7 Lessons Learned as a First Year Flower Farmer (Season 1 Episode 44)

[@patriciakeys4873]

I live in a very small town in the country in Oklahoma. I sold about 4-12 bouquets a week in 100+ degree heat this summer. I learned that putting ice cubes in my buckets really helped keep the blooms looking fresh. I learned to talk to people. I learned that the most tattooed couple bought flowers. I learned that the people that didn't look like they would buy did. I learned that if I give away a sample packet of seeds (pkt of 10 very easy to grow seeds) I lured people to my booth, struck up a conversation and they either they bought or I learned that they had a garden of flowers at home and had a nice chat. Only my flowers were long stemmed with bigger blooms and they all asked by how I did it. But I also learned that giving away seed samples made sales. I also made a flower crown out of silk flowers that I wear and got a lot of looks which got me their attention to offer the seeds and almost everyone came into my booth. You gotta make eye contact. I made friends with a customer who bought every week 2-4 bouquets for church (my market was Fri from 6-8 pm). She couldn't make the market one day but came by my house on Sat morning to pick up the bouquets and I found out that she knows other farms, she give talks at a Master Gardener meeting about herbs because she's a herbalist. Who knew? She's invited me to tour her green house and she lives about 1/2 hour north of me. She's also been to all the farmers markets and told me about some of them. Ya never know who you're gonna meet at the farmer's market. Even though I didn't sell a lot, I learned a lot. Not a waste of time for me.

[@anamihei]

Great video. Really helpful information about temperatures and what each plant actually needs. I once was too eager to plant basil, so put the seeds in the pot in march (too cold here for basil). Those plants never got as big as the ones planted in may, when temperature was appropriate.

[@Kelli.Hicks.5]

Such good information. I'm glad to see that these hiccups haven't gotten you down. Your ability to roll-with-the-punches and readjust is encouraging.

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

Thank you! Flower farming can be such a slog sometimes and we all need a little extra encouragement to keep at it! 😊

[@LINativePlantConservation]

this was a great great video, thank you!!

[@fairyprairiefarm]

I’m glad you brought up temperature planting. I live in the south and have been thinking about this big time. My February is nothing like a northern February. I’m going to try it big time this year, I figure if I screw up my first year, that’s the best time to learn. 😊

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

It's a super important aspect of growing and it doesn't get enough attention! Especially in the south, you've got a totally different set of rules to work with. Don't forget that some plants are also day length sensitive! If you can find the right combo of temperature requirements and day length neutral plants, you could potentially get very early blooms! 😊

[@wbflowersvt]

Great advice. Thanks for sharing your year one insights!

[@karac.a.]

"When you work for mother nature, you get paid by father time" 🌻 - Judy Garland (Summer Stock, 1950)

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

Love that! 😊💐

[@karac.a.]

@@DewBloomFlowerFarm me too! 😊💕

[@kathypope3010]

Thank you for this. You definitely talked about some things I hadn't considered and will help. Could you please tell me what variety the rudbeckia is in the gorgeous bouquet at 10:27? That is an absolutely stunning bouquet. My favorite I have seen in a while.

[@tarar6926]

Thank you so much, I am thinking about starting a flower farm so this is really inspirational!

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

Go for it! It's a lot of work but really rewarding. 😊

[@theboojiefarmer]

Yep! Yep! These are great!! I love your videos 😊

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

Yay! Thank you! 😊

[@juliemarie9168]

Great advice. Wishing you a profitable 2023!

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

Thank you and happy new year! 😊

[@sarahmunoz14]

Happy and Prosperous New Year, Kiri!🎊

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

Happy new year!! 😊

[@alisonburgess345]

Really worthwhile video - well done.

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

Thank you! 😊

[@lkphnx]

🙏

[@jaimemorgan5323]

Very insightful reflection on your year - thanks! I am in my fifth growing season in the southern hemisphere (New Zealand)...but since I have five very young children and get only a few hours each week (if I'm lucky) to work in my growing space, those five seasons are probably roughly equivalent to one year of growing experience for the average grower ;) Sourcing information about the average harvestable number of stems for cut flower varieties has been a real stumbling block for me, as far as planning goes. I have googled extensively, bought and borrowed books I thought would contain that information, asked in Kiwi flower farming forums, asked experienced growers directly, and always get the same response - 'that information has to be gathered by you, the grower, and is not available in our industry'. I did manage to find a few university studies that included average stem production numbers for a handful of cut flower varieties - but after five years have come up empty handed for the most part. That left me scratching my head, and resorting to 'stab-in-the-dark' estimations for seeds and plugs needed: I have resources galore that tell me to use end-product goals (for example, 50 bouquets per week, each containing so many stems of varieties X, Y, & Z) to calculate the number of plants I need to grow, how much space to allocate to that number of plants, and how many seeds to start in order tp end up with enough plants... The 'average stem production' factor has been the missing link in that equation, and I haven't had the time to record my own stem count data. Can I ask where you were able to source your average stem production data from? Having that data would make a huge difference to my planning and ordering! By the way, we've had four years of uniformly wet, windy, cold autumns, winters, and springs...and actually the first and last months of summer were very wet and cold, too. I'm not exaggerating even a little bit. We averaged 8 days in 10 of rain, across 9 months of the year, rain was often heavy, and the sun was hidden more often than it came out. Our growing season has been limited, and plant growth and production has been disappointing, insect pressure has been devastating (since we lack the temperature extremes that keep the various species under control), and diseases and viruses have run rampant under conditions that are ideal for spreading and supporting those nasties. It turns out we live in one of the most temperate zones in the world...so I appreciate the advice to know your specific climate, the benefits and drawbacks of those conditions, and plan and plant based on the actual weather conditions in your micro-climate, rather than the dates suggested by growers in a different climate.

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

Hi there! I think you're heading in the right direction. The average stems really does vary depending on your growing conditions. I spent a bunch of time researching on the internet and reading research papers from university extensions to find the average number of harvestable stems before the season started to give myself a benchmark. Then I tried to pay attention (I kept poor records, though) on how many stems I harvested over the season to compare my actual data with the research. My yield was a lot lower than most averages this year and I think it was because it was such a bad year weather wise. It sounds like we have similar growing conditions, we get a lot of rain here, too. A benefit is that plants don't freeze and die, but a drawback is there is nothing to kill off the pests and diseases each year. I've had a lot of success with cool flowers and a majority of what I grow now are cool flowers. Hope that helps!

[@jaimemorgan5323]

@@DewBloomFlowerFarm I think we would both be wise to work towards less reliance on annuals, and more on perennials, too - especially if you can't give flower farming your full attention in the near future. Starting perennials from seed, buying small-grade plugs of woodies, shrubs, small trees, and herbaceous perennials, is well worth it. You can start with very small numbers knowing that the plants can be divided and propagated from later; or start with tiny, cheap plugs, knowing that when they are ready to be harvested, you might be in a position to concentrate more fully on growing as your primary income.

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

I couldn't agree more! 😊

[@jennifermitchell2493]

Oof the dates and schedule for planting hit hard and is good advice. Just starting out and I’ve made a regimented schedule for each plant which now I realize might not be realistic 👍

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

Yes, it's a tricky one! It's great that you are organized and on top of your planting plan! Just give yourself some flexibility and you'll be good to go 😊

[@mayfieldmanor5344]

Thanks for your videos! You are so organized. For Instagram I started following as many local businesses as I could find by searching. This seemed to really work! I have a local dentist who now buys flowers from me and other business owners and their employees. You could try that if you would like to.

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

That's a great tip! I'll definitely have to give that a try! 😊

[@maryt8600]

Thats something I've wondered about. I follow a few farmers and I wondered why people don't do subscriptions for business receptions. You supply the vase and flowers. 2 week cycle fresh bouquet. Plus if you use a smaller wider bowl they could be an outlet for shorter flowers. Maybe a venue that is used for events. With your contact card left there.

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

@@maryt8600 Right! It's such a good idea. Every office/front desk needs some fresh flowers. 💐

[@Becsturf]

Hi thank you for the video, where did you get those flower covers from?

[@DewBloomFlowerFarm]

Hello! I think you're asking about the covers on the dahlias? They are organza gift bags from Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096LJSDBW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@Becsturf]

@@DewBloomFlowerFarm yes, thank you cheers!