Everything & the Kitchen Sink
What do organza, paper bags, and plastic forks have to do with flower farming?
Who would have thought that we would be collecting paper bags from Hannaford To Go orders from our family and friends? Who would have thought that we would be selecting different size organza bags from different vendors on Amazon? Dinner plate sized dahlia blooms need BIG organza bags! And eating utensils? The stars this month are toothpicks, chop sticks, and a plastic fork.
As I started seed planting this year I asked Mell if we had chopsticks. Usually something that is not in our kitchen. The next time we picked up take out, we grabbed an extra set. The look on Mell’s face when I pulled out the chop sticks to prime holes before dropping seeds in the seed starting mix was priceless!
The other seeds that were being started that night were teeny tiny that did not need to be planted very deep. The seeds were sprinkled on top of the soil and gently mixed in. We used toothpicks to accomplish keeping the seeds towards the top. Within 36 hours the seeds had broken through the soil and started sending their roots down into the soil. A win!
The weeks have gone by and now it is time to transplant our seedlings. I went digging around in a kitchen drawer and found a plastic fork. Flip that fork around and it is perfect for gently digging seedlings for transplanting. This is why we don’t throw away the extra forks from take away dinners! Easy to obtain, just bendy enough to get under the roots in a small space. The perfect tool!
Paper bags are a versatile tool in our garden. We use the bags to store seeds over the winter. Sometimes we just cut a bloom, let it dry, and leave it in the bag until spring. Storing them in the basement is the perfect location. The bags are used to wrap dahlia tubers up in. The cellar again is a great location for us. The bags are disposable, and they keep the tubers protected from bumps and they add a bit of insulation. The bags are also used to go over the heads of sunflowers that we are trying to protect from birds and squirrels. Plus, should any of the seeds fall out of the flower as it dries, we are able to catch them and save them for later!
The flowers show the value with their blooms. Our dahlias are beauties! We save the tubers over the winter, start to wake them up in April. Then the plants spend months growing large and tall. In late July we start to get blooms. As much as we love dahlia flowers, earwigs love them more! When we see a bloom that is on its way to opening we will grab the correct size organza bag and sinch it around the stem. The insects can not get in and damage that bloom that everyone wants in their bouquet! Growing dahlias is a labor of love. It is a year round endeavor. We want the most flowers with the least amount of insect damage. Thank goodness for organza bags!
Flower farming, like all industries, has its cost. It is expensive out in the world. We work hard to repurpose the items in our lives to save money. We also know that reusing everyday items saves the world as well. Less manufacturing and if we can use a jar, bottle, or cup over and over again, we are helping keep our foot print as small as possible. You don’t need to order a specialized tool to accomplish a task. Take a look around. Are there other things that might serve the same purpose and make a larger impact?