Alabama’s Largest You-Pick Tulip Farm Could Pass For The Netherlands

“When I was a boy, my dad would take me to visit Colonial Williamsburg to see the gardens full of tulips. I was immediately drawn to them,” says Seth Hubert, who owns Hubert Family Farms in New Market, Alabama, together with his spouse, Kaylee. Seth’s early curiosity in agriculture was hardly stunning given his roots. As a baby, he watched his dad sow cotton and different row crops on the identical land that his great-great-grandfather had farmed within the 1800s. Seth would confidently inform anybody who requested that he, too, needed to be a farmer when he grew up. “I never thought that I would do anything else,” he remembers. “But then sometimes things happen, and you get thrown a curveball in life.”

When Seth’s father handed away, the household farm shrank from 2,000 to 300 acres. And upon his return house after faculty, Seth realized that cotton and different row crops wouldn’t reduce it if he needed to depart the land to his youngsters sooner or later. “It all came together when I was sitting on the steps of the house watching my then-1-year-old daughter, Addie, pick flowers,” he says. Tulips, like those he fell in love with in Williamsburg, had been the ticket.

Seth had seen different profitable you-pick farms within the space and was fascinated by the concept of re-creating the Netherlands’ iconic flower fields in Alabama. With some course from mates at Wood Shoe Tulip Farm in Oregon, the Huberts planted 60 bulb varieties on 4 acres for his or her first harvest in 2021. Kaylee took on the function of organizing the rows and planning the place of every sort to create a vibrant-looking area that blooms all through March. “Every flower is put in its spot on purpose,” she says.

Opening day of the 2025 tulip season is Tuesday, March 18th.

Comply with alongside on Instagram (@hubertfamilyfarms) for updates. Past the brief tulip season in early spring, the Huberts additionally develop sunflowers and open the farm (simply outdoors of Huntsville, Alabama) to the general public in late August for you-pick days.

The truth is that cultivating tulips within the South is just not with out its challenges. On a go to to the Huberts’ farm, a Dutch bulb producer and mentor advised Seth that it was the harshest local weather the place he’d seen them grown en masse. As a result of area’s temperate situations and heat, early springs, the flowers can bloom prematurely, leading to shorter stems. The humidity additionally makes storing bulbs tough, so they’re handled as annuals, with new ready-to-use bulbs arriving from the Netherlands every November. They begin planting them after Thanksgiving, and shoots start showing in late January. The ‘Rosy Delight’ choice is the primary to blossom in early March. The remainder of their flowers pop up all through the rest of the month in a naturally staggered sample, due to a mixture of varieties with completely different bloom occasions.

The farm opens to the general public for harvest season, which lasts for about three weeks throughout March. Peak tulip time may be short-lived, however the Huberts are constructing a legacy to final. “By no means in 1,000,000 years did I dream that I’d be growing tulips,” says Seth. “But it’s about making sure the next generation has the opportunity to live on the farm—to provide something that I can leave my kids.”

Ideas For Planting Your Personal Tulips

Sure, you’ll be able to have these beauties in your personal yard. Whenever you first get the bulbs, dry them off and retailer them in a spot with good airflow. This can decrease moisture and assist stop fungus development. To arrange for planting, you will want to imitate their pure chill cycle by storing the bulbs in a 35- to 45-degree fridge for about 10 weeks.

For the South, the Huberts advocate beginning the method in early October to be prepared for the following step. Then in late November, place the bulbs 4 to six inches deep with their pointed finally ends up (to elongate the stems) and about 2 to 4 inches aside in unfastened, fertile soil. Chorus from watering them till you start to see inexperienced breaking by means of the bottom. Anticipate to have blooms in your yard by March.

Associated: The Best Time To Plant Tulips, According To An Expert

Prepare Your Blooms With Ease

Tulips are greatest recognized for his or her delicate drama. It is arduous to go improper with an informal bouquet in a mixture of vivid hues, however be cautious of selecting already open flowers. “You want to get them when they’re still tightly closed and just starting to show color to maximize their vase life,” explains Kaylee. Tulips do the be just right for you with regards to creating a gorgeous bouquet. Place an assortment of the flowers right into a wide-mouthed vessel, letting them fall loosely.

Varieties Discovered On The Farm

Discover these six tulip varieties and extra at Hubert Household Farms every spring.

‘Dee Jay Parrot’

Crowd favorites for his or her flamboyant hues and fringed edges, these attention-grabbing petals go from shiny purple into creamy yellow to white on the suggestions.

‘Gavota’

Whereas they may be arduous to seek out, their subtle aptitude is not like every other sort. Individuals gravitate towards the colour combo of plum and golden yellow.

‘Cut up’

Thought-about fringed tulips, these have petals with distinct frayed edges that seem as if somebody has sliced—or cut up—the ideas.

‘Dream Contact’

These beautiful flowers function additional petals, so they appear like they’ve a tulip inside a tulip and carefully resemble peonies.

‘Hella Lights’

Cheerful in shade, these traditional Single Late tulips are among the final to bloom. They’re widespread for thriving within the Southern climate.

‘Dafeng’

They flourish in Alabama’s local weather with tall stems and significantly massive blooms in daring tropical shades of purple, orange, and yellow.

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