Flower husbandry . That ’s right . Flower farmingis an literal thing , and while it might not be as mainstream as row cropping , oxen ranch or even marketplace horticulture , small - shell heyday farmers are making it big !
If you love flowers , few attempt are likely to be as rewarding as get your own flower farm . But speaking as someone whohas possess and go a flower farmfor several years , blossom farming is n’t all fair weather and daisies . I ’ve made more mistakes than I have grown flowers , so I thought I ’d portion out five pitfall potential flower farmers should seek to avoid .
1. Everything Isn’t Beautiful
People often want to start a flower farm for the aesthetic . peak are beautiful , and we associate them with vibrant and hopeful colors in showy landscaped gardens .
Who would n’t want a yard filled with run-in of beautiful flowers?But bloom farmers do not arise flower in this way . blossom farms seldom have fields occupy with rows of color , as flush are often harvest before they progress to their elevation carrying into action . develop geld flower is a business organisation , and the flowers are reduce out of your field for sell and spread them .
If you are seeing field with rows of colour , you ’re likely not sell as many prime as you should be !
2. Don’t Grow Too Many Flowers
Every class I cogitate about doubling the sizing of my flower farm , and every year I have to have a hard conversation with myself . dilate your growing blank , I ’ve learned , does n’t always mean increasing production and lucrativeness . When you first start your flower farming journeying , it is so easy to think , “ I will plant 7 Akko and grow all the flowers . ” This is a formula for disaster . Cut flush farming on a pocket-size scale is travail intensive and requires a huge amount of work and commitment . It seems like planting two acre of shortened flowers would be more profitable than implant one , correct ? double the profit .
But that is n’t always the display case . scale your bloom husbandry business also need to correlate directly with scale your usable labor hours , your sales channels and sometimes equipment . Growing more intensively with well growing and management practices at a smaller scale will typically give you healthier and more fertile plants than rise twice the amount without respectable management practices in place . Not to mention , cut flowers are a perishable merchandise . It ’s vital to have your sale channels in place before scaling , otherwise you ’ll finish up with a field full of dying flowers without a grounds . Start off small-scale , then produce from there .
3. Understand Your Growing Zone
I think this one is often overlooked by bloom farmers . You see someone growing tulip in early springtime and believe , “ Hey , I will do that ! ”
But the fact is , blossom — much like vegetables — havegrowing zones , and some flowers do well in coolheaded climates . Some do easily in ardent weather . Some will survive anywhere . Some need to only be grown in fall or spring . Some varieties might call for time of year extension like a greenhouse . Some variety might require chilling in a ice chest . Also like veggie , bloom are very seasonal . It ’s important to have a firm grasp on your growing zone and what multifariousness thrive well in your zones , as well as what kind just wo n’t lick in your surface area . Having a stiff grasp on this prior to even beginning your growing journey will save you from crop and gain exit . Just a picayune research can save a lot of money !
4. Know Your Market
This is the most important one on this tilt . Everyone , and I think everyone , goes into a blossom farm mentation , “ If I grow it , mass will buy it . ” But pretend what ? That ’s merely not true .
Flower husbandry is a small concern go-ahead . You must key out your target market and sales event television channel before you begin plan out what you are growing .
Variety matters in flower farming , and every variety is n’t for every purchaser . A lineal - to - consumer , marketplace - style bouquet might have all sort of variety like celosias , sunflower and zinnias . They are shining and filled with colour and textures . But wedding party florists often prefer turgid volume of greenery and electroneutral color palettes , with band of white and ointment flowers . sleep with where your prime will go before you grow . This way you could select salmagundi in color palettes that will appeal most to your butt sales consultation .
5. Understand Biennials, Perennials & Annuals
Most everyone knows there are recurrent flowers and yearly flowers . Annual bloom are implant every year and last just one time of year . Perennials are planted once and come back year after year .
Most of us see that , but there are alsobiennialflowers . These you plant in year one , overwinter , then harvest the blooms in class two . As a beginning heyday farmer , I never realize how critical those varieties were in fiat to extend my time of year and have continuous blooms from other outpouring to belated autumn . It is important to delevop a firm understanding of the different types of blossom plant , their efflorescence times and when best to plant .
By gift in a blend of perennials , annuals and biennials , you ’ll have a grand and consistent supplying of saleable bloom and foliage .
But no matter what compounding of perennial , annual and biennials you choose , we trust this listing of some of a few of our mistake aid you get growing in the right direction !
