What Happens on the Farm in Spring?

"The air is like a butterfly
With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at the sky
And sings."

- Joyce Kilmer, Spring

Spring officially starts tomorrow! And not a moment too soon, am I the only one feeling like this was a longer than necessary winter? Longer days mean more time after work to play in the sun and warmer temperatures all around.  The earth’s northern hemisphere is now tilting toward the sun, so shake off that chill of winter, and hold on.

As flower farmers this means we have to make some pretty dramatic changes in response to the changing seasons. One great part of having two farms spaced about 600 miles apart is that we have the ability to grow our crops where the weather is ideal. This gives Sun Valley top of the season availability, no matter what season it is.

For the last several months we have been growing Iris at our Oxnard facility. Now as it gets warmer down south, we will start iris production in Arcata as well. This parallel production will give us a steady supply as spring and summer bring warmer weather to both our farms, by mid-June it will get too hot for iris down south, but for spring we will be producing heavily both north and south.

In our hoop houses, we will also be bringing the majority of our Asiatic Lily and LA Hybrid Lily production north after about Mother’s Day. Now though, we will be running substantial production on both farms, as the climate is great in both locations. Crops that like the warmth such as Delphinium, Dubium and Matsumoto Asters will be coming on strong as these longer days lead to more light and more warmth in Oxnard.


Ornithogalum Dubium Orange...perhaps the hardest flower name to pronounce. 

Our freesia crop, which is one of the most temperature sensitive crops we grow, will be coming back to Arcata after Mother’s Day as well. If you aren’t familiar with freesia it is really worth getting a few bunches to watch them develop. It has an unusual, yet subtle scent which varies by variety. The vase life is remarkable, as the florets open up over time and there are great color options. I wrote about freesia last fall, but it continues to impress me as a beautiful and versatile flower.

Freesia, very easy to pronounce!

Tulips always stay in Arcata, except for a smattering of hoop house French Tulips that we grow in Oxnard during winter. Our big gerbera program is always in Oxnard, this is due to the growing infrastructure they need, as well as the growing expertise in Oxnard. Our lead gerbera grower, Gerrit Vanderkooy, grew up in Holland in a family which specialized in gerbera growing, so his knowledge of this particular crop runs especially deep. This generational knowledge is another key to maintaining steady production of our core crops.



Gerbera's Grown at our Oxnard farm.

 In Arcata, I asked our head grower Tim Crockenburg, what happens differently as we joyfully roll into spring.

“Spring is volunteer iris time in Arcata, we have big fields of bulbs that come up naturally every year. Frosty nights are few and far between, and the warmer days lead to healthier crops.”

What about in the greenhouses?

“We are using the grow lights less on the Orientals as the days get longer, currently they are still growing pretty slow. The most important factor in lily growing is the temperature. As it warms up they will come to harvest quicker.”

How are we looking for Easter and Mother’s Day?

“This year we are right on schedule. We always anticipate easing into spring, so we have planted our blocks with enough cushion to ensure that we will be in great shape for Easter…and then for Mother’s Day we will really kick it into high gear.”

Springtime in California is truly something to behold. No place on earth holds forth with so much potential. Whether in the high peaks of the Sierra, the rugged coastline at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, or in a backyard in San Francisco, spring is more than just a symbol of hope; it is as close to a true rebirth we will ever know. As the buds on the alders in Humboldt County explode from dormant branches and the mountains of the Los Padres National Forest above our Oxnard farm turn vibrant green, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that we are once again taking leave of the wet cold, winter and embracing the anticipation and optimism of spring.