Lessons from the Garden 2022
Every year I try to gather up all the lessons the garden taught me, beyond the nuts & bolts of being a small scale farmer.
Normally I aim to compile this list in January because that’s when I’m sketching out the year ahead, and wanting to avoid some of the mistakes of the previous season.
But here it is November 3rd and we haven’t even had a frost, the garden still has blooms and I’m ready to write the lessons?
Five years growing cut flowers commercially and …
((whispers))
… I’m starting to really get the hang of it!
I really took a lot of time to layout the garden and the season this year. And while there were still plenty of heavy lifting days, there was surprisingly just as much rest.
And by rest, I mean naps.
YES - You read that correctly.
I’m a full time farmer and a daily napper. It is totally possible, I am proof! Don’t let anyone try to tell you different.
I think back to those early years where I’d run myself ragged. After all, that’s what everyone else seemed to be doing.
The whole Busyness as a Bad of Honor thing was like my adult version of Perfect Attendance (which I had from 1st through 8th grade, I’ll have you know!)
But now?
Naps during the heat of the day gave my body the rest it required to finish out the day.
And you know what else? It made me feel taken care of.
Who knew — pouring into your own cup is quite fulfilling?!
And after an hour of rest (or sometimes two), not only did I feel rested, I felt motivated to finish out the day.
And it’s no longer a thing I only do during the hot months either.
A daily nap independent of the weather. Something I do just for me. What a concept!
The lesson - less is definitely more…unless it comes to rest… then more is better. Daily, year round naps are one of my new non-negotiables.
Thinking back to early spring, that time of year when the energy reserves are full and the motivation is high, I really laid a good foundation.
I made a concerted effort to remember that I have all the time in the world.
Okay, I know that might sound really privileged, but stick with me for a second.
As someone who had a full time job the first 5 years while we built this farm, it always felt like I was always straddling two worlds.
And there was never enough time for either one.
This year I tried on a new mindset…
What if there’s time for everything? And all I have to do is think there’s time?
And you know what? I proved that concept right. There was enough time for it all.
I mean… I did nap for (at least) an hour a day, everyday.
And I still went to the farmer’s market with flowers a few times each month. I still delivered 20+ weekly bouquet subscriptions for 13 weeks. I still delivered to restaurants. I even hosted the Petals & Pacas workshop that I’ve been talking about doing for 5 years!
And probably the most practical application of this “There’s enough time because I believe it to be true” mindset — I really took my time on each & everything.
For instance, when I started planting the garden in spring, the impulsive old-me would’ve rushed because it's a big job.
New-me made slowed down and did it correctly, even if it meant spending the extra time to get it done properly.
Doing it right the first time, even if it takes longer, is actually a time saver in the long run. For me, this looked like 98% of pathways were covered with fabric and I didn’t have the frustration of weeds at all! Nor did I have to pull many!
And boy did the garden look tidy this year!
The lesson — time is as abundant as you believe it is — use it liberally! Slower is actually faster.
The last lesson is one I’ll probably work at mastering the rest of my life. But at least now I know just how valuable the work is.
I think for life in general, and definitely when it comes to running a small business, there’s a propensity to think that growth means increasing.
Or the common business buzzword — scaling.
Whether that’s increasing revenue streams, expanding customers, adding markets, introducing new products, getting employees, or gaining clout, growth these days usually means more.
What I’ve realized as I’ve gotten older, it really does boil down to quality over quantity.
Not just when it comes to friends…food…beer…sleep…fun…
But in business, too.
In 2022, I focused on scaling the quality of my life and business, which are often one of the same.
Instead of seeing how many more markets, projects, clients, flower varieties I could add, I doubled down on making the ones I already did better. And spent the rest of the time working to make myself better.
First there were the naps.
Then it was food. I discovered I’m best when I’ve started the day with a proper meal instead of something in a wrapper.
And that turned into just about every other Sunday making a huge batch of hearty breakfast burritos.
I’ve since transitioned to making breakfast platters so that I actually sit down and use a fork.
Capitalizing off the abundance of time mindset I’ve already shared, sitting and eating one meal really made a difference for me.
I don’t know how else to put it, but taking care of my basic needs first was a genuine needle mover. I had more energy & focus. And that just seemed to compound as the season went on — which is usually the opposite!
I’m already planning to expand this concept in 2023 by doing some batch dinner making as well.
The lesson — get ahead by going inward.
Hopefully some of these weird lessons resonated with you. Take what you need and leave the rest!