Becoming a Cut Flower Grower

Date: 24 January 2025. Episode 5: Where did the Lychnis go? Reviewing the cut flowers from my 2024 trial beds.Hello and welcome! In today's episode I review the cut flowers I grew in my 2024 trial beds. I talk about what cut flowers I planned to grow and why, what I actually ended up growing, which cut flowers turned out well and why, what the florists loved, what I didn't like, where I sourced my cut flower seeds, the seeds which flourished and those which either didn't germinate or tur...

Date: 21 January 2025. Episode 4: Making space for seating and setting goalsHello and welcome. Join me on today's episode as I let the hens out into a chilly and misty morning and chat with you about the merits of tables, the importance of somewhere to sit on your plot, the benefits of making detailed notes about everything you do, and I answer a very good question about whether you actually need prior experience of sowing and growing before you start with cut flowers. I go into details about...

Date: 16 January 2025. Episode 3: What you really DO and DON'T need to get started.Hello and welcome. In this episode I bust some myths about what you do and don't need to get started growing cut flowers, plus a few things that would be ideal. If you're dreaming of starting your own cut flower business, you might be interested to hear about whether or not you really need to own your own land, what qualifications you should get, whether or not you need a greenhouse, and my thoughts on websites...

Date: 14 January 2025. Episode 2: Trial beds and supermarket seeds. Hello and welcome. In this episode I talk about my “trial beds”: what they are and how they came about, including the massive crisis of confidence I had at the start of 2024 which meant that I ended up with trial beds in the first place. I describe the layout of the beds and explain how I created them, then I discuss how I made the paths (and what I learnt about paths the hard way!). I also talk about the challenges I ha...

Date: 9 January 2025. Episode 1: Braving the cold. Hello and welcome to my first episode of 2025.In this episode I brave the freezing temperatures and take a quick walk around the cut flower plot to see what’s going on and what is surviving the chill. I also discuss my compost bays including how I set them up, constructed and positioned them and what I add to keep them going. Join me on a journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on wha...