Important Dates:
May 20th (tomorrow) 6:00 pm: Join us on a Zoom hosted by the Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK) to talk with Perriee and I about our conservation practices we use here at the farm. We will also discuss how we have benefited from some of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs over the last couple of years. Conservation is one of our favorite topics!
Here is the blurb to help explain the meeting in more detail:
OAK Conservation Chats are open, virtual gatherings where Kentucky farmers, growers and landowners connect with peers and OAK conservation staff and a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Conservationist. The May 2025 Chat features Fleming County farmers Marietta Labbato and Perriee Williamson of Loving Farm who will share their experience with on-farm pollinator plantings.
Participants contribute to molding conservation topics during this session, which will include connecting with NRCS field staff and getting a better understanding of NRCS cost-share programs and payments. Through exploring the basics of conservation practices participants will learn how to execute practices through the USDA’s NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) technical and financial assistance programs.
These events are conversational and not recorded, to promote participant engagement and peer-to-peer connections.
Register here.
June 1, 2025: Next subscriber giveaway drawing.
June 14, 2025: Fleming County Farmers Market opening day!
July 9th 2025: Save the date! Community Farm Alliance (CFA) is coming to Loving Farm to talk with us about agrotourism, another one of our favorite topics. Once we have the registration information, we will be sure to share it here. Participation is free of charge but spots will be limited so you will want to sign up asap. The program will include a brief tour of our farm, followed by a speaker chosen by CFA to talk about ways to increase the success of agrotourism on Kentucky farms. As soon as we have sign-up info we will be sure to share it.
This week was spent getting as many seedlings into the ground as possible, mostly celosia and lemon basil with a peppering of tomato and zinnia plants. We spent all day Tuesday planting and harvesting and took a little load to the flower market in Frankfort on Wednesday. We took some juicy dianthus bunches and beautiful peonies that had not opened yet. Hopefully they go to a good home because dang it, they only come for this short period of time each year. This is the time. The seasons within the season are passing quickly.
Peonies have been the flower of the week for sure. Most of ours are from an old friend in Newport who dug them up and shared them with us long before we moved to Ewing. They are so gorgeous, hot pink or fuschia, some opening up to show a golden center. It was one of the things we dug up to bring when we moved here back in 2020. Thank goodness we brought them. We had a special order to fill this week which warranted using several of those special stems in the arrangement. This spring has had by far the best amount of flowers from those peony plants that we have ever had.
Aside from the electric pink peonies, we had a special treat of seeing some new-to-us peony flowers open, which blew us away! They are year- two plants that insisted on gifting us a few flowers this year. They are mostly white, but have a blush pink outer layer and a little splash of hot pink inside the flower. I did do an internet search and they may be the Shirley Temple variety but whatever they are, one thing is for certain, they are HOT! One of our gardening group friends let us move them from her yard last year and we are so grateful for the opportunity to host the roots at our farm. If you have insight into the variety, let us know!
To nerd out a hair about peonies the standard recommendation is to let them grow for three years before harvesting them to allow their root system to get well established. One should dis-bud the new plants to help with this establishment before they put on a full bloom. Then, to help preserve them when they are harvest-able, you can cut them before the bloom fully opens, at the squishy marshmallow state, and wrap them in newspaper or brown paper and then store them in a bag in the refrigerator (optimally a floral cooler). This maintains their freshness so you can use them a week or two later if needed. In our case, we try to harvest them at that stage so we can keep them fresh and then schlep them to the flower market when we are able or store them until we get an order to design with. They are cool flowers in more ways than one.
Due to some appointments this week and trying to lay low over the weekend, we did not have time to sell much outside of what we took to the market on Wednesday. That means we have vases of flowers all over the house, including that Shirley Temple who stands alone, happily, in an old peroxide bottle in the bathroom (with a small side of forget-me-not). Eating fresh picked strawberries surrounded by home-grown peonies sure does make one feel pretty special. It is the type of wealth and luxury we live for.
Saying that, let us know how we can help you with your local flower needs this season. If you are close, we can make an arrangement for a special occasion or offer some bunches or a bucket here and there for a small event you are hosting. Farm pickup is always an option but we are happy to meet somewhere within a 15 mile radius if needed also. Let us know your price point and we can work within your budget. We did sign up to participate in the Fleming County Farmers Market this year, so feel free to pre-order your blooms to pick up at the Fleming County Extension office, where our local market is held. As always, thank you all for following along. Your support is truly amazing, no matter what part of the world you are reading this from.
PS: Thank you to my sibling for coming to help us out this weekend!! It was the best visit.
Cut /harvest list: Dianthus, daisies, peonies, chamomile, oregano, sage, bachelor buttons and wheat. There may be a ranunculus or two, but that season is coming to a close also. Strawberries are here! Yarrow is on deck and may be ready next week!
Loving Farm 