Bear Creek Farm

06/11/2026

At first glance, a peony field after harvest can seem surprising. There are still flowers everywhere.
That's by design.
To keep peonies healthy and blooming beautifully year after year, we don't harvest every stem. The plants need foliage to continue photosynthesizing to complete their natural cycle, storing the energy that will fuel next spring's display.
We typically harvest only about 40% of the blooms, leaving the rest to open in the field. It may seem counterintuitive, but the best way to ensure abundance in the future is not to take everything that's available today.
Gardening—and farming—often teaches the same lesson: restraint is not a sacrifice. It's an investment in what comes next.
The result is a field that remains beautiful long after harvest and plants that return stronger the following season.

06/10/2026

The dahlia season is officially underway. We’re getting our tubers in the ground, but with a new “secret sauce” in our planting holes. This year, we’re mixing molasses with our bone char. Why the combo?1️⃣ Soil Health: The bone char provides that slow-release phosphorus and calcium dahlias crave for strong stems and massive blooms.2️⃣ Microbe Boost: Molasses is basically “rocket fuel” for beneficial soil microbes, feeding the underground life that keeps our plants happy.3️⃣ Insect Deterrence: By boosting the plant’s sugar content (Brix levels) and supporting healthy soil, we’re aiming to get a head start on making our dahlias less “tasty” to pests naturally. Here’s to a season of stronger roots and even bigger flowers! Stay tuned for updates as these beauties start to wake up.

06/09/2026

You planted your dahlias.
Now comes the hardest part: waiting.
Every spring, we hear from gardeners who are tempted to dig down and “just take a look” when nothing has appeared above the soil. It’s an understandable impulse—but often the most important work is already happening where you can’t see it.
Before a dahlia ever sends up a green shoot, it is establishing delicate feeder roots and preparing new growth below ground. And if you planted into cool spring soil, it may simply be waiting for warmer conditions before taking off. In fact, three to eight weeks is perfectly normal for emergence.
In our latest blog, we explore what’s happening beneath the surface, why digging rarely helps, and why sometimes the kindest thing you can do is simply let the tuber do its work.
Some of the most important weeks in a dahlia’s life happen before there’s anything to see.
Click link in Instagram bio for the full blog.

06/08/2026

We were genuinely honored to welcome three distinguished guests to our Heirloom Chrysanthemum Workshop last week: , , and . Their presence felt like an affirmation of the work we’ve been doing behind the scenes—growing, studying, experimenting, and deepening our understanding of these extraordinary flowers. Over the past several years, chrysanthemums have become a bit of an obsession at the farm: many hours refining our cultural practices and observing how each heirloom responds to temperature, staking, pinching, and the slow maturation that gives these blooms their presence.
When we began growing dahlias nine years ago, few American farms were producing them at scale. Yet it was clear even then that dahlias were heading toward center stage—their forms and colors destined to become icons of late summer. And they did. Dahlia farming in the U.S. has expanded dramatically in the decade since, with hundreds of farms now growing them as a core crop.
We see a similar horizon for heritage chrysanthemums. Once people see that they’re not difficult—just unfamiliar—and that they offer long-lasting beauty as the rest of the garden exhales its final breath, their appeal will deepen. Our work has always been guided by curiosity and a willingness to try what others may overlook. Experimentation opens new possibilities, and heritage mums feel like a blossoming path forward. Click the link in our bio to join our mailing list and learn about upcoming workshops.

06/07/2026

Yesterday was our peony workshop and despite a season of rough spring weather, the day was marvelous. For the afternoon session, we have plenty of foraged materials from the farm and beautiful peonies.

06/07/2026

Yesterday was a glorious day for our peony workshop. We had beautiful peonies, foraged materials from all over the farm and a sensation floral arranging session in the afternoon lead by

06/06/2026

06/04/2026

Not all growth is useful growth.
That pale growth formed in storage, where there wasn't enough light to produce a strong stem. By removing it, the tuber can redirect its energy into sturdy new shoots once planted.

06/03/2026

This spring’s hard frosts took many of our peonies. Some pushed through despite the cold. Many did not. Walking the fields afterward, I was reminded again how often gardens mirror emotional life — how beauty can still rise from damage.

Around the same time, I rediscovered a line written down years ago after my marriage to Steven, spoken during a toast by my stepson Will:

“Out of the ashes of acrimony, love can flourish.”

That sentence stayed with me and became the beginning of a new Substack essay about renewal and the remarkable resilience of both gardens and people.

“Out of the Ashes of Acrimony”

Link in bio.