Teacher-turned-Grower Life
My favorite growing tool
Raise for your hand if an exciting new project also creates a lot of mental noise in your head. Not just me? This blog post is for anyone who lays awake at night, worrying how they're going to pull it all off.
I am a teacher-turned-grower. I am making this transition and at the same time still teaching, maintaining friendships, looking for more growing space, taking care of myself, and trying to stay on top of laundry and meal prep. While I can’t wait to help people become as obsessed with flowers as I am, there are so many what ifs, and to do list items swirling in my head.
And sometimes it seems unfair- I read all the books, listen to all the podcasts, and take the online courses. Shouldn’t I feel more certain?
Doing all the right things is what got in my way- and maybe it’s what is throwing you off too.
There’s one similarity between the books, podcasts, and online courses- they all contain the caveat, ‘find out what works for you and your context.’ With flower growing (or anything ag-related) what works for you has to do with your growing zone, wind conditions, hours of daylight, precipitation, etc. Additionally, these sources offer contradictory advice. One text says that soaking your sweet pea seeds will help them germinate faster, and another says that soaking these seeds can help, but that it can also lead to the introduction of fungus. Cue me closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.
So how does a true beginner not just avoid a crash out, but learn the science of growing flowers and gain useful experience?
Get it all on a calendar.
A pencil and paper calendar.
This January, I bought a roll of brown butcher paper and went at it with some pencils, sharpies, and a ruler. A few hours later, I had a complete 2025 calendar where I could look at the whole year at the same time. Counting back 6-8 weeks from my last expected frost became so much easier without navigating one month at a time on my phone. I can write down what the spring was like (long, cold, wet) or when the days lengthened to 10, then 12 hours. Most importantly, I can jot down each step of my growing journey in less than a minute. Everything from when I started seeds, the date they got transplanted outside, to harvesting the first stems. Now I know how many weeks it takes Iceland Poppies to bloom in my context.
Now that the record-keeping is happening on a calendar system, and not my spiraling thoughts, I am a more confident, and well-rested cut flower grower. I encourage you to try this out and let me know in the comments. You deserve to make your mental load lighter.
