Goodbyes
Greetings, farm friends!
The time has come to say goodbye to the daily grind of farm life and to you.
I’ve surprised myself by bursting into tears several times while moving about the farm this week, but I’m trying to hold it together. Farming feels like something that is rooted deep in my body, and working at Two Boots has been a formative experience and the honor of a lifetime. I will to miss it with every fiber of my being, and I’m not sure that I’ll know how to move through the world without it in my daily life.
For those who asked, I’ll still be residing in Baltimore! I’m going to keep one foot in the door at Two Boots, but for now I’m done working in the fields and won’t be on the farm much.
All that said, I’ll attempt to summarize the years I spent working in this incredible place.
2018 was my first full season on the farm. It rained constantly that year, and much of the farm was underwater for months on end. We had to drastically rework how we grew, and did a fair amount of earthwork in an effort to redirect the water out of the fields. We had springs popping up in the field, and streams running throughout the farm. You could barely harvest without losing a shoe! It became impossible to drive out to the pawpaw orchard, so we would haul our heavy harvests back in a gorilla cart.
I don’t remember much about 2019, but I know we started growing a lot more flowers that year. Dave joined the crew as part of the Beginning Farmer Training Program, and we had a rotating cast of characters working on the farm, among them some of my dearest friends. I think we had a lot of fun! We expanded our footprint and started growing on a larger area of the farm, which allowed us to both produce more and cover crop more.
2020, of course, brought us COVID and some dramatic pivots in our work. We brought back a CSA, added many vegetables to our crop plan at the last minute, and farmed in masks all season long. Finn was on the farm quite a bit, so we had some fun kid energy keeping us moving. Despite pivoting to growing more vegetables, we ended up making a lot of money on flowers, and I think 2020 was the year we began doing deliveries to D.C. We also doubled the size of our pawpaw orchard!
In 2021 we decide to swing back in the floral direction, and we’ve been committed to flowers as our primary source of income ever since. We still grew a select few veggie crops for the farmers market and a few restaurants, but our focus on flowers expanded dramatically. Over the winter, we renovated the barn and built out a beautiful floral studio, We had a fantastic, hardworking crew that year, with Meg and Jay holding down the fort as our primary crew members. We lost Iris in 2021, but gained Harry a few months later. Iris was serious, fiercely loyal, and incredibly smart. Harry is goofy and fun, and the polar opposite of Iris in many ways, and we love him with all our hearts.
2022 was Karen’s first year working on the farm as an employee. We had a great season! I think Dave started working with us more frequently in 2022 as well, and the two of them have been core crew members since then.
2023 was a blur. I recall the dense haze of wildfire smoke taking over the farm in June, and we had an absurd bumper crop of strawflower. Annie, a neighbor’s cat, became a regular visitor to Two Boots, and was the object of everyone’s affection. Quite frankly, we were obsessed with her. Jane came to work with us in 2023, and her boisterous energy kept us all on our feet. I think 2023 was the year the entire farm was wiped out by COVID in the middle of pawpaw season— not a fun time!
2024 was HOT. We struggled to adapt to the hottest summer on record, but we made it through! Olivia joined the crew, and we’re so happy she’s stuck around to work with us. We grew so many gorgeous flowers, tried new things, and despite many challenges, had a productive and beautiful season. The pawpaws we planted in 2020 began to fruit for the first time, and we harvested some of the biggest fruits we’d ever seen.
And now, we come to 2025. This year hasn’t been without its struggles and growing pains, but we’ve learned a lot and I think the farm is in wonderful hands moving forward. Two Boots is comprised of the kindest group of people imaginable, and the care they put into their work is second to none.
Dinnerplate dahlias, a perpetual favorite
Sunday Market
We’re back at the Baltimore Farmers’ Market this Sunday, July 27th from 7:00-12:00.
The build your own bouquet bar is around for the summer!
The dahlias are still just beginning, but we’ll be sure to bring whatever we’ve got.
We’ll also have bouquets and bunches of basil, alstroemeria, eucalyptus, rudbeckia, and more.
Thank you for all of your kindness and support over the years. I am so lucky to have had this experience, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share my words with you for nearly eight years. It’s been an honor and a delight.
Wishing you all the best, and sending so much love to you all,
Amelia