Written by
Floret
Buried in the long list of emails filling up my inbox was a sweet little message I got from an admirer who loved the blog and was inspired to start her own flower farm some day. “I’d love to grow flowers like yours, but I don’t have much land available–our farm is only six acres.”
I confess I was chuckling under my breath. Having six whole acres to dedicate to growing flowers sounds like a dream. I started envisioningall of themischief I could get myself into if I had just another HALF acre ofland to grow on hereat Floret. But then I snapped back from the daydream and thought I should share a little secret you may or may not know: having a highly productive, profitable flower farm and floral design business does NOT take much land and it does not actually require owning a “farm.” Seriously, you don’t even need to OWN land to get started (Here’s another secret: we actually rent a big chunk of the land where we grow our flowers.)
Here at Floret, we have just two tiny acres dedicated to flowerproduction. Yes, you read that right,TWO acres. We utilize every available square inch of that space growing large volumes of high quality cut flowers suppling over a dozen grocery stores, numerous flower shops and countless brides throughout the Pacific Northwest. We employhigh intensity production techniques that work on a small scale.
That means we havea finely tuned method of making sure that as soon as one variety is just about done blooming, we have another one ready to plant init’s place. I’ve been accused of being heartless,ripping out perfectly nice anemones to make room for the scented geraniums and field grown zinnias. I used to feel bad, not letting a crop fade and die naturally,but after years of experience, I now know it’sjust part of the master plan.I need to have every bed be as productive as possible for my own wedding designs and for our wholesale customers.
The fact is that today’sflower farms are what could be considered“micro farms” compared to the vast expanses of corn and soybean farms that make up much of the farmland acrossthe great plains. Most of the flower farmsin the seasonal flower movement are actuallyunder five acres. If you ever hang around a bunch of flower farmers, anyone growing on more than ten acres is considered one of the “big guys.” It’s all relative, I suppose. Unlike commodity crops, and even most vegetable production, flowers are typically planted, cultivated and harvested all by hand. Very little mechanization beyond field preparation is actually involved, which means production is more often limited bylabor than byland.
With farmland commanding premium prices in many areas of the country, flower lovers are employingsome very creative ideas and innovative methods of growing their flower crops in small spaces. Some feisty flower farmers across thecontinent are having tremendous success growing flowers on smallurban lots and in tiny back yards (more on that in a bit).
After flirting with the idea of investing ina major expansion of our operation, we decided against growing largerand instead we’re dedicated to perfecting the fine art of high-intensity, small-scale flower production. Utilizing such methods we estimate we can produce on our two-acre plot what others utilizing traditional methods might produce on 4 or 5 acres.
We’re now investingmore time into developing resources and teaching others how to grow amazing flowers on their own small plots. Serving as a modelis a role in whichI–and the entire Floret team–find great satisfaction. We absolutelylovehelpingaspiring farmer-florists succeed and bring more beauty to the world with local, seasonal flowers.
Still not convinced you can have a flower business on a small plot? Then let meintroduce you to a few farmer-florists who operate entirely within the bounds of urban communities—even on land they do not own. Over the next few posts, I’ll profile a fewflower lovers who are part of the seasonal flower movement who employ enterprising approaches to grow flowers in small spaces. Each is a bright and shining example of how to enjoy the beauty and the bounty of fresh cut flowers no matter where you live.
MY LUSCIOUS BACKYARD
Sarah Nixon is an “accidental” pioneer of the urban farming movement. Sarah first moved to Toronto fromGabriola Islandin British Columbia in1998.The transition from a tiny island toCanada’s most populous city wasdifficult and Sarah responded by planting flowers in her small yard. And more flowers. And more flowers.
“I started bringing a few bouquets to the Farmers’ Market thinking it would be a good way to recoup some costs.” she shared. “As my yard began to overflow I started to look at the neglected yards surrounding me. Maybe they wouldn’t mind if I planted some flowers? I started by asking friends, then got bolder and dropped letters in mailboxes and then put an add on Craigslistthat said, ‘Flowers Seeking Gardens.'”
Now, years later,there arehidden gardens scattered throughout Toronto that overflowwith sustainably grown flowers. Sarah’s micro-farm, My Luscious Backyard, is just 1/16 of an acre that isspread across9+ residential yards in the heart of Toronto. This season she’s hoping to increase the number of yards she tends to12 or 13. Eachplot is intensively planted withflowers from which she is able to supplyfive florists weekly, operate asubscription service and provide floral designs for about a dozen weddings each year.
Sarah’s tips for successful “backyard flower farming” include:
— Succession planting. Make sure you have flowers ready for after the first flush of blooms in mid summer.
— Crop planning. This is key to plantinga variety of flowers and foliage in the colors and shapes you need for bouquets. Planning is also key to timingbloom times so you have a season full of flowers.
— Netting/staking plants appropriately. This is key, because every bloom will count!
— Narrow paths. Narrow pathways mean more room for flower beds, plus, there’s no moneyto be made in the pathways! Paths of just 18″ work well for Sarah.
— Amend your soil. To have beautiful blooms, you’ll want to build nutrient rich soil that is high in organic matter in order to support the intensive growing in a small space.
Meanwhile, over in Brooklyn, a lack of a yard hasn’t stopped floral designer Joshua Werber from creating a small rooftop cutting garden to supply supplemental floral material for his designs. The garden is just10 feet wide and 20 feet long with a fire escape in the middleand the entire garden is made up of containers.
I love all the examples of industrious flower lovers finding creative solutions to growing beautiful bloomseven withlimited space. Tomorrow, I’ll continue with yet another inspiring taleof small space flower farming. Stay tuned!
