Potting with Pam

Had a big day today. Went to pick up Pam. Trying to get her enough work so she can afford a car! Went off to the farmers market and did a bit of shopping then went to Vicki's to scope out her backyard for overwintering plants. After a mid-morning coffee break, we went out to pot up the rest of the 36cell seedling trays and put them into one gallons.We finished up the miscellaneous sweet william and forget me nots and primrose - going to hopefully have some nice pots for spring. Ahhh, there is always hope in the nursery business. We also potted up a load of phlox 'David' a white, four-foot, fragrant variety into the one gallons, and watered everything in.

After a filling lunch of potato-cauliflower soup out of the crock pot, topped off by a cherry crumb pie we took another break. At Sage Advice, I think we are famous for our great employee coffee breaks. Then, we loaded up the van for a trip to Vicki's to line out the production for the day. We didn't pot up as much as we did Saturday but we ran out of the one gallons so we are trekking to Capac to Hortmark next Tuesday for more pots. I need to count the stock left in the nursery, but I wager I have about 500 more plants to pot up before the start of November.

Still waiting on bulbs. Want to sell a few at the flea market in bulk bags. Got mostly daffodils - 100 each variety - and some scilla and grape hyacinth in my favorite blues. May get some more bulbs from Vandenberg if the bulbs sell well. The market master tells me foot traffic at the flea market is pretty lame, but I am going to try it to keep my hand in over the winter.

Bought some 3" houseplants to sell at the flea market and bumped them up into 4" pots. They are nice and beefy so I will grow them on for a couple weeks. Got a couple of little Norfolk Island Pines that would make a sweet little Christmas Tree for the kitchen table. May have to keep one and make some quilled paper ornaments for it.

Been buying the nicest triple scented soy candles at the Armada Flea Market from a vendor who gets the from Bonnie Lass out of Lapeer. My brother also got some goats milk soap from them that I also like. I'd like to see if I can can establish a wholesale account with them and offer the very fragrant candles at the flea market. So far I have indulged in honeysuckle, coffee bean, lemon zest and a piney version called "Up North". When burned the candles fragrance the whole house.

Wish I had some pictures for today, but we were so busy potting and running around that it really slipped my mind. Before taking Pam home, we stopped by to water the greenhouse garden, so Pam could get her first look at the new babies growing. She was impressed with how the beds had progressed. Some of the other beds are really doing well with beans up about 6" and doing well. It is great to see the variety of things that the other folks have chosen to grow. Think I'll loan Vicki the registration fee for another bed so I'll have some room to start seedlings for the nursery for this spring.

So that was the day at Sage Advice Nursery - very productive and enjoyable. We have been blessed by some great fall weather and here's hoping we get all our work wrapped up by November!