Growing differently

The rain this morning revived that fresh muddy and green scent that has been perfectly balanced so far this year. It wasn't much needed, but it also wasn't on the heels of another flood. It feels just like the rest of 2017 so far, where the winter was mild, the spring was pleasant, and the rain comes once a week when it's needed the most.

Canton Farmer's Market Saturday mornings

 We are growing a bit differently this year. With no CSA, our vegetable production has gone toward just the things that we love to eat like platinum cucumbers that we like to pickle and plenty of berries for eating fresh or canning, if we have too much of a flush.

We also have amped up our flower production this year for customer order and to take to the farmers markets. We have years of perennials that have caught our eye and this year I ordered a bunch of cut flower annuals too.

A custom bunch for a baby shower

The fun of planting is that I have started a lot of these blooms the first of January. Our flats were tended for so long and carefully moved outside during the early spring warm days and then moved back inside on the cooler nights.

Now they are almost all in the ground and the blooms are just starting to show. Some of these are true surprises as some seeds take off and others don't work out.
This year, I finally got black poppies and they are beautiful! Next year they will be bigger and better, which is the great thing about perennials!

Black poppy first year blooming