February + March on the Farm
From the Field
Spring has sprung!
Early spring is a great time to find snow in the mountains and flowers in the hoop houses. We started planting some hardy annuals into our hoop houses where they’ll get a little early protection from the elements.
Dahlia tubers went into the tunnels this month as well. These heat-loving flowers will be well-protected under layers of fabric and warm compost until the weather warms and they’re ready to join the flower fest. Despite their high-maintenance requirements, these beauties can’t help but be the life of the party come summer.
If you love dahlias as much as Fiona, stay tuned for tuber sales coming to our website soon. We have many gorgeous and unique varieties to choose from. If you’re less choosy about variety, keep on the lookout for our “grab bags” of miscellaneous dahlia tubers for sale at Fat Toad’s Farm Pantry. This is a great way to grow your own unique collection and enjoy a sweet surprise come summer.
What’s Blooming Now
The first pops of color have been showing on the farm! We harvested some stalwart anemones and daffodils that overwintered in the hoops in early March. Meanwhile, our flowering branches from the terrarium and a few forced from the field have been bursting with color and gracing local florists’ palettes.
Tulips are POPPING!
It’s March and we’ve already started harvesting tulips from the raised beds in our tunnel! We can’t wait until our May subscribers pick up their first tulip bundles. If you don’t want to miss out on these early spring beauties, sign up for your own subscription and celebrate the season with us!
SIGN UP HERE! (Space is limited!)
We harvest tulips (bulb and all!) before they fully open their petals. This ensures the flower stays fresh for many weeks. We store the bulb + bud dry (out of water) in the cooler until they’re ready to go home with our customers!
What’s New
Public and Private U-Pick on the Farm!
Our farm manager, Lauren, was one of the first flower farmers in the Gallatin Valley to offer U-pick flower experiences when she ran the successful farm, Calliope, on Stucky Road. We’re lucky to have her expertise as we enter this (now popular) market. We’re sure our stunning location and curated floral varieties will offer a new experience to those excited to try their hand at being a flower farmer for a day.
If you’re looking for something truly unique and memorable, private U-picks are the perfect way to celebrate a birthday, baby shower, commencement, bridal shower, or any other get-together with loved ones. Contact us to schedule!
Our Barn Becomes a Wedding Venue!
We’re opening up our new barn space and farm for weddings and elopements! This project has been in the works all winter, and we’re finally ready to spread the good news!
This is your opportunity to say, “I Do,” against the backdrop of the Bridgers while holding a bouquet of flowers grown just feet away. Just imagine taking photos in a field full of dazzling blooms, dining in the light of the sunset, and dancing the night away under the disco ball in our stunning new barn. :)
Our books are now open for small weddings (up to 50 guests) and elopements (20 guests or less) for the 2026 season. We are also accepting inquiries for larger weddings – let us know your guest count and dream date, and we will put you on a list to be contacted when we open up for larger bookings.
Garden Boxes
Have you ever wanted to grow your own bouquet but aren’t quite sure where to start? It can be daunting considering all the many floral varieties along with what works well in our tricky climate or in a vase. Luckily for you, our team has compiled a box full of flower starts guaranteed to deliver a bouquet of blooms. Each garden box comes with 32 flower starts with an easy to follow How-To guide on planting your own cutting garden. Pre-order yours today!
Volunteer Opportunities
We’re excited to announce that we’re offering a few volunteer jobs on the farm this summer. We are hoping to compile a list of people interested in volunteering during our U-pick hours. As always, volunteers get paid in flowers, so if this is something you’re interested in, please reply to this email with your contact information. Please note, space is limited so we won’t be able to accommodate everyone interested in volunteering.
Behind the Blooms
They say the only things sure in life are death and taxes, but in Southwestern Montana, we can add WIND to that list!
One of our tunnels (T6) is proving to have more lives than our farm cats! The wind storms this spring have tried to blow her away, but nothing can get past our “farm style” fixes.
Fiona’s balancing act combined with Paige’s safety goggles are a perfect representation of our “Safety Third” motto on the farm.
Bouquet Subscription Corner
Our bouquet subscriptions are flying out the door which makes us super excited as we watch our seedlings grow. We can’t wait for you to see the beautiful creations we make with the new floral varieties we’ve been slowly adding over the years. Last year we planted some perennials that usually need a year+ to become truly productive. We can’t wait for you to see the fruits of this patient labor (pssst. you might catch a glimpse of new varieties of yarrow, mint, clematis, echinacea, irises, etc…. fingers crossed!!).
In the News
The Rathvinden Farmily’s story is hitting the news stands in this spring’s edition of Edible Bozeman! Our muscle-manager, Paige Southwood, wrote and photographed the story with excellent editing by Jessianne Castle. If you’ve ever been curious where the name, “Rathvinden,” comes from, be sure to grab your copy today!
As always, thank you for your support, flower purchases, friend referrals, and belief in our little farm and what we’re doing.
We know it would be so much easier to just till the soil, hire cheap labor, and plant easy flowers. Instead, we’re committed to doing something different. We’re committed to paying our people a living wage, building up our ecosystem by using organic and regenerative practices, and supporting our community with events and workshops. We may be small but we’re also mighty!
22 Weeks, April 24 – September 25, 2026
Calling all true flower lovers — this is the CSA for you! This subscription includes the May, June, and Full Summer subscriptions, and also gives you access to the *VERY FIRST FLOWERS OF THE SEASON* with a special bonus pickup week on April 24, before any of our other subscriptions start.
You’ll catch the best of the best, week after week, kept fresh by our commitment to diversifying each arrangement. Tulips, peonies, ranunculus, anemone, sweet peas, snapdragons, dahlias, zinnias, cosmos — we’re out of breath! And you will be too when you behold our full-season offerings.
This CSA runs 22 weeks beginning April 24, with Thursday afternoon + Friday pickup options in town at Mischa’s or at our farm off of Springhill Road. Purchasing the Flower Freak subscription saves you $5 every week, plus one week free, for a total savings of $145! Plus you will be crowned the title of flower freak — takes one to know one. ;) AND, as an extra thank you, bouquet subscription members get 10% off any of our classes + workshops offered throughout the 2026 season (code emailed post-checkout).
♡ Thank you for supporting locally-grown flowers! ♡
5 Weeks, May 1 – May 29, 2026
Blooms to get you through the rest of Montana winter aka “Spring”.
Can’t wait to get your hands on the first blooms of the season? Need flowers in your life before the snow has fully melted? Then this is your sign to purchase our May flower subscription! Five weeks of tulip-heavy bouquets, featuring an assortment of other early-season stunners – think budding willow and apricot branches, daffodils, and if you’re really lucky, the first columbine of the year.
This CSA runs five weeks beginning May 1, with Thursday afternoon + Friday pickup options in town at Mischa’s or at our farm off of Springhill Road.
Psst: this subscription makes an excellent gift for any flower lover in your life… especially your mom. Mother’s Day this year is Sunday, May 10th, and we think the May subscription is the perfect way to celebrate the moms or mom-figures in your life all month long. AND as an extra thank you, bouquet subscription members get 10% off any of our classes + workshops offered throughout the 2026 season (code emailed post-checkout).
♡ Thank you for supporting locally-grown flowers! ♡