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Meanderings on Farm Life



Perennial paper white pot.
Paperwhites potted in shallow bowl.

Growing perennial Paperwhites

Paperwhites are a less cold hardy cousin to our local daffodils, which grow perennially outside. They are only cold hardy to zone 8, so they won't survive our winter's outside. Their relationship to daffodils tells us (local gardeners) two things: the first being their natural growing season, the second being that they are toxic to consume and their freshly cut stems can release irritating sap that can irritate your skin and kill other freshly cut stems if they share the same water. These bulbs are often sold forced in pots with stones and water, but this growing technique does nothing but stimulate already developed energy in the bulb, if you want to grow your bulbs again next year, you'll want to make sure they have food this season, so they can store energy for next spring.


I pot my paperwhites in shallow bowls, so the bulbs sit right at the top of the bowl water line and the bowl serves as a resevoir for the roots. The roots will hold the bulbs into the bowl, but the level will mean that you can make sure the bulb doesn't get emersed in water. Bulbs like to stay high and dry, and many are prone to rot when they get soggy.


As the plants begins to grow and flower, I make sure to water enough to keep the soil saturated. The flowers will last longer if the plants are kept out of full sun at this point, so I put them somewhere nice to enjoy them in bright indirect light. As the paperwhite flowers, it continues growing longer stems and foliage, so I like to add branches and string to support the tidiness of this growth. You can either support further top growth by adding more string or tightening the string towards the top of the plant to gather the loose foliage into a cone shape. The flowers are beautiful even as they dry back and die. I often save mine for little eternity vase decorations around the house. If you want to save your flowers you can let them, dry fully on the plant, then pinch off the stem as far back as the base of the bulb (or anyl length you want for the vase you'll display them in dry.)


When your paperwhite foliage is at full length, this is the peak growing season for your bulbs to take in and store energy. More them to a sunny place, and continue to water them. I like to add a nice liquid plant food to the water, every other week. About a month in, you will notice your paperwhite foliage becoming a little thinner and starting to yellow. Keep watering lightly, until the foliage dies back naturally, and then your bulbs are ready to be stored in a basement or garage (somewhere frost proof, where you can retrieve them to bloom again next winter).





Growing your Amaryllis bulbs, so they come back year after year.
Amaryllis bloom better, when their roots are confined in small pots/ bowls.

Growing perennial Amaryllis

Amaryllis originate from South Africa. So their growing season needs are bit less conventional than paperwhites. When forcing them in a northern climate, and they will need a period of forced dormany.


This year our amayllis bloomed completely before sending their leaves up to restore the energy they spent on their spectacular floral displays. I can't believe how floriferous they were this year, most of my stems had 3 to 4 blooms and most of my plants threw out at least two stems.


The amaryllis bloom best, when their roots are constricted, so we pot them in shallow bowls, which makes it important to water regularly, during their winter growing season.

As with our paperwhites, amaryllis will need to be cared for, given a sunny position, water and food, throughout the remainder of the winter, spring and summer. I like to pot up my bulbs into deeper pots after they flower, so they hold water for longer and have more food available in their growing medium. Make sure the pot has drainage holes and dish beneath is to catch excess water. At this point, water regularly as you would any house plant. Don't oversaturate the soil, but don't let it dry out for too long either. It helps to feed the bulb every few times you give it water, or dillute feed it with every watering.


I force a 2 month period of dormancy beginning in August, when I stop watering the bulb and move it to a dark place that stays between 45 and 50 degrees. You can take your bulbs completely out of the soil and cut off yellow leaves at this point. A plastic bag with insulation (woodshavings) in a fridge crisper or root cellar would work well for the dormancy period. Your amaryllis bulb should never be exposed to temperatures under 40 degrees.


At the end of October, I pull my bulbs out of dormancy and pot them up again.


Pro tip: Amaryllis leaves can be very delicate, so, during the growing period, be careful not to move them around too much.


Let me know how you do?

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Updated: Feb 8

Welcome to our farm blog, a place where we ruminate about farm life, what we grow and how we grow.


I'm hoping to use this blog as a way to invite community into the process of building Highland Springs. We are constantly working on a multitude of projects and learning what we can build and make from the source here at the springs, so I'll use this space to share ideas, projects, plans, successes, failures, and all the things we learn, while trying to steward this land and grow with her.

Regenerative Farm No-Till Permanent Raised Beds
Our Farm's Permanent No-Till Raised Beds

We've been farming Highland Springs for three years. In 2020 we started a vegetable CSA to meet higher demand for local food in the height of the pandemic.


Regeneratively Growing vegetables


To give you a little background about our motivations, I should tell you that I, Sarah, came to farming here with Matthew by way of running a farm to table restaurant in Buffalo, NY. My sister, Eliza, and I opened merge restaurant in 2009, when we moved back to Buffalo and found a glaring hole in the availability of vegetable based food options in the city. At merge, we sourced local vegetables, offered vegetarian, vegan and raw food options, and sourced ethically raised whole chicken and grass fed bison from local farmers.


Cut to needing a break from the rush and tumble of fast paced restaurant life, finding ourselves on a farm, when the pandemic hit, I still had deep urges to grow and feed community. Growing vegetables was some of the most rewarding and enlightening work I've ever done, but it took a massive toll on my body, so this year, for the first time, I'm only growing vegetables for family, friends, events, and preservation (we grow 100% of the vegetables we eat at home). We are now concentrating our professional economy entirely on flowers.


Flowers feed us too

In an effort to continue feeding and supporting our community, our flower gardens and landscapes are grown using the same (no chemical) regenerative techniques. We concentrate on growing native species and specialty cut flowers for events. Our flowers are nutrient dense and some are edible, just like our vegetables. But flowers feed us in an entirely different way. Growing flowers, we are growing the gift of beauty, of temporal expression and artistry. Flowers remind us that life is fleeting and that we must enjoy the goodness and the beauty, while we can. The gift of flowers is a gift of appreciation and love beyond time.


AND, it's absolutely amazing how much life flowers can support.


Flowers support the life that supports us, in less obvious ways. The birds, the bees, the caterpillars and butterflies that pollinate and perpetuate systems of growth all depend on natural flora. Flower farming supports bacterial and fungal systems that build top soil, which is more important than ever, because we live in a world/country where the soil is actively being destroyed by large scale agricultural systems.


Buying local flowers for your events and celebrations is a vote for a smaller carbon footprint and stronger local economy.


I can't even begin to tell you how fulfilling it has been to grow and arrange flowers on our farm. I love seeing the bugs, receiving my minerals straight from the earth, being able to grow our food along with the flowers, and sharing the beauty and delight of these gorgeous gifts with all of you.




What your flower purchase supports

As we steward this land, we have planted orchards and perennials, so we can share in the future of our local food economy. We experiment with different scales of grain, seed, and protein production. I am a permaculturalist, so at Highland Springs, we are constantly developing systems that close nutrient loops and save precious resources and energy. Matthew is a carpenter, and we have begun harvesting, milling, drying and planning shared buildings for future recreation and lodging. When a tree is felled for wood, I can use delicate branches in designs and installations. As a master preserver, I've spent the last five years developing a way to eat well using 100% locally grown produce in our northern climate, and I have plans to share all that I've learned, along with the items that we preserve in the future.


We appreciate your support as we do that work that we feel contributes to a stronger and more resilient local economy.


We'd love to hear from you, if you want to be involved in any of our projects, or just spend some time in the flowers.


Thank you for being here, with us,

Sarah

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