Spring
Ah, spring! Winter is winding down, the birds are chirping, and the seedlings are already well on their way to growing, most indoors. It’s one of the best times of the year because it signals a whole new growing season here at Long Lane Farm. It is also, by far, the busiest! We usually start blooming at the beginning of May, sometimes as early as April, with our very earliest hardy annuals, perennials, and bulbs. Flowers like anemones and ranunculus can be found in early spring followed by fancy narcissus and specialty tulips as winter begins to retreat. We start 95%+ of our annuals from seed, some are even started the year before, and this tedious but important task ramps up as spring begins in March. A very small handful of varieties are ordered in as seedlings from other growers, such as lisianthus.
Peonies are another of our favorite spring crops. We started with about 300 plants in 2019 and they gave us the most amazing crop in 2022. They take at least three years to mature before we can cut from them. We are planning to triple our crop and add at least 600 more plants this fall. 2025 is going to a total peony mania and I can’t wait!
Summer
Summer is when the flowers really shine of course! The sun is warm and the petals are popping! Several varieties from spring will roll right into summer and other new varieties are just getting ready to bloom. Sunflowers and zinnias are two that everyone loves, plus so many others! Summer is extremely busy! The farm is in full swing and even the weeds are going wild. Oh the weeding! Harvesting at just the right time to ensure freshness for each variety means a continuous harvest schedule. We typically harvest in the early morning or after the sun sets to avoid the heat of the sun and improve vase life. Spring flowers who don’t like the long, hot days start to fade away and the sun worshipers thrive.
Fall
Glorious fall. I think it’s my favorite season despite the fact that it also means the cold of winter is coming back around. I love the raw earthy tones that come at the end of the growing season. Nearly all of the flowers from summer (and even a couple from spring) bloom right up until the first frost takes them out. For us, that is usually mid October. Of course, 2020 had different plans for us and we ended in mid-September! Such a bummer!
Everyone’s favorite come late summer/early fall are the show stopping dahlias! We are constantly adding new varieties. We are so excited for all our newbies for this year! 2021 saw almost 700 dahlia tubers go in the ground!
The first big frost is a bittersweet day. It kills our beautiful flowers but also signals a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of harvesting and conditioning flowers each day. The work is far from over though. The frost signals a new set of needs from the fields. All of the spent flowers must be cut down and beds prepared for the next season. Fabric must be pulled and stored, stakes and netting to maintain straight stems need to be removed and managed, irrigation equipment cleaned and stored, dahlia tubers also need to be dug up, divided, and stored in precise conditions so that they are viable for next year’s planting.
We’re field-grown only so in our northern Pennsylvania winters, flowers don’t fly! However, the winter is not necessarily a time of rest for a flower farmer. There is a ton of work, both out in the field and on paper, that must happen to produce a successful season of flowers. Preparing beds, amending soil based on fall tests, planting bulbs, digging and storing tubers, mapping out the field for next year’s planting, inventorying and buying seed, reviewing last seasons field notes, budgeting and sourcing new seeds. Some flowers that are cold-hardy enough are even started in the late fall and early winter. Fresh evergreen wreaths take over after fall bed prep and take us right into the new year! Then in late winter, we start the rest of our spring and summer seeds all over again for early spring planting of those hardy annuals that can take the cool temperatures. Every season truly matters! The cyclical nature of a four-season location is magical to me.