“Choose wisely - brief is the act, but the results are eternal."
Ciao! Welcome to Growing with the Flow where I will be sharing about life on the farm and basically everything I’ve been wanting to share with the world about how connected humans are with nature. If you’ve followed Giardino Foresta on social media, you already have an idea of what to expect. These posts will be a more detailed version of what I share on social media.
I’m passionate about nature, learning, and encouraging everyone to grow with their own flow. Following my own flow led me down life-changing paths and feels so good. I hope everyone can tap into their own intuition and feel the same thing.
The title quote, “Choose wisely - brief is the act, but the results are eternal." may seem pretty intense. But it since coming upon that quote a couple years ago, it has stuck with me.
No pressure or anything, but everything we do has a ripple effect. The decisions we make affect the world around us, whether we realize it or not.
So this Valentine’s Day, take into consideration the gift(s) you give to express your love. Where did they come from? What purpose do they serve after they are gifted? Are they meant to be used for years or are they destined for the landfill?
Valentine’s Day
Disclosure: My family doesn’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day. We already have so much to celebrate that week.
My then boyfriend, now husband, Todd asked me on our first date on February 13th. I know, bold move! Asking out the girl of your dreams the day BEFORE Valentine’s Day?! Also, that was the day that Serj Tankian came to town that year and we wanted to see him live. So we celebrate our “dateaversary” on the 13th every year.
Look at those youngins! This was taken during a hike in 2009, shortly after we started dating.
Four days later is my birthday, and we have multiple family and friend birthdays throughout that same week. It felt wrong to have so many things in a row and Valentine’s is the easiest thing to skip.
One of my biggest beefs with Valentine’s Day, especially now as a flower farmer, is gifting those poor out-of-season flowers, forcing them to perform when they don’t want to. I know I don’t want to do much of anything during the winter! It feels like such pressure is put on those delicate blooms to exist during a time when they should be at rest.
Not only does growing them out-of-season take way more time, effort, and resources, but shipping the flowers puts them through even more stress! Not to mention the resources it takes to ship them safely and quickly enough.
“Nature can supply human need, but not human greed” -Gandhi
This could be a whole separate post, but the same idea goes for eating in-season produce as well. Better for the environment since fewer resources are required to move the produce closer to the consumer, better for the community through support of local farmers, and better nutrient content since the plants are growing in their ideal conditions, as well as being a more cost effective option (https://health.umms.org/2022/04/05/seasonal-eating/).
Giardino Foresta grows with the flow of the seasons (oh hey… that’s where I got the name of the blog) without a greenhouse or high tunnels, so I do not have flowers available in February. It’s easier on the plants, the land, and me. I want to do this for a long time, so growing with the environment is my way of working smarter, not harder.
Grow with your conditions: plant what wants to grow and you’re almost certain to make a decent garden. - Monty Don
Getting off of my soapbox now…
If you’re a traditionalist and must give fresh flowers, at least shop local businesses! If you’re in the Charlottesville area, my favorite coffee shop, Daily Grind has some really great options that include a tasty beverage! Daily Grind is also where Giardino Foresta bouquets are sold during the growing season, so they hold a special place in my heart!
A few ideas if you want to shake it up this year and do something other than traditional flowers to express your love, whether that be to a partner, a friend, your kids, or yourself!
- Locally made chocolates or baked goods (Baker No Bakery has an ah-maz-ing Valentine’s Day offering)
- A cake covered in flowers from Cake Bloom (they offer local pick up and nationwide shipping)
- A special outing (go see a movie, do a wine/cider/whiskey tasting, visit a museum, be a tourist in your own town or one close by)
- A gift card to their favorite store
- A voucher for a class they’ve been wanting to take
- A potted plant in a cute pot
- Tickets to a show or concert
January updates from the farm:
January was COLD and snowy. Only in the past week has the weather warmed up enough to comfortably work outside. I, like many other gardeners, get the itch to start gardening again around this time of year, especially with the tease of warmer temps.
Rogue, Raptor, and Skye exploring a leaf pile
I’ve already planned out my plots and ordered seeds. So I’ve been putting the chickens to work, weeding in between the rows and helping the leaf mulch break down. They’re my right-hand-chickies in the garden! Though I’m still grumpy that they ate through my first winter garden in the fall… I re-planted VERY late in the season (mid-November) but everything is mostly ok. Live and learn!
Even though my raised beds are 32” tall, they can still flap right up there and help themselves, so I have row covers in place now. I have been trying to figure out what I want to do to keep them out once the summer veg is in place since those plants will quickly outgrow the row covers. I’m thinking maybe some short fencing around the edges. More on that later… once I figure it out!
Some leafy greens cozied up under the row cover in my raised beds
Another project on my list is starting a trellis tunnel. I’m spending the milder days of winter preparing the area before installing the first trellis panels. I’ll be growing Hyacinth Bean for the flower farm, luffa gourds, melons, and pumpkins on the trellis. Todd also wants to put up some solar string lights under the tunnel, which is going to look magical!
Speaking of mulch, if you’d like some free mulch delivered, check out Chip Drop! I’m not picky about what type of wood is used in the mulch since I really only use it on pathways, so I always use their service to get a literal truckload of mulch delivered for FREE. If I don’t use it all, I simply let it break down or add it to the compost pile. We’ve used Chip Drop for years, I don’t know what I'd do without it! Their site is easy to use and their customer service is wonderful. Also, their marketing is ON POINT.
It’s also a great way to get to know local arborists. Owning property with trees means that we need an arborist to come by every other year or so to help properly manage the ever-growing trees and keep our house safe. Having a list who we can call has been so helpful, especially after big storms (as we learned after the 2012 derecho).
Hellebore buds in the forest garden
Along with the warmer weather comes some of the early spring plants starting to wake up. The peonies and hellebores are showing signs of life, which is so refreshing. The cold season annuals I planted in September are overwintering well. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions to see those plants send up new growth during the mild weather days, only to get covered by snow or to get frost burn from single digit temps. But it’s all about following nature’s cues around here and trusting the process! It really is SO much easier to follow what nature is already doing. Everything ends up happier, even me!
Well, if you’ve read this far, THANK YOU! I hope you enjoyed it! If you’d like to keep up with farm updates, events, and to learn more about nature, please sign up for the email list!
You’ll only get emails maybe once a month (I’m running all of this on my own and can only do so much!) and those emails will be short and sweet. If you find yourself with more time, these blog posts will be linked and you can have a jolly good read through what’s been happening on the farm that month.
Dweezil and Bonny, my sweet pups! They will also be regulars here :)
All that said, remember to take care of yourselves. You matter and you are worthy. I’m glad you’re here.
