A week of chaos, curveballs, and color

Whew—this past week was one for the books. Equal parts stressful and amazing, it reminded me (again) that farming is never boring. Let’s start with the stressful bits and work our way to the flowers. Because yes, we did harvest a record number of blooms this week. But getting there? That’s another story.

The Tractor Woes Continue

We were thrilled when our new tractor finally arrived. It rolled off the flatbed and onto the farm like a dream. I jumped right on and took it down to the field where our team was weeding and mowing the dahlias—on what was probably the hottest day of the year so far.

The excitement didn’t last long.

The plan was to get tilling on Tuesday. My dad tested the tractor Monday night to smooth out the road, and everything seemed great. But when we tried to raise the 3-point hitch the next day… nothing happened.

We quickly realized it was leaking hydraulic fluid. A brand-new tractor, only five hours on it, and already leaking. I called the dealer—frustrated, hot, and honestly trying really hard to stay polite. They promised to send a repair tech… but not until Thursday.

Four Breakdowns in One Day

You’d think that would be enough chaos for one week—but no. That same day, we had not one, not two, but four pieces of equipment break down:

Our small lawn tractor (used for hauling flower buckets) snapped its steering rod and crashed into a woodpile.
“Cheryl,” our ancient backup tractor, wouldn’t start.
My dad’s mower broke a belt and refused to move.
And of course, the brand-new Boomer was out of commission.

With everything out of service, we loaded up buckets into my car and headed to the flower field. Not ideal, but it worked—and that’s what counts.

When all the equipment breaks down you use your car to haul flowers fromt he fields.

A Crash Course in Bells, Whistles & Hydraulics

Thankfully, the repair technician showed up Thursday morning. He fixed the leak and figured out the issue: a lever was accidentally left in the wrong position, blocking hydraulic flow. One of many levers I didn’t know I needed to keep an eye on!

He walked me through all the new features and settings—there are a lot. Turns out there are multiple ways to accidentally make the tractor not work. Good times.

At least it didn’t have to go back to the shop, and we’re back to tilling and prepping beds for fall planting.

A rack of bouquets ready for deliveries.

The Bright Side: Our Biggest Flower Week Yet

Despite all the equipment drama, we had our biggest harvest of the season this week. We delivered bouquets to 15 grocery stores. It was a whirlwind of harvesting, bouquet-making, and deliveries—but our team pulled it off with grace and good humor.

Seriously, they amaze me every week.

We’re still looking for a few more hands on deck. If you—or someone you know—wants to work on a flower farm, send them our way!

Our delivery van full and ready for grocery store deliveries.

A Fellow Flower Farmer Stops By

One of the highlights of my week was hosting a fellow flower farmer for a tour.

Where I see weeds and unfinished tasks, she saw rows of thriving flowers and all the hard work that’s already paid off. It was refreshing and grounding. We chatted about how different our operations are—she doesn’t grow for summer sales at all and instead focuses on fall and spring. I admire her focus.

After everything that happened this week, I needed someone who gets it. She smiled and said, “Sounds like the mid-season summer blues.”
She was right.

Working at a make shift station out in the driveway to finish up orders because we had no power.

Weather, Heat, and Power Outages

And because chaos loves company, we also had:

Soaring temps and crushing humidity
Thunderstorms
A power outage that knocked out everything—water, internet, cell service

But we made it work. The team set up a bouquet station in the driveway at 6am, fired up the generator, and kept everything moving.

Power was restored just in time for greenhouse watering, and the day was saved.

This Week’s Big Lesson: Flexibility

Through all the breakdowns and heat and exhaustion, we still delivered more flowers than any week so far. That’s something to be proud of.

As my dad always says:
“What’s the key to today’s success? Flexibility.”

He’s not wrong. Farming rarely goes to plan—but if you can stay open, adapt, and laugh a little (or a lot), things usually work out.

Thanks so much for reading, and for being part of this flower-filled, always-unpredictable journey with us. We couldn’t do it without you.

Tractor Troubles, Wild Weather & A Whole Lot of Flowers