We finished our last tasks for the winter last week: mowing, trimming, weeding and inventory. I sat in the car awhile to admire the valley in the afternoon sun and feel the pride of making something happen. Our second growing season done, and we are already able to start a small business with our first major harvest.
I think we are one of very few southern farms growing willow, and I wondered when we started whether it would do well here. Well, it made it through the drought days and the torrential rain and wind and so far, it does damn well! I hope other folks see a potential in growing willow for themselves, because it is rewarding - and - forgiving. The life cycle of willow has been easy to fit into our lives.
Speaking of fitting into our lives, I’ve made a decision to forgo the big harvest push and instead cut as needed. That means I’ll be overwintering most of the rods on the plants and just cut enough for orders and to gradually fill in our new beds in December and January. In February, I’ll cut what rods are still standing and then use some for living willow structures and dry some for basketry. With this system, we’ll avoid doing all that labor at once. I won’t have to buy a dedicated refrigerator to store cuttings. I’m also more assured that all cuttings we sell are fresh and viable for the customer. Win, win, win.
There are plenty of busy work projects we could do between now and December when we start planting new beds, but likely we’ll take a few weeks off to do other things. I am starting to spread the word about the online shop, so you will see posts pop up in willow groups. Small business = always working, even if you have to change hats every few weeks.
Check out our shop site! The shop will be open between now and February 27 for cuttings orders. I’ll start shipping in mid December. If you want to know more about willow growing, and the purchasing and shipping process, go to this web page. You can see all 12 varieties of willow that are for sale right now, their characteristics and uses, on this page.
Looking forward to hearing from you!