offer compostable cornstarch bags for dripping stems. These add up! Not only do we back sales tax out of our bouquets making them a mere 18.57, but there are also the costs of the papers, the staples, the bands, and the floral food that we occasionally offer as well. While I understand the need for stem wraps for some, I'm trying to work out the most cost effective option with the lowest environmental impact. Stay tuned...

This photo is from a couple days ago. I'm working on adding some of this same palatte to the farmstand by 8:30 am. The shed opened at 7 and there are bundles and gladiolus bunches available, but more to come. Nyquil, I tell ya. 🫠 

Joy, joy, joy! How did I get so lucky to hang out with these blooms all day? 

Restocked the flowershed at 11:30 and will keep it stocked until 7.

Wishing you all a beautiful Friday!

Also, I have been terrible about updating the website and in case I neglect it for awhile again, our self-serve farmstand is open daily from 7am-7pm.

We can also be found at the Salmon Creek Farmers Market on Thursdays from 11-3 at Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital.

Dahlias were one of the first flowers I planted and fell in love with when we lived in our little house in downtown Vancouver back in 2001. Our yard was 1/11th of an acre and I put in as many gardens as the space could handle. I'd visit the @vancouverfarmersmarket each Saturday and still come home with bundles of blooms. 

We moved to the farm nineteen years ago and over time the dahlias went from a few dozen to thousands. I would say, looking back that the joy isn't any greater with thousands of plants versus one. How does one quantify joy?

I've learned so much about life through dahlias. I've grown them for over twenty years and would still never consider myself an expert but they've taught me about humility, joy, beauty, patience. They've provided me endless quiet moments of observation and reflection. They've been a meditation. They've taught me about obsession, passion, and desire. They've taught me about human psychology, trends, and the scarcity mentality. They've taught me about abundance, community, and resilience. By listening to my heart and it's response to the increasing dahlia tuber frenzy, I've learned even more about myself and the direction I want to lead the farm (Hint: I do not like tuber frenzy or keyboard buying wars). They are still and always will be one of the cornerstones of our farm and consequently my life and I am so grateful for the rich lessons they've provided.

Thanks so much for following along on the ride!

You can find the first dahlia bunches of the 2023 season in our farmstand all weekend. The fiest round went out at 8am and I'll try to keep them stocked until 7. We also have gladiolus bunches, some mixed market bouquets, and lily bunches will be out by noon.

#dahlias #grow #flowers #farm

It's been a lovely misty morning in the dahlias and it almost feels like Fall. It'll be awhile before we offer straight bunches of dahlias in the stand, but for now they are tucked into our $20 market bouquets and can be found in the farmshed. A reminder that when coming to the farm to please pull into the gravel parking spot by the farmshed and not at the roadside stand which blocks access for others.

With the dahlia blooms starting to return to the field, we've been receiving questions about subscriptions. 2023 dahlia subscriptions sold out but I did open a few more. As for 2024, I the peony subscriptions are open (they usually start in May and last for three weeks). However, I do not plan to offer spring subscriptions for 2024.

Making the decision to eliminate the spring subscription was a hard one, but one that I feel great about. Why did I make the choice? Many reasons. One, spring weather has become increasingly unpredictable and the unknowns of the spring subscription timeline created a low level anxiety for months knowing I had people who'd paid for blooms and were counting on them. Tulips are the backbone of our subscriptions and after suffering a loss of about $7k worth of them to fungal issues this spring, it caused me to reevaluate their place on our farm. My husband could see my confliction for a couple seasons as I wrestled with whether my values aligned with the massive amount of imported bulbs and heavy crates each season. I'm still wrestling with how I feel about it but giving the farm a break from the bulbs this season is what I need to help find clarity. The other reason, and the most important, is family. I miss spring break with my family each year as subscriptions tie me to the farm. This is an exciting year and I want to be as available as possible for my loves. The farm will always keep me grounded and provide the sanctuary, hard work, and community that I need and love, but when I look back, I know I will regret not carving out a little more time in the spring for my boys.

I can't thank my loyal subscribers enough for buying into the farm in the offseason-stay tuned for new special opportunities to "subscribe" in 2024. 

#dahlias 

Farmers' market vibes. These summertime friends will be at the @salmoncreekfarmersmarket at Legacy Hospital tomorrow (Thursday) from 11-3. Come early and stay cool!

The shed and stand will be stocked all week. 

See you soon!

The farmstand is open until 7 and is stocked with $20 market bouquets. Please make sure to pull through the gate and park on gravel pad.

While there may be flowers in the roadside stand, the majority of the flowers will be inside the shed (which is inside the gate.

Have a beautiful day, friends!

It's market day! Will be at the @salmoncreekfarmersmarket at Legacy Hospital from 11-3 today.

Lily-Palooza is continuing on the farm and the shed will be stocked with $15 bundles. At this point I cannot promise I will have market bouquets in the farmstand today. Yesterday was the fullest day I've had in months (full of joy and awesomeness) and I'm finding myself in a time crunch this morning. Will update if it happens, though.

Stay hydrated, friends. Much love!

#farmersmarket #flowers #localflowers #allgrownhere #seasonal #flowerfarm #clarkcountywa #bouquet #farmersmarketflowers #slowflowers #sunflowers 

Market yesterday was soooo fun. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I've been loving Thursdays at Legacy Salmon Creek. There's something magical there. I feel surrounded by good energy. The tenderness, the compassion, the caring. The healing. It's full of connection and all the best things about humanity and I am so honored to be able to bring flowers to that space.

Thank you again to everyone who came out to say hello, to support all the amazing vendors, and to shop local. And as always, to the customers visiting the farmstand. 

The stand is open 7-7 all weekend and here's a little peek at the 10:30 refresh. Just a reminder that the majority of the flowers will inside the farmshed (which is inside the gate) and most likely not in the roadside, so please pull into gravel parking spot. Thanks so much!

#clarkcountywa #flowers #localflowers #vanwa #vancouverwa #flowerstand #flowerfarm #farmstand