Time to wash our hands

After the warmest, loveliest, longest fall in southwest Montana that anyone can remember, the weather changed like a switch, like it always does. Despite having a longer, more glorious dahlia season than ever before, I nonetheless resisted digging up any tubers before the first hard frost.

Suddenly we were staring down the barrel of a foot of snow and single digit temps, which meant we had to get all the dahlias dug up, divided, and stored; 5,000 tulips planted; and four yards of Happy Trash Can Compost moved and spread on top of it all, by hand. Oh and let’s not forget the collection of unique peonies we’re adding to the farm. Our late summer routine of harvest-arrange-repeat felt relaxed by comparison!

After a lot of early mornings, late nights, and cold muddy days it’s all done and we can savor the satisfaction of tidy sleeping beds filled with specialty tulips and heirloom narcissus. The dahlia tubers are all stored away in the cooler until our spring tuber sale and planting. Our hands are finally clean and warm, and I can attend to all the business details I neglected during the growing season.

And most importantly… exhale. Such a tremendous season this was, and we couldn’t have done it without our community’s wonderful support.

Happy fall, y’all!