Just let me say you guys are amazing! All the support and love shown to Three Blooms this year was amazing and I’m very thankful for all of you! So to recap 2021 was crazy busy, wonderfully beautiful, and filled with lots of mistakes or learning experiences as I like to call them.
We started off the year building a cooler inside an existing garage on the farm. Silly me did not take into consideration when I planted 7,000 tulips last fall that I would also need a place to store them. Thankfully my husband is pretty handy and helped me out. We found a design for a cooler using a window a/c and coolbot and we got to work. It took us a couple months of weekends and the occasional weeknight to finish. Overall she works like a champ but I’ve had some issues with humidity causing door to swell shut, which resulted in a broken handle. You can find excellent plans/designs on www.storeitcold.com.
In 2021 we also planted and harvested for the first time in our new high tunnel. The tunnel we found from a local lady who wanted it removed. We spent a weekend in July 2020 tearing it down and transporting it home. We finished getting it put up last fall and I spent most of Dec/Jan getting compost moved and beds made. I started to harvest the first flowers in late March. Harvesting for the first time felt amazing! Getting a tunnel had been a goal of mine since day one and in year 5 I finally accomplished it. This makes all those other big scary goals seem a little less scary!
Ohhh and the tulips were amazing this year! Now I definitely did not account for how much work harvesting, storing, and selling 7,000 tulips would take, but it was worth it!!! I already ordered a similar amount for 2022.
The Hilltop garden perennials are really starting to produce some excellent blooms and greens, especially my first peony plants. I planted about 70 plants back in 2018 and this year I was able to pick on average 5 blooms per bush. We have since planted another 600 plants and in 2024 we will be swimming in peonies.
In March we had new drain tile installed and ditches cleaned out to help with drainage. Which meant we were finally able to put permanent beds and blocks of beds in the field. We now have a standardize bed size and an easier way to rotate growing spaces. As the year came to a close we also accomplished another goal: a water line installed! I don’t know why I find irrigation so intimidating but this feels like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and a good start for 2022. Thanks again for following along on my journey. -Kelly