After an extraordinary storm brought more than 8 inches of rain to our Austerlitz area on July 29, 2026, Guiding Green Thumbs suffered devastating damage to its flower fields and gardens. Rushing water washed through established and newly planted crops, leaving behind rock, gravel, debris, and severely saturated soil.

Among the greatest losses are 2,000 dahlias planted for cut flower production, tuber sales, and the farm’s growing agritourism experience. Despite tremendous efforts to save them, more than 80% of the dahlia crop has been lost to rot.

The impact is especially significant because dahlias are one of the farm’s primary fall crops, generating income through cut flower sales, workshops, farm tours, and agritourism experiences. These same plants produce the tubers sold each February and March, providing critical early-season income that helps fund the farm for the season ahead. Losing this crop means losing multiple important revenue streams spanning two growing seasons.

The most difficult is the loss of the dahlia inventory we have spent the last three years carefully building and expanding. Many of these plants represented not only this season’s flowers, but our future growing stock and the foundation for continuing to expand this part of the farm. When combined with the immediate loss of income and the significant cleanup, recovery, replanting, and rebuilding ahead, the financial impact on our small farm is staggering.

Click Here to See Video of Storm Damage to Farm