Monday, May 26, 2014

Growing with Change

Everyone knows that life brings constant change.  How you receive change and how you respond to the change can be positive or negative.  This winter was a hard winter on the farm.  We lost all our beehives.  The bulk of our lavender plants even our oldest, strongest and most protected had a large, abnormal amount of winter-kill.  What does this mean for us?  Well no lavender honey this year, no lavender or small amounts to sell by the road.  The gypsy wagon we finished last year will have little if anything to place in it.  What to do?  Well we could replant but we are moving on from the initial purpose of the farm.  This year we will focus on what we can grow and grow that well.  We very adequately grow a large part of our pantry.  Garlic, onions, canned tomatoes sauce, beans, lettuce greens and everything else you grow in a garden we have great success with.  We have other ventures we want to focus on in our lives.  There will still be enough to do on the farm, for our orchard to yield well takes it takes effort.  The house still needs the last coats of paint, windows in the barn need repair and paint.  Then yesterday the tractor water pump broke.  So we will be busy just in a different direction.  Change happens, embrace it.  One can hope our new bees and remaining lavender will give us that great flavor of lavender honey next year.

6 comments:

Diane W said...

As I trimmed the winter-kill from my lavender plants (a few miles down the road from you), I wondered how your lavender farm fared over this hard winter. I will replant if they don't come back, but I have no field of lavender to work with. I first saw lavender fields in Oregon - they are spectacular.

Unknown said...

Thanks for responding. We were surprised as this is our 7th year and have never had as much winter-kill as we did this past winter. We selected hardy lavender over those 7 years and even our stalwarts were strongly affected.

Unknown said...

Will you guys have sun flowers I'm in need for my wedding..-christy

Unknown said...

Will you guys have sunflowers this summer ..I am in need for my Aug wedding ..-christy

Kate said...

Hi Doug:

I've been asked to do the flowers for a friend's wedding on the 4th of July. She'd like lavender. Can we pick our own at your farm on July 2 and, if so, what is your pricing?

Thanks.

Kate

Unknown said...

I'm sorry Kate the last two winters killed off all our lavender and our bees so we have nothing available. You can try the Lavender Farm up in Skaenateles.