High Desert Flower Farm

Working archive · 5a · last frost May 21 · first frost Sep 18 · July 2026

Grow with
memory.

Varieties, field evidence, and breeding work in one living record—built to make next season better than the last.

Catalog at a glance96planned and growing varieties
FEB–APR

Indoor sowing and bed planning

MAY 21

Average last frost · warm crops follow

SEP 18

Average first frost · season closes

3 recorded trials0 deliberate crosses2 crop groups

01 · Living collection

Variety catalog

Field-ready notes distilled from the master catalog. Search by crop, cultivar, or growing trait.

annualFull sunHardy to 25°FFrost TenderDirect-Sow
Sow indoors
Not recommended
Outdoors
After LF
Days to germ.
7–14 d
Days to maturity
70 days from sow
Spacing
18 inches
Height
96-180 inches
Sun
Full sun, 6-8+ hrs
Frost
Hardy to ~32°F
Conditions
Sow 1/2" deep; 70-75°F soil
Pre-treatment
None, but can soak seeds for up to 3 hours before sowing to speed germination.
Viability
3-5 yrs, cool and dry
Yield
One stem per plant.
Cut stage
When petals have color and just begin to lift away from center disc, but before the bloom is fully open.
Vase life
5-7 days
Handling
Store out of direct sunlight; re-cut stems every 2 days
SeeDS
When petals wither and drop, back of heads turn yellow-brown, and seeds get plump, cut with 1-2 ft of stem and hang by stem to dry. After 1-2 d, rub flower face to remove dried seeds.

Bright Yellow, DARK BROWN Center

02 · Evidence over instinct

Trial log

One sentence per season. Enough evidence to repeat the win—or stop repeating the mistake.

2026
CF-01

Sunflower ‘American Giant Hybrid’

I grew them as a screen in the bed on the property line with the Hunters. They reached about 8 ft in height by the end of July.

●●●●●01
2026
CF-02

Calendula ‘Touch of Red Buff’

They grew really well, but the coloring is typically orange, not the cream/red combination I had hoped for.

●●●○○02
2026
CF-03

Celosia ‘Amish Cockscomb’

Very low germination rate. The only seeds that germinated were dropped between plugs. Transplanted well, but didn't bloom until August despite an early indoor start.

●●●○○03

03 · Breeding notebook

Cross histories

Seed parent × pollen parent. Trait intent stays beside the result.

No crosses recorded yet. First pairing will begin this breeding notebook.

04 · From the field

Garden journal

Add observations as they happen. Notes persist with the site, ready for next season’s review.

Recent notes

No field notes yet. First observation starts the season’s memory.

A garden business, when you’re ready

Records first.
Storefront later.

This foundation can grow into seasonal stem availability, seed listings, pickup windows, and checkout—without mixing commerce into today’s field work.

Future beds: cut flowers · seed packets · availability calendar