The month of May is always intense, between Mother's Day and spring plantings. There's no sense of time, and the days merge together. Spring fever is at its height, and while it is all very exciting, it's pressing, and the farm (and family) need all the attention they can get. I've been light on socializing and stepped away from the newsletter and blog to navigate this ship, so let's catch up.
Last Mother's Day looked much different than this year, as we were able to work in our new space. It felt like a five-star hotel compared to the shed, and it was a game-changer to have design and the farmstand on the same level. We were used to trekking up an eroded side hill and stairs. The running water and lighting were an extra treat too!
Despite the improvements, we still faced challenges. Infrastructure has been a struggle from the start, and we are still working on that. Our current cooler is an old reefer unit from a seafood truck. Albert spotted it in a junkyard off the highway a few years back, and after a few modifications, it has been our cooler ever since.
It does the job during our regular season, but with the increase in the amount of bouquets and jars we make for Mother's Day, it's not enough, so we rented an additional 48' reefer unit. You know the big box behind tractor trailers on the highway? Yes, that kind, and it worked unbelievably!
Our goal is to build a real cooler in the basement of our shop with space for post-harvest care, but we are working on saving up for that.
Right after Mother's Day we jumped straight into events and the peak of ranunculus season.
After three years of what felt like complete failure at growing ranunculus, we finally succeeded in this new soil. I was just about to remove them from the growing plan. Back in Hadley, where I used to grow, we had great soil conditions, and the ranunculus thrived. Agawam's soil structure is much different, and it has taken years to dial it in.
We harvested from April through May and are now done with the crop, welcoming peonies to the lineup!
That's the tough part about growing. It can feel defeating when things don't work out. I have been kicking myself a lot these past few years, almost feeling like an imposter with the growing challenges we have faced. Crops I didn't blink at, I've struggled with in new soil. Each year it gets better, but it's a whole year of trial and error before I can try again.
Failure is where all the good stuff happens, and I've certainly been learning a lot, but bringing the best of the best to you. Cheers to a few moments in May!
Sonia Covarrubias
June 13, 2023
Love Mary’s character in the flower pics 😍😍😍