Happy Friday y’all!

The farm is really beautiful right now as I sit outside Thursday evening to type this. I hear the murmur of voices from over the fence as Mandy talks to the neighbor who’s out haying his field in the setting sun. Birdsong surrounds me, a cool breeze, the last of the pollen drifts from the pecan trees, the snowballs and dogwoods are beginning to drop petals, the grass is lush and filled with clover, the lunaria has begun to form its silver dollar seed pods that lend to its moniker “the money plant”, the smoke bush is turning purple, and there’s a giant purple iris over my shoulder.

We’ve relished some cooler days and nights this week after such a short spring, but the heat eagerly rushes back. We’ve got multiple days in the 90s coming down the pike. Time to find a swimming hole.

Lunaria “The Money Plant” silver dollar seed pods (left) & the giant purple iris bloom (right)

Everything and everyone is humming along nicely out here though. Everyone on staff, but for one, has been here multiple years now and really, to a person, are all doing an excellent job. They know their roles well, they are headlong and enthusiastic. Usually at this time of spring, after months of running hard, you can sense that everyone’s worn thin. Still smiling and good natured, but you can sense the stress of trying to keep up with it all on the shoulders of your cohorts.

I’m not getting that this year. Days are full and people are tired, but the overwhelm and utter exhaustion don’t seem to be insistent this time around the sun. Every year we collectively improve systems and aim to have a good team and, though tired myself from working most evenings, I’m feeling really happy about how this spring has gone and how our team has risen to all challenges with a smile. Mandy and I are both feeling really fortunate and grateful for that.

We gathered for a team photo this morning, poppies in hand!

It truly is a gift to feel like you’re part of a team that is all collectively and considerately working towards the same goal. I don’t think that’s the standard for all work environments, so we’re not taking it for granted for even a minute. So team 3PF….if you’re reading this…Thank You! It really means the world to me and Mandy to have your help.

Poppies are doing great and the mums are amazing!  The plant sale is going well and the Farm Store is busy with folks pouring in from all over.  As we race around in the nursery and packing orders in the barn, we can hear folks chatting and laughing and children hollering over the fence as they run into friends old and new, or pet dogs and run through the hay field.  All good sounds.

Lots of mums left the farm this week. There's still time to order yours! (left) The Spring Plant Sale is still happening! Order on our website and schedule a time for pickup. (right)

Yesterday, Mandy was out first thing in the morning until late in the evening working the fields on the tractor. She cut and mulched all the cover crop then tilled it in while there’s still some moisture in the soil (from last week’s rain) to help it break down and incorporate into the soil more effectively. Wet winter rye and crimson clover incorporate themselves into soil so much more willingly than does dry, stiff hay. With nothing but dry heat in the forecast, she knew we couldn’t wait. She also loves mowing cover crop. It scratches an itch deep in her soul. I’ve seen her turn lifeless red clay into beautiful healthy soil in 2 years time. The girl can grow.

Mandy in her happy place, working the fields on the tractor (left) and a beautiful luna moth (right)

These are the first steps in getting ready for dahlia planting. We’ll wait a few weeks then till again to make the soil more workable, then start shaping beds. After that, we hope for rain, then flame weed all the newborn weeds it stimulates, then plant our dahlia tubers and seedlings, and run irrigation.

We’re aiming to plant in mid-May this year. Too early leads to major pest infestations and heat stressed plants, so we don’t plant when most dahlia growers do. Too late though, leads to smaller plants with less production. That’s the better of the 2 options, but our hotter and dryer summers are making it harder for the baby plants to establish too, because they literally burn to death, so we’re shifting our schedule a little earlier to try to find the new sweet spot as our climate continues to change for the more extreme.

Make our town your town! Yoga and the farmer's market are happening every Saturday morning this month!

Last week’s farmer’s market in Comer was the biggest we’ve ever seen by a long shot.  You could barely find a parking spot in town for a while there.  Never thought I’d see the day.  For most of our time here, it was 2 or 3 vendors and 2 or 3 customers.  I think there were at least 20-30 vendors last Saturday, tons of shoppers, and lots of plants for sale as well as handmade crafts, baked goods, honeys, organic insect repellent, mushroom coffee, rabbits and those stunning knitted flowers that we have in the store.  Lots of good stuff.  Come to Comer!  Make our town your town.  If you’re traveling a distance and come off of I-85, stop by Twister Burrito at the roundabout in Danielsville.  Super nice people and the best traditional tacos we’ve had in a long time.

Have a great weekend!

Steve