May 28, 2026
From cold and breezy to warm and humid, welcome to the unrelenting challenges of Minnesota weather. We know, we talk about the weather regularly, but when it impacts every aspect of our business and operation, it is the topic of almost every conversation.
This has been a spring like no other, dealing challenges and delays one after another. Just when we thought it was warming up … Bam! Another night of temperatures hovering near or below 30.
Typically, we approach our May planting schedule with a high degree of confidence. This year has been a different story. With our last hard frost holding on until around May 20th, many crops are behind schedule. With time, we will adjust, and we are hopeful things can still catch up. Only time can answer that question for us, and we will do our best to be patient.
The Missing Ingredient: Soil Heat
We aren’t just facing these challenges in the fields, we hear it from you every day at our farm stand greenhouses. We’ve had countless conversations with visitors asking why plants haven’t grown since they were purchased, or why they look so “wilty” in the mornings, even after thorough watering.
One honest answer covers just about every scenario: It has been cold!
We often obsess over air temperature, but the true driver of spring growth is soil temperature.
- Root Establishment: Warm soil is essential for root systems to become active and established.
- Nutrient Uptake: When the ground is cold, metabolic processes slow down. Plants struggle to absorb the energy and nutrients needed for vigorous growth.
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The Wilt Factor: In cold soil, roots cannot efficiently draw up moisture. When a sudden warm breeze hits the leaves, which are eager to grow, the plant loses moisture faster than the cold roots can replace it. This causes that paradoxical "wilty" look in damp soil.
It isn’t always the air that keeps flowers or crops growing; it is the warm foundation of the soil that gives plants the energy to grow prolific and big.
Timing is Everything
If your own garden looks a little sluggish, take heart. It’s not too late to start planting your garden or flowers for the season. Actually, now is a perfect time. We see an extended outlook for warm temperatures that will help your new transplants thrive.
Even we are taking full advantage of the warm days and getting heat-loving crops like cantaloupe and watermelon into the ground. After holding them in the greenhouse for an extra week or two, they are finally ready to spread out.
Greenhouse Secrets: Feed and Groom for Endless Blooms
Now that the weather is finally cooperating, it’s time to talk about long-term success. If we want our plants to keep producing beautiful blooms all season, we need to feed and care for them. Think of it as a little weekly routine for luscious, show-stopping containers and gardens.
It doesn’t take hours a week, just a few minutes of intentional maintenance makes all the difference.
- Feed your Plants: Fast-growing summer plants are hungry! Regular fertilizing gives them the fuel they need to keep pushing out new buds. Without those essential nutrients, they will stall out early. Remember that plants are like people. They need food too!
- Master the Art of Deadheading: When a flower fades, the plant shifts its energy into making seeds. By spending just 10 or 15 minutes a week pinching or cutting off spent flowers and yellowing leaves, you trick the plant into redirection. Instead of making seeds, it channels that energy back down into creating fresh growth and a brand-new flush of gorgeous blossoms.
A little love each week goes a very long way!
Rain, Rain, Go Away (and Come Back Slowly)
This graphic illustrates the structure we are trying to manage. While we have been blessed with some regular rain events over the last few weeks, the actual rainfall hasn’t resulted in much effective moisture in the ground. These rains have been enough to settle the dirt and moisten the topsoil, but they haven’t soaked all the way down to the subsoil.
To achieve true subsoil moisture, we need a special kind of weather. Is it too much to ask for a full 24 hours of light, steady, soaking rain? Just something gentle, that isn’t too heavy, but lasts long enough to penetrate deep below the surface? We didn't think that was too much to ask, either. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope we get one of these rains within the next week or so.
Asparagus Harvest
On a brighter note, the asparagus harvest is well underway! With the warm temperatures we are experiencing this week, the spears are growing incredibly quickly. We must harvest daily just to keep the crop under control and provide you with the freshest asparagus possible.
Have you picked some up for dinner yet? It’s incredible, if we do say so ourselves.
It won’t be long until we’re adding rhubarb and hopefully some grape tomatoes to our farm stand offerings. See you at the Farm Stand!
