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tulips and thistles
- April 1, 2023
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One of the outside crew decided he wanted to plant tulips in the pomegranate tunnel this year just to see what happens.
And the experiment turned out wonderfully.
The tulips grew. Customers bought them (for some reason people like pretty things in their houses. Go figure).
So now he wants to plant more tulips next year.
And while we are thrilled with his ownership of the project and how well everything grew, there is another benefit.
You see, the pomegranate tunnel is a bit… neglected… and the thistle seized its opportunity and has a very strong foothold in there now.
As you know, thistle is a pain to pull. And weeding is not enjoyable in general. So weeding the thistle out of the pomegranates has become one of those chores that is put off, and off, and off.
So the thistle gets worse and worse and worse.
But now the crew has their own incentive to keep the area thistle-free: keeping the bed weed-free for the tulips.
I’m sure you’ve seen those pristine farm and garden pictures. You know the ones. No weeds. No why-wasn’t-that-put-away equipment. No dead plants. No ankle-turning holes.
Let me just tell you that that is a fantasy. Guaranteed weeds were pulled, equipment was shoved aside, and/or the angle was just so, so that all you see is the pretty and the big junk/weed pile is hidden just around the corner.
So with that warning, here is the weed-filled (and I still kept the worst of it behind me) pomegranate tunnel that’ll house 2000 tulips next spring.
No, we have not harvested pomegranates from the trees yet (they’re youngins and, remember, neglected). But hopefully in a year or so you’ll be able to have a Highland Orchards’ grown pomegranate.
Puzzlingly, the fig tunnel, which is right next to the pomegranate tunnel (seriously, it’s like 4 feet away) manages to get mulched and be fairly weed-free….
The figs are still tucked up for winter so they don’t look like much, but the mulching is visible.
That brown clump isn’t a weed. I’m 90% certain it’s rosemary, but I admit I didn’t go check on it so we’re relying on my memory here….
We do have baby fig trees that we’re, well, babying, in one of the heated tunnels, if you want to grow your own fig tree. They’ll probably get to come up for sale in 4-6 weeks.
Figs are not that hard to grow (you don’t have to have them in a tunnel as we do). If you’re thinking of having a fruit tree, I’d 100% recommend a fig over a plum, peach, cherry, etc. Even over blueberries because you don’t have to declare war on the birds. And as an added benefit, people think you’re all that and a bag of chips when you grow your own figs.
Also, look at how incredibly adorable these seedlings are with their little seed hats. On the count of 3: 1, 2, 3, awwww.
We’re starting to bring the perennial plants up to the store. You can see the list of April perennials here . Most of them are $7.99 this month. As they outgrow their pots, they will be up-potted and the price will increase to $12.99 (sometime in the month of May, depending on how fast they grow).
Some seasonal inspiration:
Pasta with Ham, Leeks, and Spinach
My dorkiness comes through sometimes (you’re probably rolling your eyes right now and saying, “Elizabeth, your dorkiness comes through all the time). So I am inexplicably proud of the fact that the recipe list makes a nice gentle curve (once I stuck pancakes in the middle instead of at the top where breakfast stuffs usually go. Although, really, pancakes are appropriate at all times of the day and I eat them most frequently not at breakfast). So… admire this beauty of a list where the titles go from shortest to longest.
Happy Eating!
Elizabeth
Open Tue-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-5.
Closed Sunday & Monday.
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About Highland Orchards
Completely surrounded by suburbia, our small farm has been growing beyond expectations since 1832, just north of Wilmington, Delaware.
Growing a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, Highland Orchards provides true “farm fresh” for the community all year. If you want to shake the hand of the farmer who grows for you, here is the farm! With plants in the ground or under cover in tunnels, we grow for every season. A family farm, we have three different generations involved in running the farm right now.
Come see us to eat fresh, eat local, and eat well!