Heat. In particular, this Carolina heat that keeps hitting harder each year. It’s uncomfortable to us and to many of the hardy annuals and biennials that we grow here on the farm. Lately, it’s getting trickier to know when to start seeds and plant in the field. We’ll have the same issue with unusual cold snaps that are just around the corner.
Farming has become more complicated due to climate uncertainties. I find myself second-guessing the weather much more often this year. Out of 900 foxglove seeds planted in plug trays, only 100 made it due to the unusual surge in temps this year - the little seedlings did not survive in the greenhouse. To compensate, we ordered plugs to arrive in October. We’ll pot them up, then plant them out by the end of November and just hope the weather doesn’t go too far from center. This challenge is happening to farmers in every Zone.
A successful flower farmer in England has a strategy they shared for navigating these mercurial weather patterns by growing fewer types of plants, but more of them. 50% are put in hoop houses and 50% in the field. This way, you cover your bet: if you get an unseasonable cold snap, you don’t lose everything, just what’s in the field. It’s something we’re going to try for some crops going into the fall and coming winter.
We started Hollyhock and verbascum plugs, biennials, in June, which should have been ideal, however some of them overheated in the greenhouse. We were able to put a shade cover over the greenhouse and that helped. Chocolate foxglove, a perennial, was started in March. These plants flower the year after they’re planted. They did not get planted in the garden before the heat set in and they stayed in the greenhouse. When the weather cooled off in August some of them were finally planted out. We just have to start early enough in the season to get nice blooms the following year. With the weather these days, it’s getting more and more uncertain just when to start seeds.
Farmers and gardeners have always had to dance with the weather. All of us will have to keep learning new moves as we go along. If you’re struggling to find your rhythm the last few seasons, try succession planting, and/or the 50/50 strategy to help with the new, unpredictable climate patterns. Share with us (social_email) how your growing is going. We’ll keep letting you know how things are here in Zone 7b.
In the meantime, we’d love for you to come see us and say hello in person! Starting next week, Thursday, September 1, we’re opening our flower shop on the farm. We welcome you Thursdays and Fridays from 1 to 5pm, and couldn’t be more excited about it. Visit us at 2275 Mariposa Rd, Stanley, NC 28164.
See you soon,
Lis & Tim
P.S. Pictured at top are hollyhock, foxglove, and verbascum seed starts that made it through this early Carolina super-summer and were planted out last week.
