Field and Garden with Lisa Mason Ziegler

This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. It was guest-hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink, a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: ⁠⁠⁠Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More⁠⁠⁠. Dave is always happy to share his knowledge with our listeners! Topics Covered Caring for dahlias in high heat Growing ranunculus, daffodils, & tulips for a spring wedding Overwintering snapdragons Growing ranunculus in tunnels Beginner-friendly fall-planted flowering bulbs Storing daffodil bulbs prior to planting Growing ornamental kale Ranunculus post-harvest care Grow lights for home gardeners Allium preferred growing conditions Spacing for planting peonies Episode originally aired 9/25/24 on Instagram. Join Lisa and her guest hosts Wednesdays at 12:30PM Eastern time to get your cut flower growing questions answered by the experts! Mentions Dave Dowling on social: Facebook, Instagram Dave's Online Course: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More! Val Schirmer's Online workshop: Forcing Glorious Blooms for the Holidays & Beyond Discover our online courses! ⁠Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!⁠ ⁠Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!⁠ The ⁠Field and Garden Podcast⁠ is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of ⁠Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers⁠, owner of ⁠The Gardener’s Workshop,⁠ ⁠Flower Farming School Online,⁠ and the publisher of ⁠Farmer-Florist School Online⁠ and ⁠Florist School Online.⁠ Watch ⁠Lisa’s Story⁠ and connect with Lisa on social media!

A Golden Opportunity: The Power of Leaves Today, I’m excited to share one of the first lessons I learned in gardening that has shaped my entire flower farming career. This episode is all about the amazing benefits of leaves, specifically how they can transform your garden into a thriving ecosystem. Especially for those of you who might see leaves as a nuisance, I want to help you understand their true potential. Listen to learn the "Who, What, When, Where, and Why" of adding leaves to your growing space! Mentions Lisa's book, Vegetables Love Flowers Blog Post, Garden Gold Free Resources on our website ⁠⁠⁠Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!⁠⁠⁠ The⁠⁠⁠ Field and Garden Podcast⁠⁠⁠ is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of⁠⁠⁠ Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers⁠⁠⁠, owner of⁠⁠⁠ The Gardener’s Workshop,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Flower Farming School Online,⁠⁠⁠ and the publisher of⁠⁠⁠ Farmer-Florist School Online⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠ Florist School Online.⁠⁠⁠ Watch⁠⁠⁠ Lisa’s Story⁠⁠⁠ and connect with Lisa on social media!

Hello, I'm Lenny Larkin! I run B Side Farm in Oregon and have written a book called Flower Farming for Profit. My focus is on helping flower farmers grow their businesses effectively. I also offer online courses, including a short course called Profitable Flower Farming, which helps people understand the business side of flower farming. Today I'd like to answer your questions on topics ranging from business tactics to planting schedules. Let's begin! What Are Your Thoughts on Pricing Flowers? Pricing can be tricky! Beginners often hesitate to charge more for fear of losing customers or worry about undercutting fellow farmers by pricing too low. A good starting point is researching local prices by visiting other farms or checking wholesaler comparisons for market insights. When selling directly, remember that customers are aware of flower market prices. By staying updated on costs, you can competitively price your products and maintain profitability. How Many Flower Varieties Should New Farmers Grow? As a beginner in flower gardening, start small and simple. Focus on ten to twenty varieties instead of trying to grow everything at once. This way, you can nurture them without feeling overwhelmed. Avoid the common mistake of growing too many types of flowers at once, which can lead to confusion. Instead, experiment with a few different flowers to see which ones thrive and are popular, allowing you to specialize effectively. Where Can I Learn to Design Bouquets? Learning bouquet design is best through hands-on practice, so don't hesitate to experiment! YouTube has great resources with designers like Julio from The Flower Hat and Amy Balsters, who offer tutorials to help you master bouquet design. What About Investing in Perennials and Shrubs? If you're tired of starting seeds and want a change in your routine, consider investing in perennials and shrubs. They add lasting beauty to your farm or garden. Start small, as they can be costly upfront. I once invested $25k in peonies, but most farmers begin with just a hundred plants. You might also grow hydrangeas and spireas, which are both beautiful and popular. How Do I Work on Pricing with Florists? Pricing flowers can be challenging. It's important to discuss requirements and budget constraints with florists. If flower costs exceed their budget, ask about alternative types they might buy. This feedback can help adjust your inventory. Final Thoughts I love being part of this flower-farming community! We’re all in this together, and I’m here to help you navigate the challenges of running a flower farm. Please follow me on social media at the links below! Mentions Lennie’s Instagram: ⁠flowerfarming.forprofit⁠, ⁠B-Side Farm⁠ Lennie's online course: ⁠Profitable Flower Farming Dave's online course: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More Spring Meadows: flowering shrub wholesale liners & pots⁠ ⁠The Gardener’s Workshop on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!⁠⁠⁠ The⁠⁠⁠ Field and Garden Podcast⁠⁠⁠ is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of⁠⁠⁠ Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers⁠⁠⁠, owner of⁠⁠⁠ The Gardener’s Workshop,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Flower Farming School Online,⁠⁠⁠ and the publisher of⁠⁠⁠ Farmer-Florist School Online⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠ Florist School Online.⁠⁠⁠ Watch⁠⁠⁠ Lisa’s Story⁠⁠⁠ and connect with Lisa on social media!

Smaller is Better: My Motto for 2025 Today I discuss the concept of “smaller is better,” which is my goal for 2025. This realization hit me after facing challenges in the last two years and was reinforced by a paragraph in my book, The Cut Flower Handbook. When I began flower farming in 1998, I had a limited space of 1.17 acres. I focused on attracting customers rather than just growing flowers. If a bed underperformed, I quickly replanted it for efficiency. Years later, I bought an additional acre and a half, which initially felt like a dream but led to "growing pains." Despite investing in equipment, our efficiency dropped, and our income did not rise as expected. As my operations expanded, chores became overwhelming. I struggled to keep up with planting and weeding, often playing catch-up instead of preventing weeds. Timely actions are critical in maintaining quality. Over time, my business shifted from large-scale production to focusing on select customers and educating aspiring growers. However, I didn’t reduce flower cultivation as much as I should have, resulting in excess work and expenses. As I head into 2025, I aim to optimize flower production by better utilizing our space. We’ve initiated a plan to dedicate specific areas for growing flowers, emphasizing quality over quantity. Friends, behaviors matter in flower farming. In 2025, let’s embrace the idea that smaller is better!  Mentions Lisa's book: The Cut Flower Handbook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Field and Garden Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, owner of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Gardener’s Workshop,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Flower Farming School Online,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and the publisher of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Farmer-Florist School Online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Florist School Online.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Lisa’s Story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and connect with Lisa on social media!