Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm…

ABOUT THE FARM. Located in the town of Woodburn, Oregon, just a short drive from Salem, is the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm. Although mainly an enterprise to grow and sell bulbs, the farm is open to the public for a month each year for a tulip festival, and it will end soon. The farm is pet-friendly, so we decided to take Molly and check out the place. We were lucky to have a sunny day for our trip. As we’re learning fast, Oregon doesn’t boast many of them until summer. When we arrived, we quickly realized that this family farm is a big-deal operation. It attracts about 100,000 visitors each year, and we had a chance to wander throughout the 40 acres of gorgeous blooming tulips with a dramatic view of snow-covered Mt. Hood in the background.  Molly led the way!

PLANTING AND DIGGING. The fields are planted each year in October, in raised rows with furrows to ensure proper drainage. The process is accomplished with three machines purchased in Holland. In the fall, one machine plants the tulips through a tube , two rows at a time. After blooming, it’s time to dig and the other machines accomplish this, taking almost no soil from the field. The bulbs are rotated on a five year cycle and cover crops are planted to control disease and insect control.

A FAMILY FARM SINCE 1974. The farm was purchased in 1974  and has continuously been operated by the same family ever since then. During the tulip festival, all family members have a hand running things. About 80 varieties of tulips are grown, along with daffodils and some perennials. Most of the flowers and bulbs are sold on-site, but the farm also works with some non-profit groups to sell bulbs for fundraising during the Easter season.

Mt. Hood in the background.

WHAT’S NEXT? We’ll be in Salem another week and then we’ll head to Washington state for a visit with Florence’s brother and his wife. They have a beautiful home in Silver Lake Forest Reserve, a private community in a thriving forest near the little town of Toutle. The scenery is breathtaking. Deer, elk and even an occasional black bear roam the property as if they own the place! (In a sense, they do.) Mt. St. Helens is nearby as is spectacular Mt. Ranier. So, you’ll want to join us there. After that stop, we’ll return to Oregon via the Columbia River Gorge and continue our search for a place to live. We may take a look at the southern part of the state…it’s awfully rainy here in Salem, even at this time of year. I think it’s a bit less so farther south. We’ll see.

I’ll continue my story next time.