I maintain a small cutting garden, about 40' X 60' that is in raised beds...only they are not framed.., but I treat them like raised beds. This bed gets lots of sun but not enough for the heat lovers like zinnias and sunflowers so the heat-lovers go in other non-raised beds in the center of my driveway turnaround. I wish I had a nice flat field where I could plant in rows but I would have to cut my woods for that. I like my woods. I Also have a fenced Dahlia patch where I Have 3 double rows of dahlias and a border of roses and lilies. THen I have the raised beds in front o fmy house that are my lily and perennial gardens.

FOr me, a good truckload of compost is essential. I Am fortunate to have Choices here of what I want delivered. I have been using "Cedar Grove" which is cooomposeted of municipal organic wastes and tested for copyralids. IT has turned my sticky stinking clay soil into lovely stuff in the 5 years I have been using it. I usely get a big dumptruck full when we get our tax refund. Now that our last exemption is graduating in a year from college I will have to make enough money to buy it from proceeds of the business I guess. Our family has never managed to fill one bin in a year , though I have a pretty good dump pile of floral wastes that is now 3 years old at the bottom. Do you have farms around where you can get washed dairy manure? It is low in odors and grows things wonderfully! My Garden Guru, Ann Lovejoy, alternates applications of compost and washed dairy manure. Most beautiful sweet peas I ever had I planted straight into the stuff.

NO I never hesitate to cut flowers...in fact my hands just itch to pick them.

As far as your last question, I did not start my business until my kids were mostly gone from home. I have a mildly disabled son who is 22 and is a fabulous cook. I hire him to cook for us.Gives him some spending money and he is learning more and more about independent living. I also can hire him to do smallish jobs in the garden. I have a husband with Crohns so I read you loud and clear! Part of what Zach does is cook the simple foods that his father does best on...no milk, spices, etc. (Which is why I got totally bored with cooking.)

I guess my answer would be that I would keep my operation small until the kids got big enough to share in the work of either the gardening or the housework. And my hubby has finally appreciated what I do when he saw the money I could make doing it. IT took a year or two for him to catch on.

I have fibromyalgia and severe knee arthritis so I would never do well at a desk job. Gardening is both my fitness program and my peaceful time. IT keeps my blood pressure down, most of the time. IT stretches the tendons that want to tighten up in my calves and keeps me flexible. IT calms my soul and nourishes me.

I raised 2 kids, of my 5, who were born with rare and debilitating syndromes. After that, I find my hours in the garden so peaceful and they are ALL MINE!

I am behind, as always, but I am learning patience...I will get done what I get done, and the flowers that will not be diseased this year will bloom...and bloom and bloom. ANd I will pick under the hot sun of summer and stumble inside to rest and cool off and complain but all the time feeling pride in what I can do and in the joy the flowers will bring.

THat's why I do what I do, anyhow.

LizaLily,

Thanks so much for writing all of the above. I sympathize with your fibromyalgia. A year or two ago my Dr. said I had that too. I don't really think I did but I do think I had enough symptoms to understand at least partially. After reading extensively on fibromyalgia, I believe my horrid aches and pains were from not getting enough quality sleep in combination (not really fibromyalgia but felt about the same) with my Crohn's disease problems. I don't have those same symptons now thank the Lord. Crohn's is plenty challenging without any other problems in tandem. I am feeling poorly today but am going out anyhow in this wet, cold weather to see what I can get done. Isn't it amazing what a little nice weather can do for us? I can hardly wait for nice weather to come back. I love gardening too. I have a long ways to go to became a great gardener but I think I am going in the right direction. Thanks again for sharing, Shirley

Shirley - let's see! 1) I don't have raised beds, but my perennial beds are "permanent" and I try to add compost to them as time permits (does this answer the other question too?!!) I have learned to plant through the thin weedcloth for the perennials with the beds lined with the heavier weedcloth. That seems to work and the weedcloth is permeable so, compost on top should work, just not as well as digging it in.

2) I don't have lots of compost I make, but do buy an organic fruit compost when I can, and in the annual parts of the field, plant cover crops of australian peas and rye and till them in.

3) I'm not familiar with that variety. I use Rocket and will try the Costa variety this year. Madame Butterfly is beautiful, but shatters easily.

4) Nope! In fact - I think people may be afraid I might cut their flower! :)

5) I have a 6 and 10-year old. My 6-yr old loves to help...my 10-year old doesn't...so she can do the inside things! I have a full time non-flower farming job, so that's my obstacle! I do this at night and the weekends. Last year I broke down and hired someone to clean our house every two weeks...it helped my sanity, if not my bank account. And, since I'm up to almost 2 acres, I also have hired weeders and will be hiring a harvester...but I love being outside, love the end result, learning all of the new things and plants, seeing people's smiles when they see the flowers, and meeting all of you!

Have fun! And remember to take time for "lunch" - I read that in one of Gene Logsdon's books...I think! I know, it's hard to do when the weather cooperates...but do it!

Wendy

Shirley,
There is nothing prettier than a field of flowers. This is one section of zinnias from last season. Sigh. Where is summer?
Thank you Poochella for teaching me how to post pictures.
{{gwi:623119}}

Flowerfarmer - thanks!! OK...my turn for a question...how do you seed these? Or are these all plugs? Oh, I wish I too had flat land...doing this on a hill is tough!

Wendy

Wendy, We do have some rolling hills. The zinnias in the photo were put in as plugs. We have used an Earthway Seeder in the past.
You can use the beets seed plate and tape every other slot. This prevents heavy seeding.

Patricia,

Just how much ground is that section of zinnias on? I can't see in the picture where they stop. They are very pretty. Do you use support netting on the zinnias? I don't see any indication of it but am curious. Your zinnias look great! What about compost? Do you use lots of it? I can't wait to use your advice on the earthway seeder and start planting. The high today was 55 and wet so still waiting. Shirley

I have framed raised beds for some of my perennials and a few annuals, in a warmer, more sheltered place than the field where I grow the rest. The raised beds are lined with hardware cloth, as we have a serious gopher and ground squirrel problem. Growing some things in the raised beds gets some flowers to market a lot sooner than the field-grown ones, but space is limited. Everything in the field (most of the annuals, some perennials) is in rows. I use a tractor for cultivation and mowing, so straight rows work best for me. If you have or are going to get a tiller, rows might work best with that, depending on the size of the tiller. My raised beds are very utilitarian and made in straight lines, and plants are grouped by type, for convenience of watering, weeding, harvesting, etc. If you plant just a small cutting bed first, with the plants in rows, you might become convinced the rows are okay, by the convenience of planting, weeding, feeding, harvesting/picking that way. Also, you might be more willing to pick them if they aren't part of a landscaped garden bed. That's how I started into cutting flowers, by making a raised bed just for cutting. It was in an out-of-the-way spot that wasn't really visible from the house or from most of the yard. Also, at first I just had to steel myself to cut flowers, but after enjoying them all week on my dining-room table, or on the desk at work, I got more used to the idea. There were always other flowers in the non-cutting part of the garden to keep the garden pretty. By now, in my seventh year, cutting the flowers is so automatic, I'm a bit horrified if my cutting beds are too pretty - that means I'm not doing my job right! Those pretty flowers should be in the coolers! I rarely cut from my house garden, or if I do, it's just for my own house, not to sell. I like the house garden flowers outside, on their plants, not cut. Having a bed specifically for cutting really helps.

Large amounts of safe compost aren't available to me at a price I can afford, nor can I make anywhere near enough of it myself. I buy bagged compost for my raised beds, a pallet at a time. That's a relatively small proportion of the fertilizer I use - there is a LOT more bed space in the field. I can't afford bagged compost for that, but alpaca poop is doing the trick. My field has a severe nitrogen deficit, but great texture and good drainage, so manure is a good choice for me.

I buy topsoil by the dump-truckload every time my husband builds a new raised bed, since topsoil is very scarce here. I have learned to go and inspect it myself before ordering a truckload. My husband is willing but has no idea of what's good and what isn't.

I think (although I'm not completely sure) Kristen grew those particular snaps. You could try posting a question with her name in it. She really liked the ones she grew, so I plan to try some next year, as her Western mountain climate has a lot in common with mine.

I have no children, plus the luxury of a husband whose income pays the biggest bills and can cook for himself - he's at least as good a cook as I am. In the winter, I cook a lot, to make up for the summer when I don't cook at all. He is used to it. I do have arthritis, just the plain old osteo, old-folks kind, and it does hinder me somtimes. Like right now, for instance - I can't kneel, almost two weeks after a bad fall onto both kneecaps. When those things happen, you learn to prioritize - what's the very most important (lucrative) thing for me to spend my time on, since I can't do it all right now? For me, for right now, that's planting the next installment of glads (and if the tractor had started right up, preparing the bed is what I'd be doing right now, instead of waiting for the tractor battery to charge). I have a part-time job with a 70-minute commute, one or two days per week, and usually have to spend one night per week in the city, on call, for my job. I don't think I could do this if I had children to take care of, or a husband who expected his dinner cooked every night. My favorite time to work is summer evenings, when it has cooled off but is still light, often with a gorgeous sunset as a bonus. Obviously, having to cook and supervise homework and baths and bedtimes wouldn't work with that! I assume you concentrate your garden time into when the kids are in school - whatever works for you! You could start small with the plan of growing your business slowly, as your children grow (I started very small out of fear and insecurity, but it worked out fine - by the time I made any major investments, I had learned some things). Is there any chance your husband would be willing to learn to cook simple stuff? That would sure help. Can your 13-year-old learn how to cook simple meals? I'm from a family with a working mother - the kids all learned to cook for a family of 7 by age 13. The younger the cook, the simpler the meal. Mom would leave a recipe and/or any instructions needed, including approximate cooking and preparation times, on the counter before she went to work. We each had our designated night as cook. It's not a solution for every family, but it worked for us. My husband, on the other hand, was forbidden to learn any cooking at home (that's women's work, according to his father, the jerk) and rather resented it. He had to learn to cook after moving out, with nobody to teach him.

Okay, I'll shut up now. Whatever way you can make it work for you is good.

Time to go try the tractor again.

Jeanne

Shirley, That section of zinnias was probably 50' by 70.' I like how the photo makes it look as if they go on into infinity. There is no need for support netting with zinnias. They are planted in rows with 36-38" paths between. The paths are tilled until the plants get so large and lean out into the rows. Every one of those zinnias was harvested for market. Make no mistake about that.

Some areas in our field are better than others. We have clay and/or sandy soil. Cover crops seem to work best for us. We also have a large dairy farm directly behind us. This is an endless supply of liquid manure. The organic mulches and green manure crops you use are an important component of your fertilizing program. The organic materials may have a low proportion of minerals; however, they are generally in a form that makes them readily available to your flower crop. All the micor-organisms help make the minerals available to plants. This as opposed to chemical fertilizers from a bag. Also, we never plant the same crop in an area the following year.

One more important note on zinnias. The rows should be planted with the prevailing winds. For us this would be east to west--our wind usually comes from the west. This help control disease and the powdery mildew to which zinnias are prone. The zinnias in the photo were not planted like that. This year they are. Last year one section of zinnias was hit hard by powdery mildew. Not a good thing.....

Jeanne,

My 13 yo is a boy and does do some cooking once in awhile mostly to satisfy his sweet tooth or other cravings. My hubby can cook also but most of the time he would rather go to bed hungry than rustle up anything to eat for himself. He is a very industrious man and works hard so laziness isn't the problem. I guess he just expects me to do something around the house, lol.

I do plan to start out my flowering growing in a small way and add to it as I go along. I don't have very many perennials and woodies so it will take me a long time to get where I eventually want to be. For me it would be a great year if I make money on the flowers I do manage to grow so I can buy more plants and other flower gardening helps. I think the kids will want to help and as they get older, I might even let them : ) Maybe not the redhead though....I caught her stomping a clump of daffs down. Now they weren't being used for cut flowers but I prize them just the same. Needless to say I wasn't too happy with her and am not sure I trust her with my flowers.

Flowerfarmer,

I plant almost everything west to east. Not really sure why I do that but our open land is deeper than wide and I think it just is asethically pleasing to me. Unfortunately our house is on the west side of the field so I guess my sunflowers will be facing away from the house. I have always wanted a cover crop but so far it hasn't worked out. I was talked out of it last year. This year I am holding fast to cover cropping. I can get about as much horse manure as I want and woodchips shouldn't be a problem (we have lots of materials to chip and hubby has a friend in the tree service industry also). So hopefully I will be able to make tons and tons of compost. I don't know what the washed dairy manure LizaLily referred to is. We have dairy farms around here but I always assumed that they spread the manure on their own fields. I am quite sure most do. The horse stables are more than willing to get rid of theirs though. My biggest gardening challenge this year is preparing the soil properly. My veggies always did good but I see apparently things could have been better. So I guess this year is going to be dedicated to soil enrichment. I have tried to add manure and other organic admendments as I could so most of our ground is pretty decent to start with. I have about 35 or so volunteer flowers up. I think they are sunflowers. Looks almost like they were planted in two short rows. If I did plant them, I sure don't remember. Well it is late.... Shirley

I have a goal to freeze more foods like soups next winter to have to eat later in spring and summer when I'm busy outside.

I don't plant in raised beds, and if it ever stops raining, I will seed my zinnias and sunflowers directly in regular rows.

I do use compost that we get from a local dairy farm by the truckload. The dairy farms in NY are struggling, and this farmer decided to augment his income by doing commercial composting. The stuff is beautiful! You might want to call around to see if there is a dairy farmer where you live who is doing something similar.

I never have difficulty cutting the flowers and do plant in straight rows. You sound like you may be more of a landscape architect type than a flower grower type. I really admire people who can create gardens- I love to grow plants but am really challenged by creating a garden where color combinations, heights, flowering times,and aesthetics all have to be taken into account. Sometimes, I think that growing for market gives me a good excuse to grow everything I want and not have to be aesthetically creative about it.

Last year I had to have two back surgeries, one in early August, that really crimped my farming plans. I just didn't get around to doing what I had planned to do, and this will hurt me for a few years financially (peonies ,rhubarb and blueberries didn't get planted, so I lost a year). But I am so grateful for modern medicine, because I am on my feet and moving this year. And there are two surgeons locally who are putting in the new artifical discs, so there may even be help in dealing with the residual pain I am left with. I guess what I am saying is that I can grump about what didn't get done, versus compliment myself on what did get done under fairly adverse conditions.We did finish the year with a profit. For you, raising three kids, taking care of the cooking, dealing with the Crohn's disease, is alot to be proud of. Whatever you can manage to do on top of that in the flower growing arena is great.For me, I just try to plant something in the ground most days of the week. Friday nights before market are frozen pizza nights, with ice cream for dessert. I just make a simple salad, and hubby does the dishes. I am hearing more and more that for women who raise a family, that you can have it all, but sequentially, not simultaneously. Your major flower grower years may be later when your kids are older, and what you are doing now is laying the framework and learning the ropes of it.

Shirley, I didn't mean to imply that your husband is lazy, by any means! I guess I didn't phrase that right. If I didn't have a part-time, well-paid job, and if I hadn't made any money yet, I'd feel like I needed to cook for my husband. I'm sure he'd agree. The difference my business benefits from is that nobody needs to cook for the kids, because there aren't any! Sometimes our nephews visit for the summer, but they are old enough to fix their own lunches, then my husband cooks dinner, or takes them out for pizza on Friday nights when the kitchen is packed with flowers. I don't know how any of you folks with kids manage. You have my admiration.

Barb, I liked how you said "you can have it all, but sequentially, not simultaneously." Very, very true!

Jeanne

It's called quality of life; and, not necessarily quantity of life. Some of us left the corporate world because we knew there was a better life out there. Having it all is a rather vague statement. Because what exactly is having it all? Nobody has quite defined this.

As far as having children and a successful market farm, some of the best growers at the market do this. The children start working at market around the age of five. I would rather doubt these children are ever bored. I also suspect they don't spend hours in front of tv watching MTV. Nor are they seriously overweight from too much fast food and junk food. Then again it's a family affair; and, not just one parent growing for market. I don't know what it is like trying to do this on your own. We have some of our children involved in working on our flower farm. Not all at once, not all the time, and not all of them every year. And, we have grandchildren who come for the summer to work on the farm and at the markets. It can't get any better than this.

One thing I find most interesting is that there seems to be an entire generation of market farmers missing at the markets. Most notably, it seems to be the 30 something age group. So, when I do see young people starting to sell at market, I truly respect that. All markets need this in order to stay viable.

Barb said, "I can grump about what didn't get done, versus compliment myself on what did get done. Last year my 10 year old granddaughter helped her grandpa weed for a couple hours every morning. She would grump about all the weeding that still needed to get done. Her grandpa would tell her that she mustn't look at what needed to be done; but, look at all they had accomplished, and feel proud of that.
This child also goes to market with me. She loves flowers, markets and life. She truly is my little flower farmer.

HI Jeanne,

No problem, I didn't mention it because of what you said. I just didn't want everyone to think hubby was sitting around on the couch watching t.v. and I at his beck and call. However, I suspect he would be pretty grouchy if I stopped cooking and washing his clothes. My biggest problem is my own self. I underestimate the size of jobs and how long it will take. So there is no hurry, no hurry, no hurry and then all of the sudden BIG HURRY! Speaking of BIG HURRY! I must get back to work. Shirley

I plant in rows as it comes handy. Works fine for me.

I don't know how it would be without a ready supply of compost, I've never had to try that. I have mules and a flock of goats and sheep. My near neighbors have a chicken operation and share generously. And there's always SB with a farming operation to supply additional manure, spoiled hay, etc.

I don't get personally involved with my flowers so cutting them is no problem. There are those who claim I tell the peonies how important their flowers are to us and explain how good the sheep manure is for them. And there are tales of my apologizing for cutting the larkspur and explaining that even though they won't seed, their siblings in the beds will produce offspring to carry on the tribe.

But those are just stories and I deny them to my psychiatrist.

Our choice for cutflowers, et al, was simply a matter of pragmatism. We couldn't afford day care for three children under five, plus after hours care for four others, plus all the extra expenses attendant upon two full-time jobs demanding long hours while trying to maintain a household the size of ours. My job had less opportunity for improvement, longer hours, and more stress. BH's job had great benefits and more opportunity. Besides, I like being the homemaker and I'm better at it. The problem was that we needed a bit more income.

Gardening/farming was an area where I had some experience and some expertise, we have a property that lends itself to the enterprise, and we have an in-house workforce. Everyone works. We don't follow the ridiculous examples of television families. The children made the commitment to work to keep us together and they've never faltered. They take care of their rooms, for instance, making their beds every morning before school. Even the babies pick up their toys at the end of the day. Dirty clothes aren't strewn around their rooms, they're put into the laundry chute. I do most of the cooking, while the rest do either preparation or clean-up, but everyone above the age of seven can make a meal. The outside chores are everyone's responsibility. The kids are a lot closer to the ground for weeding, they take pleasure in the flowers themselves, and they could sell dandelions to the Ortho-gro man.

We don't limit our farming/gardening to cutflowers, but they make a substantial contribution to the bottom line. We've more than replaced my actual salary, eliminated the outside childcare costs, enhanced the remaining salaried job, and, not to tempt the gods, we're happy.

Ray

Hello Ray-
I find some of your stories mildly amusing for the entertainment value. After reading some of your postings to this and other forums, I do questions some things. It's your story. Tell it however you want. You may impress some naive backyard growers. You have lost me when you talk about parole officers and psychiatrists. Surely you can understand how I might question from where you may be posting your stories. Can't help wondering. Also, can't believe I am the only one wondering.

In regards to the list of questions, I haven't a clue what Barb means by having it all. Maybe it's the high paying job, two expensive vehicles in the driveway of an overpriced home in the suburbs. Meanwhile setting yourself up for a successful flower business. Don't be surprised though when you discover someone else was willing to take the risk ten years before you, and is already well established at the market. You can't have it all. IMHO that is a pipe dream.

To answer a couple of your questions Shirley-- 1) farmers plant in rows. 2) You can't have a successful operation without compost and good soil management. 4) If you are having cold feet about cutting your flowers, this may not be the right choice for you. Our flowers are grown for market. We don't have a problem cutting them. Bouquets=cash. 5) Don't complain about your ailments. Other people don't want to hear about it--especially your customers who expect you to be upbeat all the time. You should be. After all, you are selling flowers. Nobody wants to buy flowers from a grump.

Ray and Flowerfarmer,

Your posts are inspiring. I do hope that the kids will want to flower farm too. I know the girls at least would do great at market. They just love to talk to just about everyone and usually the adults like to talk to them too. I am thinking of letting them sell mini boquets they grow and make up themselves. The market I am interested in selling at is going through a transition to local growers only. I am on the list but I don't believe the transition is quite final yet. I haven't been called to attend the meeting yet. I won't have enough flowers anyhow except later when the zinnias and sunflowers come. I have hopes that I can sell those to two other places (plus any others blooming at the same time) if the market doesn't work out (it should but you never know). This is definitely a trial year with lots of learning, building up soil, perennial counts and so on.

Wow, Irish Eyes, I thought Ray's psychiatrist mention was funny. Btw, in case you are wondering, I am not trying to have it all (don't recall anyone else here trying to either). My family is first period. I stay at home to take care of them. Now that they are school age, I have more time to pursue gardening. We do not have a house in the suburbs or two expensive vehicles in the yard. Our vehicles are paid for and the 19 acres will cost us the same whether or not I flower farm. There has been quite a lot of mentioning in a matter of fact way about various ailments but I am fairly sure none of us would dream of complaining to customers. I of course take it that your advice was friendly and well meaning. I don't have lofty goals. I will be very satisfied if I can add interest to my life and some money by flower farming. Whether or not I ever actually sell flowers, I think gardening and flowers really add to my life. You are right about not having it all but I don't see a problem with trying to do better with what you already have? Also, I just wondered about people not wanting to cut the flowers after they grew them. I don't think I will have a terrible problem with that. Hubbies flower garden tempts me too much (off limits) but then I didn't grow those. Planting of perennials in rows is a bit of a different story. I really would like to make pretty little gardens with them but am holding off on that. I agree soil management will be necessary. I do know tons of sucessful farmers that don't use compost (don't know flower farmers other than here) so that is why I asked. Composting should start in a big way very soon (maybe even yet today) but not good enough for this year. Hopefully, I can find a good source soon. Shirley

Shirley --- I grow most of my annuals in straight rows -- no raised beds. But most of my perennials get put in some-what pretty gardens. And now -- I'm filling those beds with 18-20" tall annuals to add even more continous color to the beds.

For my business --- the cutting garden has to look nice but so do the other beds --- I want customers to think they are walking through a park, cutting the flowers.

Now that is the difference between harvesting cuts myself and having the customers do it themselves. If I'm doing it myself -- there is a time factor, but I want the customers to linger. Longer they are there, the more they spend.

As far as the aches and pains, Advil in the morning --Advil at night. I swear it is the lifeblood of flower farmers!!

And if you have 19 acres and don't have hens, you should get some. You'd have great compost in 6 monthes. We fill the coop and the runs with 15-18" of leaves in the fall and by early spring we have the most beautiful compost. I just top dress the soil with it. But my garden is where a feedlot use to be so the soil is great.

Good luck
Cathy

Shirley,
I use 4x25 foot beds, not rows, but I am a very small operation and even if I were doing this full time would have end up using at most one acre. The beds are raised from adding soil amendments (mainly compost), but are not edged with lumber or anything.

I do use compost and manure to amend the soil. In my area you can buy compost from the city and I have now found free sources for composed manure if I do the loading.

I feel different about the cutting gardens than I do gardens around my house. I am very fussy about what I place together in my perennial borders, and I don't like cutting flowers from my home gardens, either. In the cutting garden, though, I never worry about planting things that clash next to each other, and I don't mind cutting them because I planted them for that purpose. That said, the place where I grow my cut flowers is beautiful even when things aren't in bloom.
Kirk

Ugh, I wish I had time to read all these posts-- everyone has such great and interesting things to say!

Shirley, I grew "giant tetra ruffled superfine" snaps or something like that, from Germania seed, not the one you listed (antirrino or something) but frankly I see no reason not to try them!! If it's all anyone sells in your area maybe they're well-suited to your area, and it's good to try snaps -- then next year you can buy plugs or seed (I think they are EASY from seed) and try several others.

I liked the Tetra snaps mostly because they were FAST and tall, but the colors were (in my book) a bit iffy-- too many pastels. I liked the Rocket colors better, but they were 2 weeks later (which in my short season is an eternity). This year I'm growing both again, and added Spring Giant, which Jeanne says is neither giant nor blooming in spring, but we'll see how it does for me. So far, my tetra snaps once again seem to be pulling way ahead. Maybe I'll have better luck this year on the color mix.

As for TIME, ugh, as mentioned, I don't even have time to read all these posts! My husband and I are arguing quite a bit lately over this issue-- he feels I have overcommited our lives to so much. I've got an 11-year-old stepson, a 9-month-old boy, and a nearly-2-year-old girl (she'll be 2 on June 13...). Pretty much everyone I know thinks I"m crazy to be trying to do this right now... I've been taking my baby to market with me -- he gets strapped to my back and a hat glued to his head and there he stays... But the kids LOVE it, you know? I think it's so much better to be raising them this way-- it absolutely thrilled me last summer that my 15-month-old daughter figured out the difference between a RIPE strawberry and a green one. She knows not to "hurt" flowers and plants and when she was only 13 months old knew to smell flowers. I just like raising them like this, even if we're overcommitted (and admittedly, my animal habit is a bit out of control at the moment-- chickens and rabbits). Right now I just take both of them out into the field with me, and I give them things to play with, or I let them dig or do what they want. My daughter has discovered the joy of WORMS, too, so she's eager to get out to the field. She announces in the morning at breakfast, "Field! Find more worms! Field! Go!"

Kristen