New Flower Farmer? Start Here!

As I wrap up my fourth year of flower farming, I feel like I now have a better perspective on what I would tell new growers. It has been very interesting starting my flower farming journey through the boom and bust of COVID, and my advice has changed each year as I learn more and more about the business of cut flowers. In this blog post, I will give you five things to consider if you are new to flower farming or are considering starting a flower farm next garden season!

If you want to see how my flower journey plays out every year, I do a Backyard Business series on YouTube every season so you can see in real-time what each of those years looks like. (As of writing this, I am working on editing the fourth season; somehow, I will finish this task, and the new episodes will be published!)

A woman in a beige dress and wide-brimmed hat stands in a garden holding a pot of orange zinnias. Two white buckets with flowers are on the ground beside her. Trees and greenery are in the background.

5 Tips for Beginner Flower Farmers

1. Have A Year Zero

(where you just grow and don’t sell)

I love a year zero, especially if you’ve not done much gardening before. It takes the pressure off whether your garden does well or not. You might even go into this hobby or business venture and realize you don’t even like growing flowers! Wouldn’t it be terrible if you went through all the work of making the social media page, telling your friends and family, and realizing you don’t even like this anyway?

On the flip side, maybe you have a very successful year that will give you the confidence and reassurance you need to know this venture is for you!

A woman in a wide-brimmed hat and white dress stands in a garden, surrounded by colorful flowers. She holds a pair of scissors, appearing to tend the plants. A large greenhouse tunnel is visible in the background.

Related: What I’ve Learned as a Third-Year Flower Farmer

2. Stay In Your Own Lane

(because comparison is the thief of joy!)

It’s so easy to get caught up in all the other flower farmer accounts–to see what they’re offering to customers, what their gardens look like, or how their seed sales are going–and feel like you’re not doing enough, like your garden is sad, or like you don’t have enough customers.

But you can never know what goes on behind the scenes of those farms!

You don’t actually know their customer base or how many flowers they grew themselves in those bouquets! There are enough different types of things you can do in flower farming that there is room for everyone!

A thriving garden with various colorful flowers in the foreground and green leafy plants in the background. A metal arch structure is visible behind the plants, with trees and a cloudy sky in the distance.

Related: 5 Things I Wish I Knew as a Wannabe Flower Farmer

3. Don’t Be Afraid To Try New Things

(and expect them to flop at first. It’s just part of the process!)

I have never been one of those people who has tried something new and had it be an immediate success. Most of the time, when I try a new project, it does okay or kind of flops, and that’s alright because usually when I try again, it does a little better and then a little better after that, and then it just grows from there!

In the age of social media, we often see others going viral or trying new things and immediately succeeding. However, success is not always immediate. It’s important to keep trying new things until you find what works for you and your particular life circumstances. Then, build on those successes!

A garden scene with vibrant red and dark purple flowers in the foreground, surrounded by lush greenery. A large greenhouse tunnel made of translucent material is visible in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

Related: How I Doubled My Sale in My Second Year of Flower Farming

4. Remember That Nothing Is Guaranteed

(especially in growing. Weather and soil quality influence so much of your results!)

Whenever I get a message from a new flower farmer asking me what number of corms I would order for a spring bouquet subscription of ten people, I have a hard time answering the question because so many factors go into that decision. In theory, if you wanted five ranunculus stems per bouquet for ten people, that would be 50 stems. In that case, purchasing 25-50 corms is probably efficient, assuming you would get 1-2 blooms per stem (sometimes you’ll get six blooms per stem, but you just can’t know that in advance!)

But life isn’t that perfect.

You could lose a portion of your corms to rot, forget to water them (and have a few more die), or put them out and forget to cover them (and have a few more die). Or maybe that year’s weather won’t be conducive to growing ranunculus in the first place!

I keep mentioning social media so much in this blog post, but if you’re following more experienced growers in other climates than you, it can be easy to say, “I can get that result,” and it’s just not true!! Everyone’s circumstances are unique, and every growing season has its own successes and challenges.

No matter how prepared you are, you just can’t know everything in advance!

A cluster of pink zinnia flowers with green leaves, growing in a garden bed. The ground is covered with mulch, and the plants are lush and healthy, set against a soft, natural background.

Related: 10+ Best Cut Flowers for Farmer Florists

5. Get Out Into The Community

(and make friends with other flower farmers. Don’t be a best-kept secret!)

Sometimes, beginners get into flower farming because and believe that if they post about it on social media, people will automatically show up.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

While social media does help, there is nothing like being out in the community, doing a farmer’s market, organizing a pop-up market, collaborating with other people, and just being out in the world and getting your name out there!

Followings on social media can also be deceiving because you don’t know how many people see and like your post but don’t actually say anything about it. But when you’re out in the world and see how people interact with and respond to your flowers, you can gather some proper market research!

You also don’t need to worry about other flower farmers being your competition. While, in theory, they are your competition, it can also be helpful to have someone who grows crops similar to yours in your circle. Because maybe you have more business than them and need extra flowers. You get to buy flowers from your friend, you make money, they make money, and everyone wins!

Three people are arranging floral bouquets on tables in a cozy room with white wooden walls. The space is decorated with shelves holding various items and artwork on the walls. Buckets with flowers and tools are visible on the tables.

Keep track of everything with my Flower Farmer Garden Planner!

If you liked this blog post, find me on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to follow more of my farmer florist journey and join in the cut flower conversation! I also make weekly videos on my YouTube channel. You can also sign up for bouquet-making events and buy my flowers at my sister site Shifting Blooms. I hope to see you there!

WANT TO START YOUR OWN CUT FLOWER BUSINESS?

Marketing is the core of a successful flower-farming business. This bundle will teach you the basics of running the back end of your business, targeting your ideal customer, making money as a flower farmer, pricing your work, standing out from the competition, and so much more! Plus, at the end, we bring it all together and show you how to make your own plan that you can easily implement–so you don’t forget about your main goals as the days and months slip by!