It's petal to the metal for a local flower farm's first growing season.

Owner of Alberta Girl Acres, Sarah Adams, purchased her farm in Vulcan last summer.

Adams says, her operation is committed to sustainable growing practices, including using minimum tillage.

"Year to year, rather than tilling it all up and really disturbing that environment under the soil, which is really beneficial to plants, just kind of building up on top of it doing a loose, light surface till. Just really letting that environment in the soil become as healthy as it can."

She says, they are trying to do everything as naturally and organic as they can.

"It includes avoiding harmful pesticides, harmful herbicides. We're not aiming for certified organic just because right now I don't really know the situation with our surrounding agriculture. It's kind of hard to get certified organic when you don't have control over the agriculture surrounding your own farm, but we are focusing mostly on natural and organic practices."

She says, their operation also harvests rain water to conserve and distribute water as efficiently as possible.

When it comes to harvesting the flowers, Adams says, harvesting is done all by hand, and flowers typically like to be harvested when it's cool.

"We'll be harvesting a lot first thing in the morning. We get them ready for any orders that need to go out that day, and then in the evening we'll harvest again, and have those ready for any deliveries the following morning."

Adam's says, she had a large cooler to store flowers, and they keep quite well if they are harvested properly.

She has about 5.5 acres she's cultivating, and a green house set up to extend the growing season four to six weeks.

The business will be in full swing starting early May, with the bulk of the flowers ready between July and early October.

For more information, you can visit her website, Alberta Girl Acres, by following the link.

 

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