I think in about mid February. I trialed starting some inside in soil blocks, and some in trays in the little polytunnel. The indoors seedlings looked phenomenal and were pretty robust, so that’s what I’ll be doing in the future. Transplanted into the field in early April, when our irrigation water is turned on. Began blooming in June and trickled along until it got too cold. I don’t think direct sowing would work well in my climate for use as a crop. It’d probably be fine for a cottage garden vibe though.

That’s a lot of work, well done! What’s your preferred way to store them until spring?

I leave enough soil on as possible but not so much that I miss any rotten tubers. Store stem down in crates. My workshop stays frost free but not too warm, not too dry, not too damp. I just check occasionally over winter for rot. This is very early to be putting into storage though so not sure how it will go. ​@ShrubsteppeBlooms

We generally like tomatoes with lower acidity, so Brandywine and Kellogg’s Breakfast are varieties we’ve grown the last few years. Sungolds and Juliet for cherry/plum type tomatoes. Then Romas for paste tomatoes. Another one that’s mostly for fun is Black Beauty, which is novel and produces earlier than our other heirloom types. We’ve tried a lot of varieties but those are my top choices this year :)

@@ShrubsteppeBlooms Thank you! Very helpful.

Oh no that’s frustrating! Is your climate warm enough to leave the tubers in ground? I start stressing about early frosts this time of year even though we ‘usually’ get another month or so before freezing.

We had a stretch of a couple weeks with highs in the 90s to low 100s F (32 to 38 C), and the statice grew through it well. I grew up in a warmer climate where we had statice through the summer on the farm, and always associate it with the doldrums of summer. I planted it out pretty early since it's fairly cold hardy, so it was well established by the time summer came which probably helps. We're also a 'dry' heat, I don't know what would happen in a humid climate.

@@ShrubsteppeBlooms Thank you for sharing!

Sorry to hear the critters are getting all of yours. The first year I tried growing them here a gopher came through and yanked them down one by one just as they flowered, it was so frustrating! So this year I planted 100+ so the gophers could be well fed and I got a lot to bloom. Seems to be working for now :)

Awesome, you are so right! I neglect labeling but know I planted Cupcakes blush and white in that area. I've never had one come out fully cupped, but it makes sense given the variety. Thanks!

We grow in Washington state which is on the west coast, west of the Rockies.

I keep hearing how it spreads itself around which makes me a little anxious about letting it re-seed, especially since I'm too tender-hearted with volunteer plants. I'll keep an eye on it.

Love it, I miss the natural areas in the Spokane region. I'm leaning towards no more bright yellow statice; and maybe less statice overall since I don't find myself using it much. What about the pastels mix did you not like? That was one I was contemplating for next year, but would be curious to hear your take. Absolutely will check out your channel, I really appreciate finding other growers who farm in similar climates.

@@ShrubsteppeBlooms I think the pastel mix tends to look dusty/dirty, but maybe because I love the bold purple/blue and silver white, and rose shades. I think those colors all look great with sunflowers, rudbeckia, summer sun heliopsis, and cutleaf double coneflower - all yellow flowers i like better than the retina-burning yellow statice. 😎😀

@@ShrubsteppeBlooms oh.. i will,say, it’s the yellow and sort of peach that i think look dusty -the pale pink and purple in the mix i do like!

Retina-burning is an excellent description!

Ugh I'm sorry you're dealing with them too. I researched nematodes a little this winter but opted to see what happened this season first. Maybe next season. Sounds like I'll have to keep an eye on the dianthus patch though.

Spring or early summer plantings of rudbeckias should both work, provided you have enough time for the plants to mature from a summer planting. I planted mine out in mid-late May and they began blooming in July. In some growing zones (~USDA zone 7 and higher I think?) you can also plant in fall for an earlier spring crop, which I plan to try.

@@ShrubsteppeBlooms Ah ok gotcha. This'll be my first time planting anything and I hear these are easy and low maintenance so I'll give it a shot when the weather is right where I'm from. Thanks for the help 🙂👍

That's a zinnia called Queeny Lime Blush, there's a whole "Queeny" series that has some really neat tones that are different than the more common zinnias. In the US you can find seeds online through Johnny's Selected Seeds, Territorial Seed Company and other suppliers.

It depends on the flower type. Generally speaking cool season flowers were started in January/February indoors, then planted out in April, before the last frost. Warm season varieties were started in March/April and planted out May-June, after risk of frost passed. A lot are also directly seeded beginning in April and onwards. I'll probably seed one last round of sunflowers out in the next week to see if I can get a late crop before our first freeze. There's a steep learning curve for figuring out when which types of plants should be started, which ones do better direct seeded, etc. I use Johnny's Selected Seeds a lot as a supplier (no affiliation, just a happy customer), and their seed packets and website are treasure trove of growing information. And yeah - hill farming, whole new challenge haha

Hi! We don't sell seed as that would require additional licensing/inspection. If you're in the U.S. I recommend looking into the seed companies below (no affiliation, just a happy customer). Johnny's Selected Seeds, Uprising Seeds, Territorial Seed Company, and Urban Farmer all have a nice selection of veggies, herbs and flowers, and are where I've been getting most of my seed for several years.

Hi! I'm copying my response to a similar question you posted on another video in case other folks are interested: We don't sell seed as that would require additional licensing/inspection. If you're in the U.S. I recommend looking into the seed companies below (no affiliation, just a happy customer). Johnny's Selected Seeds, Uprising Seeds, Territorial Seed Company, and Urban Farmer all have a nice selection of veggies, herbs and flowers, and are where I've been getting most of my seed for several years.

Good tip, thank you!

must be steppin in poo

She climbed a fence and damaged a couple nails, so she gets fancy high end boots for a while