From Man Cave to Tulips?

Well, January is upon us, and as much as I love the hustle and bustle of summer . . . I also REALLY love the slow, quiet of January.  This January, though, is a little busier than in years past.  This year, I have for the first time what I would consider a substantial crop in progress– much more than the couple hundred tulip bulbs I trialed last winter.  After many hours of studying, planning, and calculating, I came up with a strategic plan for a continuous supply of fresh cut tulips from February through April– all grown in my basement. But it didn't happen overnight. In fact, it actually all started LAST January. Here's the story:

Last January, my husband, Paul, went to Peru to visit pay his siblings a surprise visit. (Side story: They didn’t know he was coming, and he showed up at his brother’s birthday party, dressed as a life-size guinea pig.  They thought he was the hired entertainment, and he danced and played along for over an hour before revealing his identity-- true story!)

Anyway, while he was gone, I spent significant time in our basement . . . pondering. I knew I needed to create a grow space if I was serious about a winter tulip crop.  The big question was . . . where?  Our flower business already occupies about a third of our basement with bouquet making, our cooler, seed starting, etc.  The kids have a playroom in one area, and we gotta have space for storage.  All that was left was . . . the man-cave.  A dangerous place for the wife to be when the husband is out of the country.

I figured if I stayed near the perimeter of the room, I might get away with it.  I got really gutsy and drilled a few holes in the ceiling to hang some lights.  That went well, so I kept dreaming.  Soon, I was drawn to the pool table, piled high with stuff.  I wondered, “When was the last time somebody played pool down here??” It was functioning basically as a place to pile junk.  Hmmm.

I anticipated push-back when he returned, but was thrilled (and eternally grateful) when Paul considered my idea as I casually mentioned my vision of thousands of tulips ready for harvest when customers need them most- in the middle of winter! I was sure to add at the end:  “But, you know . . . it’s just an idea.  It might be too much?” 

Lucky for me, I’m married to someone who is invigorated by projects of any kind.  Fast forward to this winter, and the pool table has been completely converted to our new grow space, perfect for forcing tulips in the dead of winter in Wisconsin!  My dream come true!

We currently have about 1,500 bulbs actively growing and sending up buds, with thousands more in waiting.  The challenge of growing them is soon replaced with the next one:  marketing them.  (Honest admission:  Marketing is the piece of my business I dread the most, probably because I don’t feel very confident in my marketing skills!  But that’s a post for another day.) 

So if you may be interested in a fresh bouquet of tulips to brighten your home as winter drags on, keep us in mind!  We are likely to be soon swimming in tulips and looking to share them. These red doubles were some that I trialed in our basement last winter. Perfect for Valentine's!

One final thing.  There is a BIG exciting announcement coming soon, a new way we will be able to share our flowers with you and I haven’t been this excited in a VERY. LONG. TIME.  Stay tuned! And, as always, enjoy the day!