@ the Farm: 2026 Season

It’s always a beautiful day when the common round leaf (Asclepias Syriaca) milkweed pods start popping. Especially after such a dry summer! Like goldenrod blooms, the fluff starts popping as the seasons are changing… and that also means… the birds are on the move & Cornell’s Birdcast is live again! If you haven’t yet - pop over to the Resources page and check out Birdcast & Merlin. The first link is for all general migration info, 2nd link is for adjustment to local birds f

Cool nights, shorter days & that beautiful rain finally coming our way off & on = fall planting season has arrived! YES - time to get the garlic, flower bulbs for spring & perennials out in the ground where they belong. Fall planting allows roots to settle in for established growth next season, easier watering in as most are closer to home this time of year plus we are mainly past the hot scorching days of summer - AND - many held in pot plants will take off once planted and

Coming soon… this year’s nursery inspection license. I 💙 USDA day at the farm. And yes - everyone should be super nice to Matt as he gets asked ALL the questions! Fingers crossed it’s another “A” for me & the farm - with “keep up the good work” on the inspection report again this year. Healthy plants = Happy Enviornment & Great Growth Potential!

It has been such a dry summer. And the forecast has been so unkind in the moisture category - as Grandpa Sarge always said “If you want to know the weather, stick your head out the window”. I was sad to re-schedule Canby Central Park Sales Monday afternoon - but - so excited for REAL raindrops - I had to go out the Letcher way, puddle jumping in my mud boots. ☺️ I do wonder what folks who don’t know me think as they roll down the highway & see me playing in the driveway. Hop

As I was closing it down last night, the wet flag on my tree limb flag pole billowing in the darkness hit my heart in a way I felt necessary to share. Looking back on the most monumental moments in my life, 4 decades in, I truly am grateful for Mr. Osborne & his rhubarb (he got such a kick out of watching me excitedly eat it raw), being in Letcher with Grandma & Grandpa when the call about my mountain climbing hero Uncle Klaus was lost to an avalanche in the Himalayas in 1994

Today at the park, I will be offering the usuals (just a few MN Hardy Mums left) in addition to multiple sizes - from $6 to $12 of Husker Red Beardstounge Penstemon. They are grown from the seeds of one of my “hope” starter plants that were indoor grown in Vermont (thus able to travel with me) & survived the winter sub-freezing temperatures of my return to the farm in December of 2023. It’s possible by the time we arrived, in getting re-settled I COMPLETELY forgot about my

Thank you for the much needed rain!! Its been a beautiful 1st day of September, slow drizzle off & on this afternoon & a few good moments of much needed actual rain, with more setting up. What a blessing. Took advantage of not having to haul the hose for some much needed rib rest. I feel like a wuss sometimes, but when the Chiro says, oh no, your cartilage is really inflamed: ok then. Where’s that big bandage, just wrap the ice pack on - and get after some cooking. 1st squas

I was talking to one of my favorite curious customers at the Hendricks Farmers Market yesterday about all things Fall: planting, seeding, & supplemental wild bird food. I really believe in planting for birds, but certain times of year it makes sense to supplement wild food - especially when its been a dry year, wild-lands don’t have as many available blooms as they could have, & / or you live in town or adjacent to areas that spray, thus reducing available food to our wild fr

I won’t believe it, until there are drops in the cocorahs gauge & I get to hit “submit”, but it sure seems like nature is trying to shake out some rain for us. And just in time for migration pollinator support, fall planting & seeding for establishment before next spring - because, tomorrow started yesterday… & as summer finds its last beautiful days, many of us are closer to home, to get that establishment watering done right. Thats one of the most amazing things about nati

It is quite a task I happily ran to tackle in the Winter of 2023. After an almost 59 hour drive, from the NE Kingdom of New England I stopped at the end of the drive. I hopped out & drew a starting line across the driveway here at Heartland Acres Conservation Farm, with my foot, before we rolled across. With a deep breath, I said: it doesn’t matter how tired you are, or what has already come, American Up, that IS the starting line (because no one truly knows, what it will ta

I love the perennial cuts this time of year. Especially since Spring was low on mole max, high on bunny damage. Hopefully the start of next season is less chaotic. 😂🤞🏻 I can hope right? The Larkspur are coming into a lovely 2nd bloom, great blue lobelia & cardinal flower are so happy, & I can’t tell you how excited I am to be able to offer Spotted Bee Balm next season, all on display in the fresh cut bouquets. Tucker Dog says he’s doing his best guarding the larkspur se

No - that is NOT powdery mildew, that is the first blooms coming on Native Monarda Punctata: Spotted Bee Balm. Like all Bee Balms, part of the mint family, so once settled - it reaaaalllly grows for it. These our my first blooms, I have never seen an adult plant before, and what a pretty, pretty plant. We are on the far west edge of its native range. Once established it will grow 1-3 feet tall, spread to fill available space almost like a shrub, & the blooms eventually get

It can’t be the 7th inning stretch - because thats close to the finish & we have a LOT of growing season yet. And that means - time to settle roots for that establishment growth of new additions that were already IN the ground for Spring, get those succession crops & last starts going, even Momma Nature may not know when that first real frost/freeze is, so grow, grow, grow for it. And, maybe plant a humming bird feeder for next year, like my home grown Perennial Sweet Pea Vi

It’s such a busy time of year: tomatoes ripe, sweet corn tasty, good things growing everywhere. I do find it hard to believe the kids are headed back to school soon - it feels like summer just started. But, fall is coming so time to start really thinking what to add and get settled for the growth you’ll have next season, spring color, & seeding - the last round of cool season veggies and those flowers out for next year. If there’s something special you haven’t found yet - (

I was happy to see the late veggie starts getting to production time: first itty bitty current tomatoes are starting to ripen, signs of future melons & squash coming nicely & I picked the first slicer cucumber yesterday: It would have grown more, but I was too excited to eat it! Getting ready to pot up next years Penstemon starts & some more cheerful Johnny Jump-Up soon, so I can get some more short season goodies seeded. Romaine is back to happy & the first round carrots a

I’m so excited for today. I have a beautiful, just excited to get in the ground & grow for it, Bloomstruck Hydrangea to offer: It was too pretty - I couldn’t leave it behind even though it was not on the list. I checked the roots & potted it up & re-acidified the soil for continued beautiful blue and purple blooms. It’s $45. There were a few more really happy options, so I can get more. There’s also a taller white to pink option that can be preordered for next week for $5

I (luckily for us all) had a customer who wanted to up her perennial power, in a larger & very specific way. So… to a wholesaler I got to go! I’m always torn between the growth of plant I can offer from another more established grower & the price points and guarantee I can give on my babies. However - nature waits for no one & these roots are ready to grow for it! (Yes - I check every single set). I take comfort knowing: next years babies from the total business restart

Congratulations to all the hardwork of our local 4-H youth (& the fairboards that make it happen). I hope all get the time to pop by & see what these young folks are up to - it never disappoints. I also hope some folks pop by Canby Farmers Market today looking for fresh cut flowers. The phlox are off into full bloom, and too beautiful. They need to be shared. Of course, also a full load of all kinds of perennials & plenty of veggie starts if you’re still looking to sneak a

These Sandbar Willow (Salix Interior) starts are from some cuts I took May 15th, when it was still cool in the morning. I cut them & split into two groups: Some into a muck bucket with container mix dirt (it has the extra bits & pieces in it more like natural dirt than say, planter mix I usually pot up in) & a whole bunch of water about 6” above the muck, & they sat in full sun in the nursery since then. The others I potted up with a container mix blend, and got a little l

I had to dig a few beauties for some special requests for today’s market. I think they’re going to be happy - the roots looked good! Today some new adds to offerings are: Sandbar Willow Starts, Upland White Aster, Whorled Milkweed, German Chamomile (tea flower), & some Cantalope veggie starts. I still have a few butternut squash, slicer cucumber, watermelon & current tomato starts. (All plants = organic practices in growth, non-gmo, organic or heirloom seeds. Alliums are