This week we took advantage of the sun and warm temperatures to prepare the beds for planting and install drip irrigation on the farm at Evergreen. I have little experience in setting up a drip irrigation system from start to finish, so I was happy to work closely with Beth on this project. Beth was very thorough in going over the entire layout and system using irrigation products from Dripworks. https://www.dripworks.com/
First we started with the pressure gauge attachment. The water pressure at Evergreen’s farm is 60 psi, much too high for a drip system. The pressure gauge attachment we used brought the pressure down to 12 psi, which is ideal for the drip system.
Last week I received news from Diane Szukovathy, co-owner of Jello Mold Farm that I was accepted for a weeklong internship at their flower farm in Mt. Vernon. I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with Diane on the farm and at the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market Cooperative. Last year our POF class visited the wholesale flower cooperative and Jello Mold farm. The field trip was what inspired me to pursue a sustainable wholesale cut flower business. I was especially impressed with the cooperative model of the growers market, several small farms working together to market and sell their sustainably grown products. I have decided to postpone the purchase of my woody shrubs until after my internship at Jello Mold. I hope to gain greater insight to the varieties that are in demand in the northwest flower market. Diane and Dennis specialize in woody cut stems, they grow and market unusual floral produce such as raspberry foliage, chestnut branches, snowberry, and ninebark in addition to annual and perennial flowers. My interest and focus is on woodys that grow well in the northwest acidic soil conditions. My internship at Jello Mold is May 21 through May 25th, I plan to return with a wealth of information that will aid me in choosing plant stock and care. My goal is to become a member of the growers cooperative my second year in business.