Everywhere I look, I see garden spots tilled and the soil smoothed over. The workers of the land are waiting for the danger of frost to pass and the ground to warm up so that they can plant their tiny seeds.

Upon this writing, my almanac says that this week is a good week for plowing and cultivating, but seeds tend to rot in the ground when planted. As hard as it is to wait, I will have better luck if I bide my time and sow my seeds in April.

This year, we are planning a different sort of garden. We are devoting a patch of land to flower growing. I have always loved flowers and last year after touring the gardens at Renfrow Farms in Matthews, I decided that this would be the year for flowers- and lots of them. Pressly Williams of Renfrow Hardware wrote a newsletter a few weeks ago that detailed instructions for growing flowers in our area. I was happy to see that she wrote: “You don’t need the best garden soil for planting flowers.” The type of soil on our land is referred to as bull tallow. Not the best for growing much of anything, but with a lot of care and a little amendment, we hope to yield a bountiful crop of fragrant blooms.

Small, woman-owned flower farms are popping up everywhere; Mary from Windcrest Farms in Monroe grows a beautiful assortment of flowers that she sells in Matthews. Erin Benzakein from Floret Flower Farm in Washington state has turned into an Instagram sensation with the photos of the gorgeous blooms that she grows.

Cultivating Beauty: that‘s what flower farms do. Why not join us and cultivate a little beauty in your area?
Do you have your garden planned? What will you be growing this year?

The Farmers Market season is nearly upon us. The Locust Farmers Market will begin the season on May 4th. I can’t wait to see all of you again!

That’s the news from the homestead, see you next week!