Another Year is Right Around the Corner, Early Mistakes in 2019, Goals for 2020

Winter is the time for contemplating what the heck happened last year, digesting that information, and buying seeds to do it all again.

For me the best part of hemp farming and gardening has always been the growing of the plants from seed. It is tough to beat the feeling of partnering with a tiny seed and helping it grow into a big beautiful plant.

Unfortunately for me, my love of starting seeds has led to me starting a whole lot more plants that I can ever harvest. I had a good crop of hemp flower in 2018 and there seemed to be an excellent demand for my hemp. So, in early 2019, I went all out. I began my over-planting in style and started seeds in February that filled up my office so completely that I had to abandon the office and use a new office space in the house.

By April 1st, I was ready to build a new greenhouse and fill it up with the steadily growing plants from February. So, I looked on The Old House’s YouTube channel and saw there simple design for a 10 foot by 20 foot greenhouse.

This greenhouse was easily put up. But, as soon as it was put up and I had it filled with plants and a heater, an early April snowstorm came. So I took the greenhouse down and filled up a temporary indoor space for my increasingly unhappy early hemp starts.

And after the storm passed and spring came a 2nd time and I had covered the greenhouse again and moved the plants back inside, a 2nd big snowstorm came…

Alas, this story is not a long tragedy of the February starts, or a long rant about the evils of April weather in Wisconsin, but a friendly reminder that last year was harder… by choice

The desire to make more money in hemp and expand my company, Wisconsin Hemp Flower, at the same rate as other hemp companies, led to me making my life much harder. Last year during the growing season, during the harvest, during the after harvest rush to get stuff done, I lost the ability to balance my life between hemp and non hemp stuff. Everything became about the hemp.

My goal for my hemp crop in 2020 is much simpler. I want to grow less than in 2019. I want to grow less total area than 2018. I want to be smaller.

A lot smaller.

So, there are currently no hemp plants being started this February, even though I was mighty tempted

Right now, as I plan my next growing year, I realize I want time in my life to enjoy farming hemp. I want time to be with the plants and get to know individual exceptional plants. I want to have time and energy to feed plants my fancy compost teas and probiotic brews. I want to treat my hemp the way others treat their Cannabis.