In the Weeds: August on the Farm
As it usually does, the summer has absolutely flown by and it's already August! We returned from a week-long vacation to a beautiful field full of weeds… and a few flowers. It’s week 9 of our seasonal bouquet subscriptions so I cut and prepped 50 bouquets to go out to customers mid-week (more on subscriptions here), then spent another full day completely tearing apart and flipping our retail shop. I recruited my husband to help me tackle the weeds and with the help of my part-time employee, at least a part of our field is back in order and I can see some flowers again.
Speaking of flowers, it’s dirty flower season. Those zinnias are beautiful but they make some nasty water real quick. (Along with their friends sunflower, rudbeckia, celosia and dahlia.) During the months of July and August I’m constantly reminding my customers about the importance of bouquet maintenance to ensure that our flowers have the longest vase life possible. If you’re selling flowers, make sure you’re giving your customers tips for proper care of fresh-cut flowers. Offering tips is a great way to post and create engagement without coming off as 'salesy’. Feel free to use these posts as a starting point!: IG Post Idea, IG Reel Idea
To Do List
Here’s what I’m focusing on in the coming week…
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Staking dahlias. We use a simple method of wooden stakes and baling twine to support our plants.
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Prepping beds for fall. Our first round of fall-planted flowers will go in the ground around September 15 so we need to prepare the beds. That means ripping out old fabric, tilling the ground if necessary, replacing the walkways and beds and burning new landscape fabric if needed. I want to be ready to plant when my transplants arrive! (Find all of the supplies I use here.)
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Planning fall events and inventory for our shop. Summer vaca officially ends in two weeks when my daughter is back to school so I’m easing back into business mode. I’m scheduling fall flower workshops and events in our barn, plus bringing in new candles, cozy throw blankets and fall vases and decor into our retail shop. If you think this sounds like an entirely separate job on top of the farm, you’re correct.
Currently Loving
A roundup of my latest favorite gear, supplies and more…
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Cashmere & Vanilla Candle. Loving the warm fragrance and chic design of our one of our newest candles. I’ve been burning this all week!
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Ribbed Tank. Great everyday tank that can go from the field to the shop and works for mom-life, too. I just ordered a third to add to my rotation.
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Atlas Gloves. Did I mention we’ve been pulling weeds all week?
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Garden Bibs. As seen here. The pockets are clutch for toting my phone, snips, earbuds and kids snacks.
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Old World Italian. I’m all about fresh meals from scratch especially when we’ve got tomatoes, zucchini and fresh herbs in abundance. If you’ve seen me cooking this week it was probably a recipe from this book!
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Hori Hori. I mentioned the weeds, right? If you’re not using this in your garden already consider this a sign. It will change how you work!
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French Tote. I’ve been using this straw tote as our lake/beach bag all summer, but I also grab it for toting produce from the garden.
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Tinted Sunscreen. This is my go-to for field/work days when I’m not really doing the makeup thing. Tinted in case I decide to film content and sunscreen because duh.
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Jersey Dress. Another great option that goes from field to flower shop to mom. I have three on constant rotation (and wore them through pregnancy, too).
That’s all for this week’s weeds. How's your season going?
Katy
