Fall and Flowers - We're Sowing Sweet Peas and Not Sweating Our Butts Off Anymore!

The snapdragons snuggled up in their new mulch.

While our seasonal    experience is quite a bit more nuanced here in New Orleans than in other northernly environs, it's not to say that we can't feel the shifts.  The air is a bit cooler, your skin feels different without the sweat, and there is a general increase in black and gold attire.

It especially felt like Fall yesterday at the flower farm, since we were in swimming in brown leaves and twigs, thanks to the tree chipper guy who dumped off a staggering 14 yards last weekend  (It was supposedly 13 yards, but I've been calling it 14).  Thank so much to everybody who helped us move that in a pinch!

Fall also means sweet pea sowing time!  We sowed them along our fence line, in addition to a variety of bachelor buttons, nigellas, calendulas, baby's breath and dill.

The church down the block keeps the time for us while we work.

Flower Fit - werk out plan for the stars!

A couple weeks ago, our flower farm hosted "Get Me Bodied" a queer workout/social group on a Saturday afternoon.  Katrina, the organizer, who by the way has a great attitude, told me she loves working out and being with people; and while I sort of hate awkward chit chat after yoga class, she totally had me sold on this variety of exercise by the end of the day.  Teamwork y'all!   Hey look, there's Jesse our roommate with a pitchfork!

By the end of the afternoon, we cleared about half the lot, started shaping garden beds and laid down cardboard in anticipation of mulching the pathways in the coming weeks.  So great.  An unexpected but delightful outcome:  everyone had a blast.  Snow White's elves, we were.  It was just a great time being with people and working together.  I absolutely cannot wait until the work day when everyone takes home flowers, all muddy and happy from a couple of hours of good old fashioned work.

Snaps! Snaps!

Our very first plant. PLANTS, excuse me.  We bought a flat of snapdragon "plugs" from Jeannette and Margee, our flower grower friends in town, and potted them up in the backyard.  They're small enough at this moment to delay our understanding of their implications.  But the truth of the matter is, we have over 300 snapdragons, folks. I love moments in life when you tell other people that you will do something daunting and impressive, and then because you've said it, you do it.  And your commitment to yourself and what you said you wanted to do carries you through that  eeeeeeeeeeeeek feeling.

Moved them to the front porch after another week, and started fertilizing them with fish funk.  I accidentally stood downwind of Denise as she was spraying, and got totally doused head to toe in fish fertilizer perfume. How delightfully disgusting!

Snaps to local growing!  Snaps to biting it off and chewing!  Snaps to the big beautiful beginning!