Growing expansion has begun
We have exciting news! Tom and I have secured a lease on a 208-acre property (that gives us foraging rights) as well as another lease on an additional acre of growing space. Both leased properties are within walking distance from our home and we have just begun to explore the possibilities on both sites. Foraging is one of my favorite things to do, with the exception of ticks. I love finding new and interesting plants that can be used as cuts. The grasses, greens, berries, vines oh my…… we live in a robust and incredible area of the country. We are surrounded by abundant plant life.
Foraging can be tricky. Private property is a “no no” yet it can be difficult to know what the restrictions are on any given piece of land. It can also be dangerous. I can’t tell you how many bug bites, rashes, scrapes and bruises I’ve incurred while foraging, yet, I love it because it feels a bit like a scavenger hunt or one of those moments you have at a thrift store when you find something really valuable for less than $5.00. The odds of finding a flower, textural element, and/or foliage treasure in the DC area is pretty high. I am always willing to roll the dice and explore. So, we now have over 200 new acres to explore and grow on. Can we just take a moment to breathe in how incredible that is?
Many of you may not know, but we only live on a one-acre parcel of land…and that includes our house. So while we agree with the adage that one can grow a lot of flowers in a small space, more space is required if we intend on making this business more profitable. We have arrived at that moment, where the numbers are moving in the right direction, the sales outlets have grown exponentially (in spite of COVID) and it is time to take another big leap forward. We are so grateful but slightly overwhelmed with the thought of doing even more farming, but we’ve decided that for now, if we want to expand this business, we must do this.
We are already planning crops for 2021. All of our seeds, corms, bulbs, and perennials have been ordered. We now begin the arduous task of deciding what goes where. We will likely emphasize perennials on our own land and start moving the annuals to leased property, but the hardcore planning is still ahead of us and most of the cold months will be spent thinking through all of those details.
Let’s just say that we are hopeful that 2021 is going to be an amazing year with the continued success of this small but mighty business. 2020 has had so many downsides but the upside is that our business is primed for success in the coming years and these new properties are going to make growing plants and flowers even more exciting. We can’t wait to grow all the “things” and especially the unique hard to find items that make people swoon. We live for that!
