If I Were Starting a Flower Farm Today // 9 Things I Wish I Would Have Known Sooner

I started flower farming when an interior design customer of mine was retiring from growing and selling dahlia bouquets. She knew I had 10 green thumbs and wanted me to take over from her and sell dahlia bouquets at the farmers market. I grew food, not flowers so I wasn't too interested. She gave me 6 dinnerplate dahlia tubers and I said I would go through a one year cycle with them to see how I liked it. What sold me on growing and selling them was the fact that I grew them in my street frontage garden and those 6 dahlias caused so much happy attention, it amazed me. That and the fact that I found them really easy to grow and store. One thing I changed in the first few years from her model was that I did not do bouquets or dahlias that were not dinnerplates, nor did I do the farmer's market. The simple math said that if I cut 1 flower and sold it for $4 or three for $10, it would be far less labour then bouquets - it was and it was very successful right out the gate. Literally right out the gate as I had a flower wagon outside our front gate. The wagon was only a four sided garden wagon with an umbrella over it for shade, I put the single stems in pop cans with water, cheap and easy, and people loved it as the pop cans fit in their car beverage holders. I set four pop cans into each black plastic bucket of which the wagon held eight. 8x4 meant 32 flowers could go out each morning. I cut the flowers the night before so I didn't have to get up early and then wheeled the wagon out right before I left for work. That was then, I now have a seed room, a fancier flower cart that stays on the road, spring through fall flowers and am doing the local farmers market as well. I only grew the business at a pace I could handle so I have thoroughly enjoyed it. This is my fourth year.

You articulate things so well! Love all your videos

I really enjoyed your perspective here. I'm going into my second season now, and I can already relate to so much of what was said, esp the part about just being willing to go for it and see what happens, as well as taking yourself seriously from the beginning. One question I asked myself frequently my first year was, 'How would an established business handle this?' It really helped me set myself up as more professional from the get go, which is a big reason I think I had more success than expected my first year. Keep the great content coming! I'm so glad I found your channel last week ❤️

Happy I found this channel. This will be my first year flower farming. My dairy farm raised husband is supportive, but often tells me how much work this will be. Love all your practical advice

I love the way you speak! So friendly and clear. Followed right away !!

Wow! I was just thinking this is only my 2nd year to grow cut flowers and my 1st year to sell them. I am not a flower farmer. When you said you become a flower farmer by doing the things... How did you know I needed to hear that? Thank you for taking this time to share your insights with us.

This is perfect advice for general flower gardening as well! Sometimes I think people get stuck on what they invision in their minds, or what the see in a gardening magazine, that they give up instead of maybe embracing the beginning.

Great tips & presented very well! 👌 I made some of those mistakes as well! Especially the weed fabric- i wanted a BEAUTIFUL cutflower farm.... but thats not its purpose! I realized quickly dont have time to spend several hours per week hand weeding. So I invested in landscape fabric this year. Drip irrigation also. Having a small toddler I dont have a ton of free time, & last year I spent all the time I had weeding & watering, & had hardly any time left for actually harvesting and arranging & marketing.

I just stumbled on this video as a beginning home gardener. Your tips and mindset are so helpful even for a home gardener like myself! This video has helped me take on gardening with confidence. Thank you!

Great efforts good wishes Flowers 💐 Women 👩 Freshness on faces Like to see Garden Farm .

💐💐 love hearing other flower farmers stories !

i just found ur channel as i was searching for content similar to northlawn flower farm and flower hillfarm so glad i clicked on your channel!!!

Good "life" advice as well

Good ideas. Thank you ❤

Love all of it and you!! 💐💐 ❤

Thank you!! I took notes and it was very helpful and gave me a different mindset. Because when I decided to be a flower farmer my eyes did get BIG!! 😂

Thanks for this great advice!

Good advice for doing business in general - love it!

Thank you for these super helpful tips! I’m a fairly new hobby gardener, and your advice holds true for me, too!

Thank you for all the good advice. ✨