Planning My Cut Flower Beds For 2023 🌸 (First Succession)

[@sharoncalatayud6410]

Thank you for sharing your plan- I'm definitely a planner. I have both a notebook/calendar and excel spreadsheets on all my stuff. I find it useful to keep tack of my inventory on a master list ( alphabetically) on my laptop and after sowing, I mark in whether or not I need to order more seeds for next year. I learned the hard way last year when I planned on sowing a certain variety and then prepped my soil blocks only to find there weren't nearly enough seeds left in the packets! Plus it helps when I'm ordering seeds not to get duplicates since I mark how many seed packets I have on that master inventory list on the spreadsheet. I can leave that window open and flip back and forth super quick when ordering to double check.

[@leeannswarbrick1891]

Thanks for sharing. This is super helpful ❤

[@karenm5681]

I’m a pen & paper gal. No Excel spreadsheets for me! Pretty sure you can plant Gomphrena even closer if you like…even 4 or 5 inches apart would be fine, at least where I am.🇨🇦 They don’t have a great stem length as they are a shorter plant than most flowers that are generally on flower farms. I grew some last year for the first time and they turned out way smaller than I thought they would be. They’re a cute little detail/accent flower and an amazing dried flower, so I’ll grow them again this year and try more consistent watering to see if that makes a difference. All the best! 💐

[@madonnaschmid7707]

I,too, am a pencil and paper kind of gal. I haven't the time to sit on a computer. Great video!

[@clairerobson-2303]

So helpful! Thank you!

[@ElderandOakFarm]

Currently working on my 2024 grow list. I'm dwindling down the number of varieties & colors a LOT. I'm growing less varieties & many more of the few varieties I ak growing. As much as I love having a large variety of ingredients to choose from, next year I really need to work on increasing efficiency, profitability, etc. I want to be able to harvest a large amount of just a few ingredients necessary for making a bouquet. Like one each of a focal, medium size flower, spike, filler, and foliage. Instead of several of each of those. Espcecially now that Im selling more at farmers markets, & need to be able to harvest enough of each ingredient for about 30-40 bouquets, its just too much work trying to harvest 15 varoeties for each bouquet & doing the math to figure out how many of each stem for each bouquet.. but I know Im going to miss some things! 😢

[@Voreen5960]

Thanks Sarah, really enjoying your Video’s - very helpful 😊

[@bloomandgray]

You are so welcome!

[@christinebrooks6364]

Hi Sarah, that is a great way of planning, especially knowing how many plants you will need to grow & the extra is a good idea. Makingcsure you have enough plants. I write my notes in my book ad I go too. Its a simpler method & works for me too. Thanks for sharing and take.🙂

[@rebeccalythgoe1620]

Thanks for the detailed video. Very clear and so useful.

[@petpawteek8776]

I tried so hard to keep a paper journal but it most often doesn’t make it back to the house after being in the garden. 😬 so I keep a excel spreadsheet that I can also access on my phone….that USUALLY makes its way out of the garden with me😂

[@bloomandgray]

It’s so hard to make the things we want to do into habits doesn’t it! I usually keep a diary up until about May time and then it stops because I’m too busy 😂 maybe 2023 will see change!

[@erperry2013]

how do you read a tiny sheet on your screen?

[@petpawteek8776]

@@erperry2013 zoom in

[@sharoncalatayud6410]

@@bloomandgray Yes I struggle when the season gets going to to keep track of everything. Im finding walking the rows and talking through my thoughts on a video ( like you have for your channel )works best for a log of what's happening during the busy time. Especially since my labeling tags seem to disappear throughout the season as well- I've lost so many names of my dahlias because of that.

[@erperry2013]

@@petpawteek8776 yes i know. it just feels like extra steps. 😂

[@wildirishroseflower]

It's great to see how you schedule seed sowing and field planting plan. Gomphrena is really prolific. A full bed of it is a lot. I grew it last year and this year I'm growing 4 colours, and giving it 5 metres at 6 inch spacing.

[@bloomandgray]

Oh really. Maybe I will get sick of it then. I think I only have one colour too 😂

[@wildirishroseflower]

@@bloomandgray what colour? I've got pale pink, white, bright pink/orange mix. Last year I only grew the brights but managed to get hold of the pale colour seeds through a friend in America 😂

[@cityproofdad]

Great video as always we start our flowers next week

[@judymckerrow6720]

It sounds like a great plan! Good luck to you Sarah and happy sowing! ❄️💚🙃

[@erperry2013]

pen and paper ( and book) is my tried and true method. something pleasantly schooly about holding the book and pen..😂

[@catreeves963]

There’s something nice about using a good book to plan everything in isn’t there? I have a habit of losing things so I use the numbers app on my ipad/phone which is basically like a basic excel. I list all the varieties, succession dates, comments, stock take and supplier. I plan out my beds though by using a big a2 notepad to help see it visually

[@bloomandgray]

I was also thinking of having a big wipe board in the greenhouse to have a visual plan when I’m in there, and maybe a to do list. I started using the numbers app last year to track compost temps, it was quite useful!

[@agnieszkaking3814]

Thank you so much for the video Sarah! Very insightful as always. Si there anythign you sow at 6'' spacing? I was thinking about planting out my stocks that way. Would you be able to put a similar video out when you do your next round of sowings? It's so interesting to see how you go about it!

[@bloomandgray]

I would try and plant stocks at 6” or closer but I don’t have any weed membrane with 6” spacing on the farm. I need to get some space set aside though!

[@mkwats5375]

Thank you Sarah. Do you plant all your groups of snapdragons on the same day. Or are the different groups started in succession?

[@EvelynM-vlogs]

Always on paper! Instead of ticking off what is sown, I would hilite it with yellow so that it is easier to see.

[@TheSazza118]

I would like to grow enough flowers to be able to sell once a month at market during summer months but hopefully through to October. I've worked out I need to sell a minimum of 1300 stems per market but how can I work out how many plants I need in advance and how many successions I need to sow I'm confused? They are all annuals, snaps, cosmos, amaranthus, straws, statice, zinnias, grasses, phlox, scabious, celosia, rudbeckia, larkspur, cornflowers , sweet rocket, nigella, etc. I've only got about 17 1m x 4m beds.. is that enough space do you think?

[@juliemckenzie7112]

As a newbie for season 2025 - just how many beds do you think I need? I’m heavy clay - barrowing in compost by the ton 😳 so far mine are 50 feet each. And have 18 planned. .. getting imposters syndrome 😭

[@ultanbrady]

Johnny’s seeds have a good calculator for how many plants per bed with your custom spacing. It might save you some maths next spring!

[@amberwidenhofer1626]

Do you over sow to make sure you have enough plants? Also I fell in love with Geum last year when I saw you growing it. I just sowed some Geum seed and was wondering if you have ever grown it that way? I hope it takes it is so beautiful!

[@bloomandgray]

Yes I sow about 20% more than I need. I can’t think about whether I’ve ever sown it from seed but if I have it didn’t work. I decided to invest in plants because they’re so easy to divide

[@karenm5681]

Amber, the first year my Geum was only a small clump of greenery and I almost gave up on it, but the second year, wow! Worth the long wait. Happy growing!

[@Chris_Senpais_Mitt]

What chipper that is you have in the background please? And is it Amy good? I’m looking to get one. Thanks x

[@bloomandgray]

It’s the forest master fm6dd- mul it’s really good. X

[@RuthanneR1]

Using Excel but I like your simpler way.

[@alisonburgess345]

Gonna do my snaps as one and done this year - I find the second blooms not great. Is that what you do Sarah?

[@bloomandgray]

I pinch them and get quite a few stems per plant. Once I’ve picked those they do put out some secondary’s. Sometimes they’re useful sometimes they’re not. I’ll have to monitor a little more closely this season

[@yolandafonda4059]

Very helpful information! Approx how many bouquets do you sell a week? Just not sure how many to plant compared to your busy business. Also do you succession sow all of your flowers so how can you know you will have flowers each week? Thanks

[@bloomandgray]

It changes from week to week but I would say on average 20, plus wedding buckets and florist sales.

[@dglemmer1]

Which snapdragon varieties are your favorite? Which ones do you purchase - types and colors.

[@bloomandgray]

I like them all 😂 but I like to purchase the Potomac varieties, and sometimes the chantilly ones

[@karenm5681]

My favourite Snapdragon is (any colour of) Madame Butterfly, but I’m not picky, I still grow a variety of colours & types.

[@ragnhildwadahl6171]

Do You direct sowyour green millett, or do You sow it in modules?

[@bloomandgray]

I don’t direct sow anything

[@Divinefemininemiracles]

How does your camera follow you in greenhouse?

[@bloomandgray]

It’s a dji pocket camera and that’s just one of the things it does. I’m not too keen on it doing that to be honest 😂

[@Divinefemininemiracles]

@@bloomandgray 👍🦄

[@temha6978]

I'm a spreadsheet girl but only after many years of transition.... Hun, my one thought was that your small field of 4 beds has a bed width of 1.5 metres. Is your main field also 1.5? Because I thought you said 1m. In which case you would need to increase your seeds by 50%?

[@bloomandgray]

It’s roughly 1.5 including paths 😁 so beds are smaller than that

[@katherinekelly4782]

I was hoping to see the chickens.

[@mraereed]

What agricultural zone are you growing in? I'm in 5b Michigan USA. I'm interested in talking with anyone, as I will be starting a cut flower business soon. I have my plan ready and I'm speaking with a consultant. I have a brain injury, but I know how to grow things. I even have some secrets up my sleeve. But with Trump as president, I will likely lose my monthly disability payments. So I'm trying to find a way where I can have an income after he's inaugurated. I already have thousands of seeds and several varieties of peony tubers saved. I would like to trade. I have photos of my peonies that I think could match any professional grower. My secret is using our pond water to water my plants. It's like a super growth booster! I also have some hydrangea, already planted. 🙂

[@kellykilfeather]

Hold up, hold up… you’re the Greek Cress Queen?!! Where is Greek Cress on your 2023 plan? Is this a shocking oversight or are you ok? 😂