12/08/2023
Tulip planting at the farm is complete! And what a pretty sky for it.
We are growing fewer tulips outside than ever before as most of our production moves into hydroponic trays inside. The change is bittersweet for me. Tulips are the first crop that made me feel like a farmer, grappling with the dirt. Each year, digging the trench has been a ritual that marks the coming of the new season. But this year, we didn’t dig a trench either! We just did raised beds, which are a trendy thing in tulip production.
The raised beds make things a bit easier for planting and harvesting, but they are not a silver bullet. Because they are more sensitive to temperature fluctuations, farmers need to know that extreme heat or extreme cold are risk factors! For us, our biggest concern is extreme heat in the spring, so we only put early blooming varieties in them, and we use pre-chilled bulbs.
I’m so excited because our indoor tulips should begin producing in February! And these beauties will bloom in March.
Thanks to our farm manager, Melissa, for getting them in the ground! (Where is your Instagram? I cannot find it?!)