Early Spring Flowers: Growing a New Season in Our High Tunnel
As our fresh flower season comes to a close, a new season is already taking root at Handpicked Blossoms. Our high tunnel is up, the first plants are in the ground, and I’m looking ahead to early spring flowers!
Getting here took longer than I hoped. Between busy schedules, construction delays, and defective screws, there were moments when progress felt slow.
Seeing young plants settled into their beds makes all that work feel worthwhile. This space that we’ve spent so much time building is now a growing part of our little flower farm in Rice, Virginia.
How Our High Tunnel Helps Us Grow Early Spring Flowers
A high tunnel is a covered growing structure that allows us to plant directly in the ground while giving flowers shelter from wind, heavy rain, and some of the cold. Sunlight warms the space during the day, creating opportunities to grow beyond our usual outdoor season.
It still gets cold inside, especially overnight. Short winter days also slow plant growth, so planting now takes patience. Over the coming months, I’ll be tending these young plants as they establish and watching how they respond to their new surroundings.
The goal is to bring flowers into bloom earlier than our outdoor beds would typically allow, giving us more locally grown stems for spring subscriptions and weekly market bouquets.
What’s Growing Inside?
Our first tunnel residents are columbine, tweedia, campanula, stock, and dianthus. I’m excited about the variety they’ll bring to our bouquets—from campanula’s lovely bells to stock’s fragrance and tweedia’s soft blue flowers.
Each crop has its own pace. They won’t all bloom at once, and their timing will depend on the variety, weather, and growing conditions. Together, these plantings are part of our plan for a spring season with more variety and a gradual succession of flowers to harvest.
For me, that anticipation is part of the joy of growing. Right now, I see small plants and freshly planted beds. In my mind, I’m already imagining the bouquets.
Learning a New Growing Space
The tunnel adds a new rhythm to the farm’s daily work.
Because rain doesn’t reach these beds, I’ll need to check soil moisture and provide water as needed. On sunny days, I’ll also be paying attention to temperatures and airflow. Even when it feels chilly outside, a covered growing space can warm up quickly.
This first season will involve plenty of observation: which plants settle in readily, how conditions change through winter, and when the first buds begin to appear. I’m looking forward to getting to know this space and sharing what I learn along the way.
From Fall Planting to Spring Bouquets
A bouquet begins long before the flowers are ready to cut. It starts with choosing varieties, preparing beds, planting, watering, and weeks—or months—of care.
These fall plantings are an investment in next spring’s subscriptions and weekly market bouquets. My hope is that the tunnel will help us offer early spring flowers with the freshness and seasonal character you’ve come to expect from Handpicked Blossoms.
Your support helps make projects like this possible. Every bouquet purchased helps our small farm keep growing, trying new things, and planning for the seasons ahead.
For now, I’m celebrating the plants in the ground and looking forward to the first flowers. I’ll keep you updated as our new tunnel grows into its first spring!
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