New Beginnings-Why I started Blooms for Life

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. -Seneca

About six years ago, my husband, Tommy, and I made a decision for our growing family. I would stay home and care for our newborn daughter. At the time, I was teaching seventh grade science at a great school. Two years later, our second daughter was born and two years after that, our son was born. I really enjoyed teaching and missed my fellow coworkers. I thought I would return to teaching and renewed my teaching certificate in anticipation.

When our first daughter was about one, I planted a container garden. This was my third time planting a garden and I was sick of the weeds and small, unhealthy plants I previously grew in our soil. In short, I didn’t know what I was doing. The next season, I didn’t plant any vegetables, but focused on flowers. I had done some research and learned how to amend the soil and keep the pesky weeds at bay. I enjoyed giving away bouquets to family and friends. This is the year my dream of Blooms for Life started.

The year after our son was born, I took time off of growing plants and really focused on learning to garden. I bought even more books (Tommy graciously put up with me…I mean let me) and soaked up any free information on websites, online classes, podcasts, and videos from experts in the field. The idea of Blooms for Life evolved from growing just flowers to also growing plant starts.

Our 2020 garden was amazing. Though, it wasn’t without pest, disease, and other problems. Each garden, each year will always have its challenges which means there are opportunities to learn more.

In September of 2020, I enrolled in South Carolina’s Master Gardeners online class. I have since completed the course and am fulfilling my volunteer hours to become a certified Master Gardener.

Becoming a Master Gardener fits well with my vision for Blooms for Life, educating and giving back. From the start of my dream, I wanted supporting local charities to be part of the business. My time being a member in the Junior Charity League, a volunteer organization, had fostered my interest in charity work and I hope to continue that work through Blooms for Life.

My aim is to also write gardening tips to help customers who purchase vegetable plants from us as well as anyone else seeking advice. There are lots of great gardening resources but not all specialize on advice for gardening in our specific area. The advice given here can be used for gardening in general, but also for gardening in the Pee Dee area of South Carolina. Gardening can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be a mystery. I hope my posts help make gardening easier. Remember, green thumbs aren’t born, they are learned.

So here we are, four years after dreaming up Blooms for Life Farm. At this point it is uncertain if I will return to the classroom. That chapter may have come to an end. I have, though, enjoyed homeschooling our children and I look forward to the beginnings of this new farming endeavor.

Never stop growing your knowledge and chasing dreams.