July is here, and so are the warm temps! Once again we have been having hot days and little rain, but so far all is still well. Between tending to our little hemp plants and working events we have had our hands full this week! Here is a little peek into how this week on the farm went.
First of all we would like to give a huge thank you to our neighbor Mike for helping us out in a time of crisis. As many of you know, this drought has been a rough one. Our irrigation pond completely dried up, but thankfully our kind neighbor was able to fit "dig the hemp farm irrigation pond a bit deeper" onto his to-do list. Thanks to Mike we have water now! Luckily our field plants are set up on drip irrigation, so we use hardly any water and it is all getting used by our hemp and not waisted on weeds.
As the days go on we are starting to notice more and more the growth of our babies. The little peat pots that are tucked in the greenhouse are starting to get full with roots, and the leaves and stalks of the plants themselves are thickening. It is so fun to watch how they change from day to day. If you would like to see frequent updates of our hemp plants and the farm in general please check out our Instagram!
Earlier this week we transplanted some of our strongest White CBG plants into one of our greenhouses, and yesterday we started tackling transplanting out into the field! We actually do this in the evening so that they have all night to recover and settle into their new homes before the stress of the harsh sunlight hits them. We spent a few hours prepping the field before even touching the plants. First we created a system where two people walked down the drip line and dug a hole every 4 feet, then another person weed-whipped the tall grass around the hole, and another one of us put a scoop of our special slow release hemp fertilizer into the hole. We completed as many rows as we wanted then brought the little peat pots and their prized possessions over. We each took a row and just started tucking them into the dirt. At the end we turned on the drip irrigation and everything was good to go!
We still have many more plants to transplant but we got the big ones out of the greenhouse so they could continue to let their roots stretch. We didn't want to overdo it with this crazy heat that is coming up, so we will back at the transplanting game on Monday!
This weekend Justin and I had a booth at the Pop Up Shop Marketplace in Grand Rapids! We had a great time getting to know the people that stopped by and are so excited to keep meeting more! It was nice to be able to speak with people and educate, as education is one of our most important duties as a hemp brand. Two of the days we were set up inside, but on one of the days the weather was so nice that we set up out in the grassy garden area!
This week on July 7, 8, and 9th we will be at the Duluth Sidewalk Days!! We are BEYOND excited to be able to have a spot among so many other great vendors, food trucks, and performers! There is even a car show on Wednesday the 7th for those that are interested, and a Sidewalk Shuffle 5k! If you are in the Duluth area we would LOVE if you would stop by!
Don't forget about our collab with Elements Botanical Wellness! Click on this blog if you want to learn more about what all this botanical fun is about! Remember, we only produced a limited quantity so once they are gone they are gone for good! You can also head over to our shop page to learn more.
So with all that I am going to leave you with a happy photo of a monarch caterpillar starting to make its cacoon on drip irrigation next to a hemp plant. Happy July 1st, and have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!