How I Went Sustainable on My Flower Farm
File this under “disturbing information”: organic pesticides can harm pollinators just as much as pests, and tilling is incredibly detrimental to soil health.
As someone who began my farming journey to connect to the Earth, you might imagine my shock to learn that much of the farming and floral industry engages in significantly harmful environmental practices. In fact, many of these practices are normalized and generally understood as the only way to do things. Years deep into the world of flower farming and floristry, I eventually learned there are actually beneficial ways of working with the Earth - so of course, that's my focus now.
It is my goal to leave the planet a little better than I found it.
My flower farming practices are all about:
Improving soil health and prevent top soil erosion
Increasing biodiversity and eradicating invasive plants
Sequestering carbon
Providing habitat for pollinators and food sources for wildlife
Restoring balance in our local ecosystem
Here’s how I’m doing that.
No-Till Farming
Farming 101 tells us that in order to prepare a garden bed, step one is tilling the soil. While conventional, Western, and industrial farms do it this way, tilling actually:
Releases nutrients, driving a need for synthetic fertilizers
Tears up roots, releasing sequestered carbon and leaving land susceptible to erosion
Destroys healthy plant-feeding mycelium in the soil
Luckily for our planet, a growing community of farmers and hobby gardeners are instead taking a note from native and indigenous farmers to grow and build soil health with minimal disruption – slowly suppressing out weeds and creating a biodiversity oasis where plants thrive, beneficial insects move in and fight off the pests without need for pesticides, and nature works in the way it was meant to. I’m incredibly proud to be a part of this movement that strives to work with Mother Nature rather than attempt control her.
Planting a Pollinator Garden
(and removing invasive species)
While my little farm reliably attracts beneficial butterflies, bees, spiders, and more, I’ve made a commitment to go a step further and plant a dedicated garden section full of native pollinator friendly plants. This will include Echinacea (Cone flower), milkweed, rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan), and more. Each of these plants plays a crucial role in both habitat and food for native pollinators.
At the same time, I am also continually working to eradicate invasive species from my plot of land. I’ve waged war on the burning bush that was planted in my yard by a prior owner, and I’ve learned a BUTT TON (pardon my French) about what crops to avoid as they may become invasive. Yes – I’ve stumbled along the way, and I’m not proud of some of the mistakes I’ve made in past planting choices, but each year as I learn more I do better and hope to make up for those prior missteps.
100% Locally Grown Flowers
Perhaps my most apparent message and obvious tenant of my business is this: The flowers I offer are always 100% locally grown here in Connecticut. No pesticide drenched imports, no refrigerated shipping trucks, no massive carbon footprint to ship flowers hundreds or thousands of miles. While the vast majority of my flowers used in the florist side of the business come directly from my own flower farm, I also supplement from a handful of other flower farms in the state – because what’s more beautiful than the flower community supporting each other?
And that’s the thing: the Locally Grown Flower Movement is a community of truly caring and environmentally responsible farmers, florists, and flower lovers alike with a common goal of working with the planet to create and share more beauty. If you’d like to stay in the loop with Rocky Floral and become a member of the Locally Grown Flower Movement yourself, I invite you join my mailing list below for exclusive offers, early-bird deals, and educational moments like this – straight to your inbox.
