Let there be life!
March and April are an active time here at Linden Lane Flower Farm. We start all our beautiful flowers from seed right here, on-site. This year there will be around 5800 seeds that we start!
Perhaps the craziest thing of all is that early in the season, I start all my seeds in my kitchen, dirt and all. It's warmer than being outside in March in Idaho, and it's nothing that a broom and wash cloth can't clean up. :)
And while we do have a greenhouse, it's less labor and less heating to keep the seeds in my basement under lights until May rolls around.
Each flower has it's own requirements--temperatures, light needs, burying depths--and I use two different methods for starting the seeds: soil-blocking and 72-cell trays. All this to say, there's a lot to keep track of! I unashamedly use a spread sheet that is separated by weekly "what to plant" and "how to plant" lists.
I plant the seeds, cover them with plastic wrap to keep them moist, then slide them on to heated mats under regular LED shop lights. And then, miracle-of-miracles, the flowers grow!
When the weather warms up a little, out to the green house they go! These next images are from last year.
Here are some lovely snapdragon seedlings.
As planting time draws nearer, the plants need hardening off, so everyday they get taken out of the greenhouse and into the sunshine. The sun, wind, and rain encourage the little flowers to toughen up and be strong enough to handle real life out in the flower field. Hmmm, that feels like a metaphor for OUR real life.
And then at long last they are ready for planting in the field. Here is an image of a seedling in a soil block.
We are enjoying getting going again this season!
What are you excited about this spring? What gets you feeling like warm weather is REALLY, truly coming?
Best,
Jaime