All week the forecast is ideal, and that means we get to break into our spring field and assess where we stand for the first bloomers of the outdoor season. Frost blankets have been popped on and off the rows these past few weeks but this warmer weather pattern feels a little more consistent so we will fight the urge to pack up the fabric in case we find a few more cold stretches in the extended forecast. It's always a crapshoot when we uncover the fields. No two winters are the same, and each planting seems to respond differently. While we have most of the basics of crop timing and preferred location pretty well mapped out, there are always surprises when we pull back the cloth.  

This year was no different. The lush beautiful stand of larkspur was the first row that we uncovered. Thank goodness because after a winter of biting nails, that first stretch of green growth was the mental boost our farmers needed to feel ready to tackle another spring. The rows each revealed the promise of new life among the weeds and empty holes. We are making good use of the warm stretch of days to tackle the weeds and fill in the lost plants with new seedlings. It's so rewarding to see our fall work start to spring to life quite literally.

That's not the only project waking up on the farm. As the team starts to think of Mother’s Day off on the horizon, we also turned to our own mums in overwintering storage. The dormant mother stock was unbundled and stacked so the plants could begin the process of waking up. Each variety takes its own amount of time to complete this process so as the early arrivers begin to green up we will begin to put this year's propagation plan into action.

While we will begin to map out our schedule for taking cuttings of our coveted mother stock we are also eagerly awaiting many new varieties to join the farm lineup this year. We are expanding our crop selection, increasing production, and running some trials to continue to grow this unique flower as a mainstay at Harmony Harvest. It's such a full-season crop for us that we invest our time, love, and energy into each month of the year and it's all so worth it when the blooms arrive late fall.

We have worked to simplify and perfect our own monthly rhythm of this crop and after schooling so many farmers here on how we manage our mum crop we created our own mum guide that highlights our exact method of growing. This handy guide is our go to tool as we train up this year's eager new farmers on how we grow my all time favorite flower. If you are interested in learning more about our methods of how we grow chrysanthemums and want to follow along you can find our Complete Guide to Growing Mums here. And there is still a little time left to snatch up one of our last collections of cutting mums to enjoy the full experience with us! What's better than green plants and the resources to grow them? It's kinda my favorite thing.

Spring is always filled with so many projects as the landscape comes to life a little more each day and highlights a new set of chores. Yet it seems palatable with some sun on our shoulders and the birds chirping in the trees again. We find giggles among the work and it feels like what we are really growing is the smiles of 2022.

xoxo, Jess