My Big, Beautiful, CSA Year
2021 is the year that I try and find out what I’m going to do when I retire.
I’m looking for that magic combination—a retirement unicorn. Something that makes me think, keeps me active, makes me happy, and makes other people happy.
How hard could that be?
I’m Karen and I live in Montana with a houseful of pets and a long-suffering husband. We’re at the base of the Continental Divide—that’s Zone 4 to you gardening aficionados.
I grew up in the desert, so the first time I lived someplace where a seed could actually take root and grow, I got hooked on seeing what would happen. My jam is flowers, not veggies—and I get a kick out of sharing them with others.
I love to write and figure stuff out, and I adore a good spreadsheet. I’m a bit of an introvert and not the most touchy-feely person that you’ll ever meet.
At some point in the pandemic, the metaphorical lightning bolt struck and I got to thinking about starting a cut flower CSA—that’s community-supported agriculture. Flowers generally make people happy and, unlike the commercially grown flowers that are flown in from distant lands, locally grown cut flowers are good for the environment and the pollinators.
Here’s the kicker. My CSA is non-profit, in an unofficial sense. I’m just trying to break even. Yup, that’s right. I’m not shooting to make money.
In 2021, I have three goals:
Get enough happy subscribers to support my obsession of growing beautiful flowers in a regenerative way
Grow enough flowers to be able to supply my subscribers AND to give away to people who need a lift or a “thank you” for being stellar human beings
Assess how it went and decide if the joys of providing flowers are worth the stresses of growing them with production quotas in the mountains of Montana
So, if you’ve ever wondered about what goes into starting such an enterprise, read on. I’ll dish about my big experiment and some other things that really clicked for me this year.
I hope to impart wisdom with a sense of humor and generosity. Feel free to tell me how I did.
What’s Here?
Garden Journal
Here’s where you’ll find the nuts and bolts of my CSA adventure, from waiting for the snow to melt to harvest and delivery to planning for next year. Note that waiting for the snow to melt happened in winter and also in late May. Don’t you wish you gardened in Montana?
CSA Subscription Details
I put this together as a sales tool but barely got a chance to use it as I sold out on my 10-week subscriptions in the first 24 hours.
Garden Schedule
For each month of the year, see what I got done and what I have planned. With the CSA, I have production quotas and obligations to meet. Can I do it?
My Garden
Thirty years of gardening in the Rocky Mountains has taught me a thing or two about persevering in the face of adversity with—if I do say so myself—pretty great results. Here you can visit my garden and see what I’m working with. It’s almost like being there, except that I won’t make you help me weed or throw tennis balls at deer.
Stuff I Like
I’m working on a page that lists stuff that I bought and love and that I think might be useful to others.
What it Cost
I’ll add costs as the year progresses and you can see if my plan to break even worked. I’m also going to track flower productivity to know if I can take on more subscribers with the same amount of space and effort. Finally, I’ll weigh the pros and cons of taking on a hobby that pretty much eliminates going on vacation from April to October.
I really have no idea what I’ll decide.
