Early this spring, I was a sellout. A waffler. Maybe a little bit afraid. I recall a moment as vivid as any I've had since I got married. I was sitting with my friend Dean in his awesome seed room and I thought to myself, "This is what I want." Then he asked me, "What do you want?" I wasn't ready to fully admit my own private admission. I told him something about being unsure and trying to figure out how I would even do this with everything else I have going on currently. Yet, I knew the answer. I just kept it bottled up.
Out of the blue, it became absolutely necessary (in my mind) to give my 'hobby' a name. I sifted thru various iterations before settling on Winona Farms. Why it became so immediately necessary, I haven't a clue, but it just fanned the fire hotter. I began looking at bulk supplies from nursery outlets. Could I possible even go thru 800 pots this year? That seemed ridiculous. Ha! I ended up ordering a second 800...and another 1500 after that.
As the months have rolled by, and we got to experience such a wonderful March and April of historical cold and dampness, that thought just rattled around growing louder. The weather should have killed it. The melting of my plants in the poly tunnel should have killed it. Still, it just got stronger. I even began to call local nurseries to see if they would be interested in some of the rarer peppers I grow. No dice on the four I called...and one actually hung up on me. I remained determined.
I had only planned to sell my plants to neighbors, friends, and the interesting community of Craigslist. Then, on a wild hair, I emailed the folks at Tigard Area Famers Market. They said they would love to have me. I wrote about that experience last week, all the good and mostly bad (not bad, enlightening) that it was. It didn't matter, as I was consumed with making my space better.
A few days ago, the Aloha Farmers Market responded to a Craigslist ad of mine and invited me to join them. I'm really busy and have an obligation each Saturday morning and would have been defensible to decline the invite. Of course, by now, you know that wasn't happening. I'll re-arrange my schedule so I can join the market.
And, now this. Tomorrow, I will have a stand up at Barbur World Foods. After negotiating how we would price things and keep track of sales, we agreed to do business. It's absolutely mind-blowing to me. From that little private admission at Dean's in February to now having a stand at a store is simply unbelievable. For whatever reason, this 'little' step legitimizes that little snowball of a thought. I'm a true nurseryman. A farmer.
I've spent a lot of late nights potting up plants, covering up seedlings with fabric, and designing shelter after shelter to protect my starts. I do it because I love it. There hasn't been once this year where I've grumbled about doing any of it. Still, I had this sense that I was a madman laughing at the rain. But not anymore. Now that I'm a farmer...
Though I'm still not really sure how I got here, I'm certainly ecstatic to be here. Perhaps you can see the Chessire grin out here in sw Porltandia...
***
A few of you have commented on my musings and I'm eternally thankful for your giving your time to do so. This blog is another 'laughing at the rain' activity for me. Well, at least until someone posts a comment anyway. Then it makes it seem like I'm some world-class writer. Don't worry, the feeling quickly goes away.
Please join me at the Tigard Area Farmers Market on Sunday May 22. The following week I'll be at the Aloha Farmers Market on May 28, and back in Tigard for May 29 over Memorial Day Weekend. If you want to buy some plants directly from me, just send me an email - winonafarms@gmail.com.
Thanks everyone - have yourselves a great weekend!
cheers,
Zach
http://www.tigardfarmersmarket.com/
http://www.alohafarmersmarket.com/
http://www.localharvest.org/winona-farms-M43702
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