September Journal
Hooley dooley. The last few weeks have been absolutely hectic - including not having power for most of the last one.
To celebrate the start of spring (and to catch up on those wild weeks - oops!) for the next two weeks I’ll be sending out 2 newsletters for each week plus a paid subscribers only bonus article.
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I kept expecting the weather in August to turn bad, but for the most part it was sunny and unseasonably warm. This was great for getting a lot of jobs ticked off around the farm. Not all of them by any means (is that even possible?) but I managed to kick many rocks down the metaphorical road.
The two main jobs for this month were finishing all of the pruning, and making sure that the baby roses were weeded and mulched.
I am happy to say that those jobs are more or less done (less a bit of mulch that needs to be replaced thanks to those awful winds).
Speaking of, those winds started in the end of August and they haven’t let up since! While we’ve had some gusty, blustery, weather before, I can’t quite remember it lasting for quite so long.
Unfortunately the wind has made it really difficult to plant out the last succession of cold hardy annuals and they are still waiting for their turn in the glasshouse.
As mum discovered the hard way when she planted out two rows of sweetpeas, days of unrelenting wind quickly saps all hydration from delicate seedlings and they can shrivel away on the ground.
While I told myself I would wait until the start of September to begin my warm season, tender annuals, due to the awful weather at the end of August I did pop some in the propagator a little early.
As dahlias take up so much of my time in summer and autumn, I try to keep the rest of my plantings simple.
Zinnias, cosmos, celosia, and amaranth usually give me enough textures and colours to play with so I don’t get bored, but also don’t demand too much extra attention.
Speaking of summer flowers, I, of course, stocked up on some packets of Floret Originals when they were offered by Veggie Garden Seeds.
While I bought zinnias and celosia, at this stage I am only going to commit to growing the zinnias this year, and perhaps save the Celosia for something fun next season.
This is because I want to put a lot of effort into isolating them so that I can collect seed that remains true just in case they aren’t offered again in Australia (Floret have requested that you do not sell seed from the Originals lines, unless you become an authorised reseller) or in case the price does not come down. I absolutely think the packets are good value for the work that has gone into making these seed lines available, but it would nevertheless be a big expense for the farm each year if I had to keep buying them.
Of course, I am continuing with my own zinnia breeding project, and that will continue alongside my adventures in saving Floret seed.
I was lucky enough to be able to take up an offer from Tim Drewitt to be able to see his farm in full daffodil glory. Tim extended the offer to any micro flower farmer who could make it on the day, but in the end it was my friends from Pepperberry Flora, my mum, and me who got a private tour with Tim.
Tim showed us the daffodil fields, but also the packing shed where the crew fill all of the orders for bulbs and tubers. He generously answered all of our questions and sent us home with armloads of daffodil blooms - some are pictured here.
It’s a huge operation and clear that Tim is passionate about what he does. I think I’ve fallen even more in love with daffodils and will have to add some specialty lines to my garden next year, even if they don’t become a farm crop.
The other big job for August was to prep the area for the roses that I am relocating.
This involved moving a large mound of soil that has been sitting in the middle of the annual field since we last did earthworks in March last year.
Luckily after helping with those earthworks, and building up the baby David Austin patch last year, I am a pro in a machine… or maybe not. It took a few days, and the ground isn’t yet where I want it to be, but it is showing promise. Once it has settled and I can see where it is holding water, I will do a little more and then start moving the roses.
I’ll fit in 12 x 15m beds in this space for approximately 360 rose bushes. That relocation will hopefully be able to happen through September.
Finally, on the very last day of August I was able to pick my first handful of flowers - Sfumato Ranunculus.
They started flowering while the others still look like they are thinking about sending up buds, and don’t seem to have been too phased by the wild weather.
Mum also had a bit of a tidy up around her garden, including the espaliered fruit trees.
While we were standing near the raised beds behind my glasshouse, (which were once vegetable beds and since have become the spot where I usually plant a few bits and pieces for breeding) we pondered whether we should remove some of the trees. An unruly fig had grown so large as to make it difficult to walk between the raised beds, while a pomegranate and finger lime (neither of which had ever produced fruit) and some currant trees (that loved to harbour kikuyu) made it difficult to mow and maintain the area.
Luckily we were not too attached to them, as it seemed like no sooner had we had the thought than dad had hopped in the tractor and removed them all.
It looks a touch bare, but it will make maintenance on the space much easier.
This is where I plan to put my Floret zinnias so I can monitor them closely and pop some isolation nets over each bed.
What’s Going On in September
Events
28 September: The Rare Plant Festival at Broughton Hall in Jindivick.
Cost: $25 entry
Time: 9am until 4pm
What: the beautiful garden at Broughton Hall will be opening for the Rare Plant Festival. Other than wandering around the large garden to see it in spring time glory, there will be a number of stallholders selling all sorts of things including plants, seeds, and garden tools.
Greenhouse
Potting up and babying the first round of warm tender annuals. Zinnias, celosia, cosmos, and amaranth along with hundreds of dahlia seedlings.
Field
Weeding, mowing, and maintenance (always)
I still have 500 roses to relocate. As you could see above, only 360 will fit in the new beds which means they aren’t all staying. Some just don’t cust the mustard as cut flowers, and it’s no longer worth the effort and space of keeping them. Dahlia bed prep will begin once this is done.
Summer annual bed prep has started and will continue until planting mid-October.
Shed
Dahlia tubers are routinely checked for any issues.
I will add a little moisture to the shed tubers to start waking them up and encouraging their eyes to pop for shipping in October. After a mild winter I think they will be ready to go sooner rather than later.
Listening To
Flowers: Let’s Grow Girls with Erin Benzakein This is always a fun podcast to listen to and has had a stellar list of guests in recent episodes. This one with Erin of Floret fame is a nice look into why Erin decided to turn her efforts away from growing cut flowers and towards breeding excellent cut flowers.
Reading
Not Flowers: Kitchen Sentimental by Annie Smithers. When I’m not reading flower books, I love reading memoirs and autobiographies from people who are great at what they do. Chefs, in particular, seem to write in this space frequently. Following in the footsteps of the well known Anthony Bourdain memoir Kitchen Confidential, Annie Smither’s memoir about entering and working in the restaurant scene from the 80s is incredible.
For those unfamiliar with Annie Smithers, she was an early champion of the farm to plate movement and supporting local vendors, and grows much of the food used by her restaurant Du Fermier at her farmlet Babbington Park in Lyonville, Victoria.
I love Annie’s writing style and thoroughly enjoyed this, her third book.
I am lucky enough to be going to hear her speak next week.
Watching
Not Flowers: The Floret Seed Saving Course. Erin and team have put together a lovely resource to help you save zinnias, celosia, and dahlia seeds. The course is free, but you do need to register. Follow this link
What’s going on in your patch of the world?