winter tulips. say what?!
While Cale has been busy working on infrastructure projects this winter, I have taken on a new project of my own: winter forced tulips. Who is familiar with this way of growing? It is a somewhat common practice on farms across the country and regularly seen in big city markets, but I have always been hesitant to adopt this practice. Does it fit within our mission and philosophy, growing a crop out of season?
I wrestled with the concept, but ultimately decided that, yes, it makes sense. The reality is that we still crave the beauty, the emotional support, the HOPE that fresh flowers provide…even when, in fact possibly more so, they are “out of season”. Just as many people still purchase tomatoes from the grocery store in the dead of winter, folks are still buying bouquets of flowers throughout the year. I know that every time I walk into City Market or Safeway, the first thing that catches my eye is the vibrant display of flowers. By the large, plastic-wrapped bunch, they are put in carts and taken home to brighten days and provide cheer. Likewise, as we creep upon Valentine’s Day, neighborhood florists across the country are preparing for one of their biggest holidays of the year. In 2022, consumer spending on flowers at Valentine’s Day reached $23.9 billion. The downside is that not only are these flowers flown in from countries in every corner of the world, but they are LOADED with chemicals to ensure that they can make this long and arduous trip. So many of us question where our food is grown, but what about the flowers that we stick our noses in and handle with our bare fingers? Their chemical and carbon footprints are REAL plus there is a drain on our domestic economy by not supporting local agriculture (these flowers most oftentimes come from South America).
So last fall I decided that I would love to grow winter tulips, narrowing this gap between consumer and grower and keeping everything organic while at it. But how to do it was the question. I found an online course appropriately called The Tulip Workshop and have been busy working my way through the modules while also watching countless YouTube videos and reading numerous blogs. To cut to the chase, we are tricking the bulbs by mimicking the seasons and conditions of nature by utilizing already existent infrastructure such as our CoolBot cooler and root cellar.
Let’s go through it step by step. Like potatoes, tulips can be broken down into early-season, mid-season, and late-season categories. A certain number of weeks of cooling is required of each variety dependent on their category. We are using what are called treated 5C bulbs to start. These are bulbs that have undergone their optimum cooling weeks while still in Holland or while being shipped overseas to America. This cooling period is the bulb’s “winter”. Once they arrive to our farm, they are planted in crates of 60-66 bulbs and moved to an area for “rooting”, ie. that time between winter and spring when the tulips in the field or your yard begin to wake up. For us, this rooting is taking place in the darkness of our CoolBot cooler where we keep the temperature set at 48-50 degrees Fahrenheit. The bulb thinks that it is in the ground in the garden with a warming air temperature. And, then after this two to three week rooting period, the crates are moved to the grow space. The grow space for us is our root cellar which holds at 58-65 degrees ambient temperature, perfect for growing tulips. Under energy-efficient LED lights, the tulips grow each day as we hand-water them. Dependent upon variety, exact temperature, and light intensity, they will bloom after 21-35 days in the grow space.
This is a simplified version of what is happening, and I look forward to sharing more about the magical world of tulips over time. Next season we will incorporate 9C bulbs and untreated bulbs into our program to expand our window of offering, which brings me to my final point. One of the greatest challenges of farming is the inherent seasonality of the work. By expanding our suite of offerings and increasing our growing window, we are creating a more sustainable operation and increasing the likelihood that our farm will thrive with a more steady stream of business and income. We are producing organically grown local flowers by using a TINY fraction of the energy that would be required to grow, harvest, and transport these flowers from overseas. Even better, these flowers are supporting a local business (ours!) plus others where we purchase our supplies and where we sell them. As of this writing our first tulips are starting to form buds and our first harvest will likely be in about two weeks. There will be hiccups, as there are with all things farming, but these tulips provide a tangible bit of hope and joy to the cold, dark drab of winter. We look forward to the beauty and joy that they will spread.
In other news, the Summer Flower CSA is more than two-thirds sold out. Thank you so much to all who have reserved your share! A few shares remain with pick-up locations in both Palisade and Cedaredge, and more information can be found here. Remember, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and this would make the PERFECT gift!
Thank you as always for your continued interest in our farm and support for what we do. There would be no tulip growing without YOU, and we are beyond grateful for this uplifting community.
With gratitude and cups flowing over,
Melissa & Cale
