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The Crop Report: Week 3 | The Great Daffodil Experiment

Last fall, we decided to try something new and push the boundaries of traditional farming. Nothing new there, I mean, you know us right?  After talking with some of the nation's most seasoned farmers, growers, and bulb suppliers, we decided to test out getting an earlier daffodil crop here on our little Virginia farm.

A few months ago, we told you all about how we dug deep trenches and buried our super versatile bulb crates pre-planted with daffodils. We layered cardboard and tarps and then covered them in soil. Since then, we've been waiting patiently (kinda.)

daffodil bulbs planted in crates
planting crates of daffodil bulbs

 

This week, we unearthed the first crate of our row and brought it into the warm and cozy seedling greenhouse. We already see fresh growth in leaf tips poking through the soil and I can't tell you how awesome it feels that this risk might actually pay off! 

Daffodil bulbs sprouting in a crate
Daffodil bulbs planted in a crate

 

We're not sure if these sweet little daffodils will be ready for Valentine's Day, but so far, our trial seems to be working! We still have some tweaking to do, but I'm pretty confident that we'll be able to make this system work and have blooms earlier and earlier over the next few years.

flower farmer showing off new seedling growth

We are also tackling lots of housekeeping this week while the cold keeps us from ENJOYING outside. We're planning our crew for the upcoming season, putting together a list of new tools, placing last-minute crop orders, and squeaking in some soul-filling time with our little seedlings. This week we sowed a million trays of stock (ok, maybe not a million, but it felt like it!).
 
Keeping busy is easy on the farm which is great during the winter. I just hope that time remembers to slow down just a little when the warm summer weather returns. 

xoxo Jess

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