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Ep.32: How Harris Flower Farm Built a Successful Business Model for Farmers Markets & C.S.A. Subscriptions
1.7k Plays4 months ago
Are you curious about what it takes to successfully sell flowers at the farmer's market? Imagine the vibrant colors, the sweet scents, and the joy of sharing beautiful blooms with others. If you're intrigued, then you'll definitely want to tune in to the latest episode of the Backyard Bouquet Podcast featuring Janis Harris from Harris Flower Farm in Ontario, Canada.
In this episode, Janis shares her journey of transforming her family-operated flower farm into a thriving hub for beautiful cut flowers. With 16 years of experience in the industry, Janis offers valuable insights into running a successful farmer's market where her flowers find their way into the homes and hearts of many.
From growing a variety of flowers on eight acres of land to engaging with customers at the market, Janis's story is both inspiring and informative. She discusses the importance of valuing the quality of flowers over quantity, sharing how attention to detail and dedication to providing top-notch blooms have set her farm apart.
One key takeaway from Janis's experience is the significance of building a loyal customer base through consistency and quality. By offering a range of price points and focusing on the freshness and longevity of her flowers, Janis has cultivated a strong following of flower enthusiasts who appreciate the value of her products.
So, if you're eager to learn more about the behind-the-scenes of a successful flower farm and the strategies for thriving at the farmer's market, be sure to listen to the full conversation with Janis Harris on the Backyard Bouquet Podcast. Get ready to be inspired by her passion for flowers and her dedication to delivering exceptional blooms to her community.
In This Episode You’ll Hear About:
00:02:33 - Transition from Optician to Full-Time Flower Farmer
00:05:18 - Family Farming Legacy and Farm Purchase
00:06:01 - Balancing Full-Time Job and Flower Farming
00:08:25 - Family Involvement in the Farm
00:10:25 - Team and Seasonal Help
00:11:19 - Ontario's Growing Season and Climate
00:17:07 - Types of Flowers and Crops Grown
00:18:22 - Overwintering Flowers in Zone 5B
00:20:05 - Flower Distribution Channels
00:23:13 - Building a Customer Base
00:25:05 - Subscription Model and Pre-Sales
00:27:15 - Greenhouse Production and Seasonal Flowers
00:27:48 - On-Farm Events and Workshops
00:30:08 - Pick-Your-Own Events and Customer Engagement
00:32:49 - Farmer's Market Presence and History
00:35:18 - Market Logistics and Setup
Learn More About Harris Flower Farm:
- https://www.harrisflowerfarm.ca/
- https://www.instagram.com/harrisflowerfarm/
- https://www.facebook.com/harrisflowerfarmpasturedpork
***3 Types Of People Are Replacing Their Income With A Digital Course… Are You One Of Them?***
Take the quiz: https://bit.ly/3typesofpeoplereplacingincomewithadigitalcourse
Shownotes: https://bit.ly/4dqCNAz
Sign up for our newsletter: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.myflodesk.com/nlw4wua8s3
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Mission
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Backyard Bouquet podcast, where stories bloom from local flower fields and home gardens. I'm your host, Jennifer Galitzia of the Flowering Farmhouse. I'm a backyard gardener turned flower farmer located in Hood River, Oregon. Join us for heartfelt journeys shared by flower farmers and backyard gardeners. Each episode is like a vibrant garden, cultivating wisdom and joy through flowers. From growing your own backyard garden to supporting your local flower farmer,
00:00:32
Speaker
The backyard bouquet is your fertile ground for heartwarming tales and expert cut flower growing advice. All right flower friends, grab your gardening gloves, garden snips, or your favorite vase because it's time to let your backyard bloom.
Turning Passion into Digital Courses
00:00:54
Speaker
Hey there, flower friends. Before we dive into today's episode of the Backyard Bouquet, I want to share something exciting with you. Have you ever thought about creating your own digital course? I'm talking about taking something you already know and love, whether it's gardening, flower arranging, or any other passion, and turning it into a course you can sell again and again. Sounds pretty amazing, right?
00:01:20
Speaker
Well, I've got just the thing to help you find out if you're ready to dive into the world of digital courses. My mentor, Amy Porterfield, has created a quick two-minute quiz that'll tell you exactly that. It's called Three Types of People Are Replacing Their Income with a Digital Course. Are you one of them?
00:01:40
Speaker
Amy has been helping people just like you and me create successful digital courses for over 15 years. She's identified three categories of people who can easily transform their knowledge into a profitable course. The best part? You don't need to be an expert. I took the quiz myself and was amazed at how spot on it was.
00:02:01
Speaker
It even gives you a few steps to get started if you find out you've got that course creating potential. And let me tell you, turning my love for flowers into something that can help others and bring in extra income has been a game changer. So if you're curious about whether you've got what it takes to create a digital course, head over to the show notes and click on the link to take the quiz. It's quick, it's free, and who knows, it might just be the first step towards something big.
Meet Janice Harris
00:02:28
Speaker
Now let's get back to today's episode.
00:02:33
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of the Backyard Bouquet podcast. Today, we're joined by Janice Harris from Harris Flower Farm, a thriving family operated flower farm in Ontario, Canada. Alongside her family, Janice has transformed her multi-generational farmland into a vibrant hub for beautiful cut flowers, continuing a legacy deeply rooted in agriculture. Today, Janice is here to share not only the journey of Harris Flower Farm,
00:03:03
Speaker
but also her insights into running a successful farmer's market where her flowers find their ways into the homes and hearts of many. Janice, welcome. It's so great to chat with you today. Thanks. I'm glad to be here. Yeah, it's such a pleasure to get to visit with you. Do you mind starting out by just giving us a bit of the history of Harris Flower Farm?
00:03:24
Speaker
Sure. So this is our 16th year growing flowers. So it's been a long time I'm doing this. um For the first probably 12 years, um I was still working my off-farm job. um So I went to school to be an optician and I was working as an optician in different settings and opticals and optometrists office.
00:03:43
Speaker
is um And then I started growing some flowers and that kind of snowballed into then it was like, okay, now I'm doing flowers more than I want to be doing my optical job. um So we kind of like transitioned over. So it's been four years that I've been full-time flower farming and not doing optician anymore. So it's been a long journey and a long time. So it's, I'm here for the long run for sure on this.
00:04:12
Speaker
That's amazing. 16 years is a long time in the flower industry because I think for both Canada and the US, being a cut flower farmer is a fairly new job for many. I think the majority of flower farmers are younger in their career experience.
00:04:29
Speaker
Yeah, it's definitely it got cool for a little while. Like it was like the trendy thing to do. And I was just before that kind of. I grew up on a vegetable farm. So my parents had vegetables and did that my whole life. And growing up and as a teenager, I was like, I don't want to be farming at all. Like I'm going to go off to school, I'm going to get a career and get a job.
00:04:51
Speaker
um And then I met my husband who is from a farm as well. So he's got that farming background. And I guess I had to prove myself still as a farm girl to him or something. He works off the farm as well, but I think it was just something I needed to prove, something I wanted to do.
Family Dynamics and Farm Operations
00:05:10
Speaker
So um my parents were still going to the farmer's market in town with their vegetables. And I was saying, you know what? I really want to do something after work and grow something, what what else can I do? So my mom suggested growing Gladiolius to sell at the farmer's market in town. And so I thought, okay, that's that's kind of a cool thing to do. So I didn't jump in small at all. I planted 3000 Gladiolius that first year.
00:05:36
Speaker
And we took them to the farmer's market. There wasn't really anyone else selling predominantly flowers at the market. So it was something that really worked well. I had my husband, who was a long-distance boyfriend at that time. He would come down on weekends, and and I would get rope him into helping me growing these flowers and then selling them. And as that grew over the years, every year it was like, OK, I want to add something else in. Let's grow sunflowers. Let's grow zinnias.
00:06:06
Speaker
um So adding different things in each summer. And we grew on my parents' farm, so with the vegetables, but then as well, my grandparents' farm was just one one road south of my parents' farm. And so I would say to Grandma, like, can I just work up some of that grass? Because Grandpa had passed then, and she hated cutting all the grass that there was. um So I was working up ground to then put in flowers as well.
00:06:32
Speaker
and So she would let me pick a little bit from the gardens of her established gardens, but then we were adding in more and more every year. And in 2011, we bought of the farm from Grandma and Grandpa so that now it's our farm. That's an amazing story. So you bought your grandparents' farm. Yeah. And are your parents still farming next door?
00:06:57
Speaker
They were just one road north of us. yeah um They are kind of semi-retiring. I mean, farmers never really retire, but they are still doing some things. So it's more for fun and that kind of stuff. They spend a lot of the times in the summer with our kids. So they're still growing. My mom says she's growing the things that she likes to grow and the things that she wants to grow for themselves. So they still do have laying hands and they still do have some beef cows. um And the vegetables that they grow is mostly for themselves and for some people who still come and get to fetch eggs and and products from them. I want to go back to something you said that I think is really important to point out. You had a full-time job when you started your flower farm. I think there's this assumption that you can just quit your job and start flower farming. And that is so far from the truth. Totally. Would you agree? Yeah. And I mean, I was like, like probably 10 or 11 years for sure.
00:07:55
Speaker
of working and working in the flowers, like doing both. Like it's not an instant thing. um It's a big step to be able to go from getting a paycheck every week to like having to plan out your season and know how you're going to get the money that you have. And it's a big, a big step. And I don't think people realize it. It's like When you're flower farming is your third income in your family, it's really easy to be like, oh yeah, let's get another greenhouse. Oh yeah, let's buy this piece of equipment. But when it's your all the time money, like when that's one of your family's income, it changes. Like it's really a thing that hath you have to plan out. You have to plan out your year. You have to plan out how you're going to get through the bumps and that and how you're going to make it through on that income.
00:08:42
Speaker
Absolutely. And you said that your husband still works off-farm. He does. I mean, ideally, I'd love to have him home, but I don't think we're at that stage. We want to still like each other and still be married, so and we're not quite there yet. that i would And I don't want to be his boss, totally. i don't think um I don't think that would be a good thing for us right now.
00:09:04
Speaker
Do you foresee in the future that he'll be joining you on the farm? um I don't know. He's he's different. like he likes to he he's still i mean He works his job, and then he comes home at night and picks sunflowers every night. like That's his his job in the summer. So he's still like doing everything. But just I don't think he comes from the mindset of like the entrepreneurial mindset. like He he ah needs to be kind of told what he has to do, but I don't think, as his wife, I should be the person telling him what to do.
00:09:32
Speaker
um to still like each other.
Weather Challenges and Adaptation
00:09:34
Speaker
I mean I saw my parents like because they were both full-time farming pretty much in my entire childhood in that so I saw like family like the family table and the business table all together so i I kind of see that and I kind of want to just be mindful of where that line is in our family and how it draws.
00:09:56
Speaker
Absolutely. I think it's so good to recognize that and to know your picture, but it sounds like he's still involved in the farm that if he's coming home and harvesting flowers. Yes, he's doing he picks on flowers every night and he's at the market every Saturday morning um and with our like our oldest just turned 14. So he's start our He's trying to get into being at the market, but a 14-year-old isn't always like, I don't know, he gets wandering at the market and doesn't realize that he needs to stay at the table the whole time. So um my husband still goes with him. So it's the two of them on Saturday mornings that go to the farmer's market. Oh, how fun. So before we start talking about the farmer's market, how big is your farm?
00:10:38
Speaker
Yeah, so our farm, the entire of our farm is 10 acres, um but we grow probably I would say on about between seven and eight acres. um We have like our barn and our yards and that kind of stuff those that's out of it. But I would say it's about seven acres in production of flowers. That's a lot of flowers. its most Most people listening to this podcast, I think grow on less than an acre and probably safe to say on less than a quarter of an acre. Yeah. And I know you've been farming for 16 years. no It sounds like it was a gradual progression to get to seven acres. Is that correct?
00:11:14
Speaker
Yeah, totally. And that's what I always like like to remind people. Like, I mean, that with this didn't happen right away. Like we were growing on like little pieces and pieces that grandma would let me work up the grass on and little parts of parts of the greenhouses at mom and dad's. And I was allowed to have this bed of the greenhouse or that. So, I mean, it was ah oh a growing kind of thing. Like it wasn't like I automatically went to seven acres. Like we would do some and then more and then more and even probably up until last year. I mean, this year we're definitely using all of the seven to eight acres. But in the last couple of years, there's times where it's like, there's a field that hasn't got planted or didn't get done or whatever. So probably on that would be five acres. um But this year we're definitely using the full seven acres in production. That is, I just am mind blown. I mean, I last year grew on an acre.
00:12:10
Speaker
And that was a lot for me. And this year I've got a quarter acre that I'm growing on. Um, I assume that you don't do this by yourself. No, no, I do have help. Um, so we have a really great team. There are, um, three of them that are in the field, mostly, um, pretty much full-time part to and full-time. And then there's, um, three of them, they're in the design workshop with me. Um, so I think there's six.
00:12:37
Speaker
total like on the farm. And then we have a delivery driver that does our subscription deliveries. um So he's just on call as we need him for the delivery. So six plus me on the farm. Gotcha. That's a big team. Yeah, I'm sure you're all very busy. Yeah. Are those year round employees or do you have seasonal help?
00:12:58
Speaker
They're mostly seasonal. like Our season, we haven't talked about our were like where what Ontario is like because everyone here is Canada and they think we're under snow for like six months of the year or more. um But we're not. We're we're actually zone 5B6A. We're right on the north side of Lake Erie. um If you put a line straight through from Cleveland, that's where we are on the other side of the lake. So our growing season is usually like May 10th to October 10th, we usually say, for frost freeze time. um And so my helpers usually come back in mid-February or March, and then they'll go through until October, November, and December. So it's not, every the whole six of us are not there the whole time. Some of them come in
00:13:45
Speaker
like after there's a couple of them that were in college and that. So once their college program ended, they came in late April. um So usually by May to September, we're kind of like the all of us. Okay. It's always interesting because growing zones,
00:14:03
Speaker
can be so overlapping in time, because I'm zone 7B, 8B. It's kind of an overlay right here. But my time frame is about the same as yours. We're somewhere between May 1 and May 15 to October 15.
00:14:17
Speaker
is about our last frot or our first frost date. So even though I'm a warmer zone, I have about the same growing season as you do. Yeah, yeah it's been weird the last couple of years. like we've been We've had some really early frosts in the last couple of years like into mid-September. But then we don't have them again for like three or four weeks, at least like another month of no frost. So it's really weird. we've had I mean, that's one of the things that we want to talk about, like like sustaining and going through the years. Like every year there's some kind of extreme and every year there's something weird. And we just can't predict the weather anymore. Like it's just, we go with what we can and work with what we can and what we're given on it. I always say that mother nature keeps us on our toes. Yeah, totally. It's very humbling. Totally. Yeah. Yeah. Can you give us an example of one of those extremes that you've dealt with in the last few years?
00:15:10
Speaker
Yeah. So 2021, we were like through the pandemic and everything was kind of opening up and we were really busy with flowers. People were like crazy for flowers. um And we had the rainiest year. It started raining in July and probably didn't stop raining until December. um who Almost every like three or four days we'd get a whole bunch of rain. So we were really, really stopping wet. And we had just built our new greenhouse, the the big one that's a heated one and all that. And by December, I was ankle deep in water in that greenhouse um because there was that much water everywhere. So it was so, so wet. We lost almost all of our dahlias. They were in probably close to an acre field. We only got like probably a few buckets of flowers. Like we didn't get hardly any. um And when we were were digging up the ones that were left over, um we would dig the clump out. And first off, it smelled horrible because they were basically fermenting in the ground. And then also you dug the hole, pulled the root out and the hole was filling up with water. It was like the craziest season
00:16:24
Speaker
ever I mean, 2021, I still, every time it starts raining for more than a couple of days, I'm like, oh my gosh, is this going to happen again? I can't deal with this again. um But luckily, it's been okay since, so knock on wood. But that's been kind of a crazy one. um Last year, last winter, um we had a normal cold like we do for Canada. We get like, seems to me we get like two or three weeks of like really dumb, stupid cold and all the rest is just kind of mild. um That's how it's been the last few years. And this year I found eucalyptus plants in the middle of the field that started growing again. So they overwintered in the field with no production, no nothing. They started growing again here.
00:17:10
Speaker
Amazing. i I lost all but three of my eucalyptus this last winter. I've been able to overwinter them for the last three years and we got down with zero snow coverage down to I think it was either zero or negative. I think with the wind chill it was negative like seven Fahrenheit.
00:17:30
Speaker
and they were just toast. It was so heartbreaking because I'd become accustomed to them overwintering with no protection. yeah So you never know, it's not for the faint of heart, the flower farming. The tops of them totally froze, but it was down the roots and the ground were still alive and they just shot up from the roots. It's crazy. So I mean, good and bad. i don't I don't know that that's a great thing to like celebrate, but I mean, that's what we have to kind of figure out and deal with.
00:17:58
Speaker
Yes, especially with climate change and as the weather is becoming more drastic, it seems. I feel like I've only been flower farming for six years now, but and I've been trying to keep records of like extreme temperatures and frost dates. And i even in six years, I feel like things are becoming more extreme are highs and lows. yeah And I was a gardener before that. So I was already in tune with some of the temperatures of growing flowers, but even more so paying attention as a flower farmer. And this is my second year doing it full time. So
00:18:31
Speaker
I'm really having to pay attention to that because i I need to make my business survive and not just survive, but thrive. yes Let's see here. So in your business, on your seven to eight acres, what kind of flowers and crops are you growing?
Flower Varieties and Overwintering Techniques
00:18:46
Speaker
Pretty much everything. um So our season starts out in the spring with the tulips and all the spring bulbs, ranunculus, and then me, all that kind of stuff in the greenhouses and out in the field. And then we have a lot of perennial kind of daffodils and all those kind of spring bulbs as well. um We have a whole big row of pussy willows so that we start picking pussy willows in usually February and March. And then we go into all the woodies like the lilacs and all the viburnums and those kind of things. Then we have
00:19:22
Speaker
probably 2,000 peonies. um So those all start going. And then into the annuals, we do a lot of cool flowers as well. So the ones that we plant in the fall and then overwinter and start in the spring, we do a lot of that. It's really great with our climate that that does work um for us here. We can do the cold hardy annuals. um And then into like the zinnias and we grow a lot of lilies and sunflowers and dahlias, marigolds,
00:19:51
Speaker
lots of Lizzianthus, kind of everything, except the Claudioleus, which is kind of funny and that I don't grow Claudioleus anymore, even though that's what started me. You know, I grew them my first year, and they started growing the baby bulbs, and I don't grow them anymore. But i they're where my peonies are now. And the little ones are coming up everywhere. It's yeah kind of funny. A few of them have bloomed, but it's more like pulling weeds out at this point. Yeah. So So you have pretty much everything. And you mentioned cool flowers. You're able to overwinter flowers in zone 5B. 5B, yep, yep. So definitely we can do bachelor buttons, Nigella, Blue Plurum, Larkspur. We did, um bells of Ireland almost made it. um I think we just had didn't have enough snow clever for them. um But otherwise, like reliably, definitely Larkspur, definitely bachelor buttons, Nigella, all that kind of stuff.
00:20:50
Speaker
Diane, that's incredible. Are you starting them like in August and then having established plants to plant out? Yeah, we direct seed them into in August. um So we'll we'll get doing that soon, we're starting to get the ground ready for that. um And then we'll direct seed them and just we usually protect them a little bit with some straw or some leaf mulch or something like that. But otherwise, they make it pretty well.
00:21:15
Speaker
That's encouraging and really amazing. I don't have the space to fall so or fall so many plants at this point in time, but that's definitely a
Sales Channels and Market Strategies
00:21:24
Speaker
future goal of mine. and um So to hear that you can do it in 5B is encouraging for a 7B. And they're totally different. like The bachelor buttons are like probably up to my chest. like The larkspur is like shoulder height. like this They are so much stronger plants and so much better than what I could do if I was um doing them in the spring.
00:21:44
Speaker
That's amazing. So I know you move your flowers at the farmer's market and you mentioned you have delivery for a CSA. Is that correct? And then you've mentioned a design team that you have. Yeah.
00:21:59
Speaker
yeah Yeah, we do flowers all different ways. So farmers market, we're still going to that original farmers market that we went to that my parents were at. um And then um we do a lot of weddings as well. So we're usually doing at least one wedding a weekend.
00:22:14
Speaker
um one to four, sometimes wedding is a weekend. um We have a subscription, like our bouquet subscription, um that we have 200 people that get monthly bouquets um with that. So we do... 200? Yeah.
00:22:31
Speaker
Yeah. so So we divide that up so that it's not 200 all in one week. They're all divided out over the weeks of the month. And then that's what my delivery driver is for. He usually delivers about 30 bouquets per delivery day. And we have two delivery days a week. um So he's doing that. So that's where the flowers are going like midweek because those go out on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
00:22:53
Speaker
um We also sell to a couple little like grocery store, small farm stand markets in the area. um So there's one that's like a ah small grocery store and then a couple other that they have like um pick your own or they have already picked vegetables and that that they're just the side of the road stands. So we take flowers there through the week.
00:23:11
Speaker
um we but um We do our online shop so because of COVID we kind of beefed up our website a bit so we have it where people are ordering flowers from all over the world to send to people in our area so our delivery driver also delivers those so we'll get like birthday arrangements or funeral flowers or things like that to send out to people in the area as well. So that's going through our website, usually at least once a day. There's at least one or two going out a day for that. um And then we, through COVID, our farmers market didn't open that one year. So then we started having an on-farm
00:23:52
Speaker
market at our farm. So we have what's called our flower cart. um So it's a little um remade livestock trailer that my dad made into like a little cutesy little stand that we can open up the sides and the windows and put the flowers out there and people come to the farm um and buy that.
00:24:10
Speaker
It's kind of neat because it runs the same time as the farmer's market in town. Like the farmer's market is 8 till 12 on Saturday. The flower card is open 9 till 1 on Saturday. And we have some of the same customers and some different customers coming to each of those places every week.
00:24:27
Speaker
That's awesome. Now, do you have to staff the on-farm? We do have someone there, yeah. Yeah, originally the flower cart was meant to be a self-serve kind of thing. um And we did that for a long time. It was out every day and people could just stop. um But we kind of changed that. And we found that it was just more another thing that we had to check on through the day. So instead of having it open all the time, then it's just open on Saturday mornings. Amazing. So you have quite a customer base.
00:24:56
Speaker
yeah If you have 200 CSA subscriptions, you have your farmer's market, and then you have all of these other events and then the online orders. I'm assuming that that didn't happen overnight. Can you tell us how you built that customer base? Yeah, so the um the subscriptions, um we started out with, I don't even know how many, with the first couple of years. It's probably been about six or eight years that we've been doing subscriptions. um But we started out with those, and then I gave those people that were already signed up the opportunity to sign up again for the next year. Well, it kept happening that like they all signed up, or we'd have like 70% retention, and then it's like I'd only have
00:25:37
Speaker
10 or 15 of them available for new people. So everyone kept saying, oh, they're always sold out. They're always sold out. So then we had to add more. So then figuring out how we could go from, um I think at one point we had 90 and then figuring out that, OK, if we do two days a week, then we can all of a sudden have 180.
00:25:56
Speaker
So that's how we grew that. We put them on sale in November, and then they're sold for a lot for Christmas presents. And the people like our subscription people who are already signed up, they get an email a week before everyone else, and their chance to sign up is a week ahead of time, and then it's open to anybody new after that. um So we sell out this year, I think we sold out.
00:26:20
Speaker
um It was just after Valentine's, I think, um we sold out of them. And I still get people emailing asking about getting them and that. And I'm like, well, watch in November when they come open again. So. That's incredible to sell out in February. So you're getting all of that cash in advance for fueling your farm for the next season. Yeah. So that's how we've had to do that so that we can so sustain through the winter. So I don't have to go and get another job in the winter or go back to work.
00:26:51
Speaker
in the winter because even though like we don't have flowers blooming, I have a lot of stuff to still be doing. like It's not like I'm just sitting around watching Netflix or something. like I've got lots to be doing. um that's In January is usually when we're meeting with the brides for the following year, um so we're doing that in the wintertime and then getting everything organized with the seeds starting and our crop plans and then also dividing all of our dahlias usually happens in February.
00:27:19
Speaker
I remember when I first would start out in the flower farming, I would have friends say, it must be really nice not to have to do anything in the winter. I just silently chuckled myself like if you only knew how exhausting some of this was, yes, I maybe can take a week off, but then it's right back to the grind of dividing the tubers or cleaning tools and supplies. There's always something that you have to take care of in the winter.
00:27:41
Speaker
Yeah. And that's why I think even with the greenhouses, I don't think I ever really want to be year round and full like all year. Like we'll have flowers blooming until Christmas, but then we don't really have anything or I try not to have anything blooming through January that time of year. um It's really like trying to help you find out if someone's going to be home when you're delivering or finding out like where should I leave it so it doesn't freeze and that or I have to pack it all up in plastic bag. I don't want to be delivering flowers and taking them that time of year. So we intentionally plan that January and most of February there's no flowers. Gotcha. But you have the ability that you could grow flowers with your heated greenhouses. Yep. Yeah, we had flowers booming and blooming at Valentine's Day um the last two years. I mean, they were snapdragons, so I added them in with other flowers that I had or that I could get. um But
00:28:35
Speaker
like I don't try to. um I had some Campanula that was supposed to have been spring, but then it bloomed in like December and January. So I was like, okay, well, you guys are going to go. But um my god I don't intentionally have flowers blooming then. Gotcha. And do you wholesale any of your flowers?
00:28:53
Speaker
ah Not to florists or to like wholesalers. um No, um we used to sell a little bit to florists, but um we just found that we are like busy enough with the customers that we have. And there are other people in the area that want to do selling to florists. So I'd rather them do that and we'll concentrate on what we want to do. That's really amazing that you can grow seven to eight acres of flowers and you don't have to wholesale any of that with your business model. No.
00:29:23
Speaker
That's awesome. Do you do far on farm events where people can come to you? Yep. um So we do a couple things. We'll do a flower design workshop. um So that usually is an evening when things are blooming. So I try and pick it like um I usually do it like a Mother's Day one where they can buy like a mother and child ticket or something like that.
00:29:43
Speaker
or I do like a peony one so they come when peony season is on they can do it and it's all focused on peonies. They come to the farm everybody gets a bucket and a pair of clippers and we walk around the farm they find out about farming I kind of do it also to like make open their eyes at how much work it is because they're always like oh I'd love to do this when I retire um and it's like oh no that's a lot of work to do to be a retirement job um so they come and they pick in the field and then we come back to the workshop and everybody makes a VAWS arrangement to take home with them so
00:30:18
Speaker
Those are lots of fun. um And we've had a couple times and it was kind of like by chance. um So last year, it was right before we were going to get our frost. um And the daily field was just totally in bloom and look totally beautiful. um But it was like a Saturday afternoon. And I didn't have any more weddings and the market wasn't going to be for another week and the daily is aren't going to last like that long.
00:30:41
Speaker
to hold them. So I said to my husband, I have to go to this wedding show tomorrow. Is it okay if I do like a ah like a pick your own kind of thing or something like people can come and just pick a bucket of Delia's or whatever? He was like, okay, as long as it's not like all day or whatever.
00:30:58
Speaker
He's like, the kids and I can do it. I was like, okay, yeah, I'll do it like from one to 430 or something. So I posted it up on my social media and then went to that wedding show and he called me at two o'clock. He was like, what did you do? There's like 50 cars here. We're running out of clippers. There's so many people. I ended up having like ah hundred that we sold like 100 buckets of dahlias. People were like, when I came home from the wedding show, people were just bouncing out of the field. They thought it was the greatest thing ever. They were picking like weeds, they were picking sunflowers, they were picking everything. I was like, I don't care, it's gonna be like frozen tomorrow, so whatever. But they were just so happy. And it was like, we charged $30 a bucket. So it was like $3,000 that we
Customer Engagement and Business Mindset
00:31:40
Speaker
weren't planning for. And it was just like, a here, come and do this. And the people are still talking about it.
00:31:47
Speaker
And I love that you said it was right before frost. So you were going to lose those flowers. So you saw an opportunity to make a little bit of extra money that probably was beneficial in the winter months when you weren't going to have any income coming in. Yeah, totally. Yeah. So instead of thinking how, or either letting them freeze in the field or thinking, how can I like save these or how can I charge top dollar for them? They're going to be toast tomorrow. So whatever, just like make people happy. And people were so happy. It was so funny.
00:32:17
Speaker
oh People love flowers. I remember a few years ago I had a whole bunch of flowers that I had been deadheading and putting them on the ground and someone walked by because you could see my farm from the street and The person said what are you doing? And I said well, they they have blemishes and I'm deadheading so new ones can grow like Well, what's gonna happen to those and I said they're gonna get composted and she said can I have them and I was like I well, what are you going to do with them? She goes, I just want to enjoy them. I said, they'll maybe last you a day. She said, I don't care if it's just a day. They're still so beautiful. And she got so much joy out of going behind me and picking up all of these flowers that I've been deadheading.
00:32:59
Speaker
yeah I think we have a different mindset than people and I love that you saw that opportunity to allow people to experience the beauty and come in and you were able to monetize it too. So very smart business mindset. Speaking of losing flowers on seven to eight acres, what percentage of do you know what percentage of your flowers actually get used? A lot of them. I ah you think back to I don't know, some may know Dave Dowling, who is big in the flower industry. And I remember him saying that if you're not throwing out some flowers, you're not growing enough flowers. So there's always gonna be some waste. There should always be some like that goes past, otherwise grow more because like youre you should be able to um have enough, but then there will be extras. So I don't know percentage wise, no, but yeah, enough.
00:33:55
Speaker
Yes, I remember Dave saying that also. And the first time that I was able to sell everything all season long was 2020 because of COVID, I'm sure. But it gave me the encouragement to say, OK, this means that I can go bigger because I had nothing left over. I need more flowers because there's the demand for that. That's a great way to look at it. um Now I'd say if someone's throwing away 70% of their flowers, they might have an excess. But ah having a little bit is always a good thing. Yeah.
00:34:25
Speaker
Let's talk about those farmer's markets. I think it's really neat that you are going to the same farmer's market that your parents went to for years while you were growing up. And do they still have a presence at this farmer's market too? No, they they aren't selling at the market anymore. So yeah, in our town, like the town of St. Thomas is about 45,000 people or so. And this was a market that's been around since and dont i I'm sure I'm going to say the wrong number, but I would say the 1800s. This market is has been established there. um So it had its like ebbs and flows. like It was busy for a long time, and then it kind of dropped off for a little while. The city took it over and has
00:35:09
Speaker
like re revitalized things that was probably close to when we were starting probably 20 years ago. um The city had the property and they fixed up the building so there is a permanent indoor building space and then there's two covered pavilions. um So we're we are in a covered space so that's nice that we're not just out in the elements that's one different thing about our market and same with other markets where they have the pop-up in that. Ours doesn't have that. We have a permanent roof over our head. um It's open air though, so like it's not like when it's rainy you're still going to get wet, but we do have a roof over our head. um So the city took it over and then now the Economic Development Corporation for the town has taken over that as well. So they're really trying to
00:35:57
Speaker
increase the tourism part of it and increase the presence of the market. The market is now a year round um where it never was until the past two years. um They've started a winter market um that's really great for all the meat people and the bakers and all those kind of um vendors. um And then we were able to come in in March when we have tulips and that blooming.
00:36:20
Speaker
were able to be there right at the beginning as well. So that's been really nice having that added time at the market. Otherwise, it's open. The main season is Mother's Day until ah November. And then there is a Christmas market that they have usually in early December. And then in past years, it has closed until May, but now it's open again.
Farmers Market Participation
00:36:42
Speaker
So that's great that they're really keeping the kind continuity of the market going and making it a routine for people to come all the time.
00:36:50
Speaker
Gotcha. That sounds like a really neat market. no Is that the only market you go to or? That's the only one we go to now. Yeah. um Over the years, I mean, I was thinking back on it and like we've gone to different ones over time. We've gone to, there's a town just, um or a big city actually, like 400,000 people. London, Ontario is just north of us and we've gone to different markets there, but it was always like, it didn't quite work out right. Like so it was,
00:37:19
Speaker
the one downtown market in London ran at the same time as St. Thomas. So we had to split and divide or I'd have to go and set up London and then my helper would meet me there and then I would go and do something else and my husband would be at the market in St. Thomas. So that just didn't, we were dividing ourselves up too much. um We've done like midweek markets where it was like a Thursday market and we just found that like the people were it was downtown as well and people would be walking and going to their office building so if you were selling like squares or selling like those kind of muffins and that kind of stuff you did great because they would come out um before they started work and then at break time and then at lunch time so that was really great but it wasn't as great for the flowers so we stopped going to that one. um There was another market that had Mark went to it was about
00:38:09
Speaker
35-minute drive from our place. And he would go to that one, but then it was like he was stuck there the whole time. So then when I'm doing a wedding, I'd have to get my help set up um at the market. So it was just, again, dividing ourselves up too much. So we just kind of like pulled it back in and pulled it that St. Thomas has always been our um like main market and our home kind of market. So we just keep going with that one and stay there.
00:38:38
Speaker
Gotcha. So when you go to the farmer's market each week, are you breeding flowers and then assembling bouquets there or are you doing a bouquet bar? What's your model at the farmer's market?
00:38:49
Speaker
The bouquets are all um put together. um i One time I thought, oh, I'm really tired. I was working still and going to the market and all that. I was like, I'll just bring the flowers and arrange them at the market. That was the most stressful day ever um because I was making bouquets and someone was like, oh, I'll be back in 10 minutes to get one the same as that. Or can you make me one like that? And it was it was was totally stressful. um So we don't do that. that All the bouquets come We're already made up and ready. um I've seen different bouquet but bar kind of models.
00:39:23
Speaker
i I think people just want to see what they like and grab it. um That's what seems to work best for us. They always found that bouquet bars, I've tried it in the past and it just, we found a lot of damage or different things with the flowers because people were, even though they're trying to be gentle, they're still pulling something out and a lily bud will break off or whatever. um So as long as they're are made up, we really enjoy like, and even my team as well, enjoy the color, like figuring out the color.
00:39:51
Speaker
um palettes for the bouquets. um So we put them in buckets. There's all five of them. We make five bouquets at a time, and they're all the same color palette, um the same flowers in them. So when you look at that bucket, you're like, oh, wow, that whole bucket. Yeah, I really like that um color combination, or I really like that one. So but that's kind of what we do is make it that they're all ready to go, and people just grab them and go kind of thing.
00:40:18
Speaker
Okay, so help me paint a picture here. When you say look at a bucket, are you making your bouquets by just putting stems in a bucket? No, they're all like in a sleeve. So they're all with five bouquets in a bucket. um And they're all um in a sleeve and wrapped up in that there's when you look at the bucket, they're all the same when you look in it. So you really you even though like the customers still like look at each bucket and want to check out each one, it's like that whole bucket is basically the same. And then they kind of can choose that way.
00:40:48
Speaker
Gotcha. So you have different color combinations in each bucket. So one bucket might be all bright red flowers. It's an example. And you might have a pastel bucket or something. Yeah. Okay. And so you have a recipe that you use for your farmer's market.
00:41:02
Speaker
Yeah, so we know what we're putting in and it changes. It's not necessarily like um this, this, this, and this. way We're looking for like a spike flower, a focal flower, a filler flower, that kind of thing. So it changes throughout the season. um We do buy in some flowers from another grower near us.
00:41:19
Speaker
mostly like chrysanthemums. So I'll buy them because they're only about an hour away from us and they grow chrysanthemums year-round and we can get them from them. So we get those. um We do also get in Alstrom area from a grower that's near us as well. So I don't necessarily have to grow any everything and that's another I guess kind of advice for people is you don't have to grow everything. um We have a grower that's near us that grows really great snapdragons, so I only grow like the fancy shantily and those kind of ones. He grows the regular ones and I get them from him because he does it really well. I can buy them from him and instead of me working on getting those snapdragons as good as his, I can concentrate on growing the things that I grow and put them together.
00:42:07
Speaker
I think that's such a good, important piece of advice for people. I know there's a couple farmers in my area and we just know that someone else has a different product that you don't grow and you can just rely on them. So instead of having to put your time and energy into something, like you said, I think that's great advice. So your farmers markets, how many bouquets do you bring to the market and how do you know how many to make?
00:42:32
Speaker
yeah um Over the years, I mean, we've kind of figured out how many work well. On a normal weekend, we're probably bringing 50 mixed bouquets and then probably about 35. Like, I'm just thinking through this past weekend, we probably took 50 mixed bouquets. um We probably took about 30 to 40 sunflower bunches.
00:42:50
Speaker
um We have lizianthus on really nice right now, so we put probably took about 15 or 20 bunches of lizianthus, and then usually we do a couple mason jars, probably 5 or 10 mason jars um to that, and but's I would say that's about what we take to the market on a regular weekend with like holidays and that. We would definitely increase that, um but yeah, that's about a normal for us.
00:43:13
Speaker
So you have an assortment of options for the customers of the market to choose from. Yep. And what about pricing? I feel like I go to a lot of farmer's markets. And the one thing I hear often from flower farmers is they have a hard time being competitive at a farmer's market because there are so many cheap bouquets. Do you find that to be true?
00:43:37
Speaker
um Yes, but also, I mean, 16 years ago, I was selling $5 bouquets, like, and because I was the only flower farmer at the market, I i didn't value the flowers and I was growing like inexpensive flowers. But it was just like, I didn't know any different then. um So that's why we're selling $5 bouquets. We set our price like at the beginning of the year, and we kind of keep it the same throughout the entire year.
00:44:05
Speaker
um So now, I mean, our mixed bouquets go for $20. And then our sunflowers, I tried to do 12 this year, but that just didn't people didn't go for it for 12, so our sunflowers are 10. And then our mason jars are 25.
00:44:20
Speaker
um so We have them kind of, I i want to have a good assortment of price points so that there somebody can come in at the $10 price point um and then somebody can spend a bit more if they want to take a mason jar to a friend or something like that. Usually we have a little bit more assortment at the farm and people know that, so we'll have maybe a larger arrangement at the farm. You might be able to get a $50 vase arrangement at the farm, whereas in the market, the biggest you can get is the $25 mason jar.
00:44:47
Speaker
um There are a few other farm flower people at the market. We are the only flower dedicated person at the market. There are some Amish and there are some other flower farms that will bring flowers once in a while. um And the Amish like this past weekend, they had like buckets of Gladiolius and that's fine. I mean, let them have that. They are like totally bloomed out.
00:45:11
Speaker
They're only going to like people are going to buy them and they've got probably four or five flowers open on them. They're not going to last a really long time. Whereas I i was bringing glads, there would be maybe one flower open. So it's kind of just a being.
00:45:26
Speaker
being above and knowing like what the good quality is. Cause I'll also see people there with sunflowers that are totally blown out. I wouldn't bring those to market. They're selling them for $5 or whatever they sell, but they're going to last like two days. And I remember customers, this one lady, she was like, well, they're selling their sunflowers for $5 yours are $10. Why are they? I said, well, that's what i'm sorry ours are. ours are $10. She's like, okay, well,
00:45:51
Speaker
Maybe I'll be back. So I saw her walking with the $5 blown out sunflowers. The next week. she came back because i said i had said to her when she was asking like those the petals are going to fall off those in a couple days they're too open they're not at the right condition she came back to me the next week and she was like okay i'll try your sunflowers this week and she bought them and she came back the next week she's like you're right they're still nice a week later that's the difference like i mean people have to understand the difference and know the quality but also the people at the market need to know the quality of what they're selling and
00:46:27
Speaker
It only takes a few times of somebody buying blown out sunflowers or not conditioned right zinnias or lilacs with all the leaves on them that only last a day or two for them to realize the difference and figure out why yours are maybe more expensive.
00:46:43
Speaker
And I think just because we're, that's the only, like the only thing we sell at the market is flowers. We do sell a little bit of pork that my husband has the pigs, but um like that's our main thing. Flowers are us. So we're not, it's not an add-on for us. It's not an afterthought or ah trying to draw people over. This is what we do. And so we, we're just professional about it and it works its way through.
00:47:08
Speaker
I like that you said you use the word value and people have to see the value in the flowers and that lady with the sunflowers is such a great example of she went for the five dollar bouquet which is pretty much to be expected with someone until they know and she saw that the value she paid was five dollars but the difference in the ten dollar one was a week's face life. So I love that analogy. Thanks for sharing that story. You mentioned that you started with the $5 bouquets. How did you get the confidence and knowledge to really value your flowers and realize that you needed to raise your prices?
00:47:46
Speaker
Yeah, well, a lot of customers told us. ah they They said to you when they would come back, and they're like, oh, my flowers are still nice for them last week. It's like, oh, so those flowers lasted you a week, and you only paid us $5 for them. We also started like upping our um the types of flowers we were growing. So we weren't just growing the zinnias and cosmos and that anymore. We were growing lizzie antas. We were growing lilies.
00:48:09
Speaker
I think when the year that I really, that I increased, so we went I think from five to 15
Specialty Flowers and Market Dynamics
00:48:16
Speaker
in one year. So that was like a big um step, but I was growing lilies for them. So thinking, okay, well I've but got this lily in there already. So that's like a higher value in there. So right away I should be charging more for that. um So yeah, just having higher value flowers,
00:48:35
Speaker
And then now, I mean, it's nothing for people to pay $24 for a bunch of ranunculus or um like different higher value crops and higher value flowers. They're paying more because they understand what um the good flowers are. and we it was through, it was funny through COVID we made like flower snobs because um we were not doing our weddings like the weddings were all getting cancelled so I was taking ranunculus and that to like our our grocery store our ah bouquets and to our farmer's market and people started finding out about them and they're like where are those ranunculus where are those cafe au lait daleas like where are all those things like because they started to find out about those good things so
00:49:18
Speaker
yeah we ah And Lizzianthus, I mean all the customers that know our Lizzianthus now, they're like, when is it Lizzianthus season? So it's just upping our our caliber to then be able to charge more.
00:49:33
Speaker
I love that you use the word flower snobs because once people experience nicer flowers, there's really no going back because you want those. You experience the beauty and you watch that life cycle unfold. And I mean, who doesn't want a bouquet of ranunculus on their kitchen table?
00:49:49
Speaker
even though when they call them like ridiculous or when or they call them rhinoceros and all these different things. It's so funny. They have all the different names because they are. Where are those? Where are those ridiculous flowers because they don't remember what they're called? Yes, they are a hard one to remember the name. um But I love them so much. I didn't grow them this year and it was a well, I grew very few this year, I should say. um But they are such a beautiful flower and they last so long. Yeah.
00:50:17
Speaker
So are there any flowers that you don't take to market that don't make good market flowers?
00:50:24
Speaker
like We will take the dinner plate dahlias. We only really grow cafe au laitas as the big dinner plate ones, and those will mostly be for our weddings, but there are some of like the past brides and people who see them and want the cafe au lait, so they know about those. We don't take as many of those just because they don't last quite as long, but the people who want them know that they're not going to last very long, so they yeah they just want them for the time.
00:50:52
Speaker
I know I gave someone a bouquet of cafe alles the other week and she reached out. She's like, can I buy another bouquet? And they were some extras that I was cutting as I was deadheading. It was a neighbor that had walked by and I was like, well, they don't last very long. They're really for events. She goes, I don't care if they last just one day. I have people coming over and I want those on my table. And so, yeah, people that want those cafe alles are willing to pay for them because even that short-lived beauty adds so much joy to their life. Yeah, but pretty much most of the other stuff goes into our ahra our Okay. And do you have a formula that you've come up with? I know you mentioned like the spikes and stuff, but how how do you arrange the flowers? Because I mean, if you're taking everything out of buckets and making one bouquet at a time and people can't see me throwing my hands in the air as I'm pretending to pull stuff out of buckets, it can take a long time. But if you're bringing 50 bouquets plus other things to market every weekend, you have to be efficient with your process. How do you efficiently make that many bouquets?
00:51:52
Speaker
Yeah, so we're usually making five or 10 bouquets at the same time. um So we have big long tables in our workshop, and we'll lay out the stuff so we'll put down if there's going to be mom so we'll put down the moms and then we put down the snap drag, and then we put down the sunflower, and then we put down the zinnia, and then we put down.
00:52:12
Speaker
I'm trying to think of a piece of mint or whatever, so I just lay those all down in order, um in five piles, and then we pick them up, loosely put them together. We're not like arranging every single one. We're not looking at the placement of every single flower, um and we're not, um like we will have like a color group, but we're only choosing five of them, so we just find five of the same colors in these or whatever. But if they're not the same color, I don't care either. like I'm not, i'm not um really spending a lot of time on each bouquet. So um when we're making, because we'll make those 50 bouquets, but we're also, those grocery stores and the farm stand markets are taking like 100 bouquets on the weekend as well. So we're making those.
00:52:55
Speaker
at the same time. So we have to be fast. So those um grocery store bouquets, they wholesale to the grocery store for $9. We usually have about six or seven stems in the bunch. And then I can make those like if I time myself one time, and if everything was sitting out and perfect and ready, I can make 15 bouquets in 12 minutes or something. Wow.
00:53:21
Speaker
Yeah. So like are you tying them off or how are you finishing them off? Elastic andastic and we have one of those guillotine chopper things. um to chop them, and then we have a sleeve that they just slide into the sleeves. um The grocery store ones get a plastic sleeve. I don't love the plastic, but um for the price point, that they cost like less than a cent per sleeve, whereas the paper sleeves for A-Roo and that um those craft paper ones cost more. So those go in our higher value bouquets to the market and um that way. So um would they are in the plastic sleeves. They get a little packet of flower food.
00:53:57
Speaker
and then they're in the bucket. Gotcha. So you mentioned, did you say it was six stems going your first year? Yeah, usually six or six or seven stems. And so what typically makes that bouquet up? Yeah, so it'll be like a mum, a snapdragon, a sunflower, a zinnia,
00:54:19
Speaker
trying to think what else? Oh, if there's lilies on, usually we'll do a lily. So it's like, we'll take the lily and then we put in like the mom and the Snapdragon, like it all just kind of fits in around it. And then it goes nicely into the sleeve. So it's not a big sleeve, it's a little bouquet. um But that's also like what we found, they retail for $12.99. So we find that that's a good price point and they sell a lot of them. We don't like we don't go for a higher price point at that, because I'd rather sell 10 bouquets than one bouquet there at a higher price point. so
00:54:55
Speaker
Gotcha. That's good advice because you're not obviously over stuffing them. Because at $9, you need to be making it profitable. Right. Yeah. What about your market ones? about Do you know on average how many stems? 11 or 12 stems in there. So that's usually where we'll use a beefier stem of something. So if something is a branch here, Lizzie Anthes, or that's where the like the grocery store ones won't get a Lizzie Anthes, but our market bouquet do get a Lizzie Anthes.
00:55:24
Speaker
So we'll do it that way just to differentiate them. people don't like i mean they I'm sure they know that they're different and they see that the ones at the market are $20 and wrapped in craft paper, whereas the ones at the grocery store are $12 and wrapped in plastic. But if they aren't able to go to a market on a Saturday morning, they'll go to the grocery store because they know that they're there and
Success Tips for New Growers
00:55:46
Speaker
grab them there. Or if they just need two of them, then instead they'll get two of them at the grocery store. so Then we make them different so that is you can't just go and say, well, why are these ones $20 at the market, but they're $12 at the grocery store? Well, you can see the difference because the one is bigger and there's difference to them. That's a great point because I'm sure there's some overlay in the customers at the grocery store in the farmer's market and you don't want anyone upset that they could have gone somewhere else to get the same flowers for less. Yeah. And it's not, they're not the same. They're different.
00:56:17
Speaker
Absolutely. Okay, I've got a couple more farmers market questions if that's okay. My first one is for growers, if someone is a grower, cut flower grower, and they're not currently going to a farmers market, what advice would you have for them if they want to get started at a farmers market?
00:56:37
Speaker
I think the biggest thing is you need to be consistent. So you need to go. So if it's not something that you want to take on, like if you don't want to be there every Saturday morning, then maybe figure out a different way because the customers expect you to be there. We haven't missed a Saturday in what we always tease that we might, when my son was born, he was born on a Saturday and that we missed that Saturday when he was born. Um, but like just being consistent. We're always there. We're always in the same spot. They know where we are.
00:57:05
Speaker
um So with farmers markets you need to be consistent and if you're not ready to take that on or you don't want to be um tied to every Saturday then figure out maybe a different way um to go um with that. So that and also just always um have an abundance there so even if you don't have a lot put it all close together, like make it all so that it's all like really close to you. We're always condensing. So our table, I think is 16 feet long, maybe something like that for our market table. It's a permanent table um at the market there. And um we fill that up. And as things are selling, we condense it down in so that it always looks full. We don't want to have a bucket with one bouquet.
00:57:48
Speaker
or have like eight buckets on the table and all of them have one bouquet and like, no, we'd rather have three bouquet or three buckets and have the bouquets distributed throughout that. So just looking always full and abundant. And then um the last thing I would say is like, um just be be generous with what you're um giving. So I mean, always make sure that your bouquets are nice and full looking and be always busy and primping them and and engaging with your customers and knowing like we have customers that have been with us the entire time and they know our kids as they're growing up. They remember when we had our playpen in the market stall, so that the kids were there. And so it's just growing up and knowing our family and being consistently there and consistently
00:58:37
Speaker
like seeing them every week. That's great advice. I love that you started with the consistency. When you're consistent you build a habit and it's easy to stick with it um and it's not only a habit for yourself but it's making it a habit for your customers where they start to get in a routine of I'm just going to go to the market and I'm going to buy from Janice. I'm going to buy this bouquet of flowers and I'm going to be back next week and the week after that. So that is so great. I know consistency is one of those things that I'm always working on. If you can create a habit of consistency, it becomes easier and you don't even think about doing it. And then the abundance. like
00:59:17
Speaker
making it look full. No one wants to show up to a market and feel like they're getting that last bouquet of flowers. That is the hardest one to sell. If you're standing there with two bouquets, it's like you're going to stand there for probably half an hour and maybe you'll sell that last two. But if you have six bouquets there, they're all flying. so yeah it's really about abundance. I remember like one thing from vegetables and it's a big thing is um pile it high and watch them fly. So if you pile your bunches of radishes high you'll watch them fly off the counter. So same thing with the flowers just make sure it's full.
00:59:51
Speaker
Oh, I like that statement. I tried farmer's markets in the beginning when I started out. And for me, Saturdays is a bad day because it's like the one day that our family is together. And we decided we didn't want to sacrifice that because we're just not a big enough farm to have the help at this point in time. But what I would do with those last bouquets that were left over is I would go and barter after the market ended with the other vendors. And so I traded for vegetables. I'm trying to think what other things I think one time I traded for some like lavender lemonade. and i would get Or I would just give them away if there wasn't anything to barter with. I would just give them to a vendor. And so a vendor could come and enjoy the flowers. And then some of those vendors would start buying the flowers from me before I sold out. Oh, i I have someone I want to give some flowers to this week. Can you put that aside and I'll buy it from you at the end of the market. yeah And then you're no longer left with that last bouquet.
01:00:41
Speaker
yeah So my last question about the farmer's markets is for someone that's listening today that's a backyard gardener, loves growing cup flowers, but doesn't have enough to make their own bouquets. What advice when they go to the farmer's market do you have for them when choosing that bouquet? Yeah.
01:01:02
Speaker
It's the same kind of principle. Take as much as you can. if you're If you don't have a lot, get a smaller space or something like that, but just figure out other ways and other things that you can take. like Even in the spring, like when we don't have maybe as many flowers, will like we'll buy, say, a tray of Lizzianthus plugs, and we'll do up some four packs of Lizzianthus. And sell like the cup like the flowers, because people aren't going to find Lizzianthus at the garden center. So have like some things. And people always want to.
01:01:31
Speaker
grow the they want to have a cutting garden too so well here yeah you can buy that remember that the xanthos that you liked last summer here's four plants of it and you can grow it and have it yourself i mean then they'll also appreciate how much work goes into it because they'll be looking after those little plants for so long um but adding other things in so we add in the plants in the spring and we'll do other little things like in the wintertime we'll add in like winter greens and that but just try thinking of things you can add in as well to your offerings even if you don't have a ton of bouquets to sell.
01:02:06
Speaker
Oh, I love that idea of being able to sell like Lizzie and
Podcast Reflections and Membership Benefits
01:02:09
Speaker
this plugs. So if you order a plug tray of 210 and you only have room for 50, you could pop those others up and sell them at the market or a gardener listening could go look for a flower farm that is selling those specialty flowers that you can't get at your local nursery. Yeah. That is really great.
01:02:29
Speaker
Hey flower friends, just popping in again with something exciting. Do you know you could turn your love for gardening or cut flowers into a digital course? My mentor, Amy Porterfield has a quick quiz that'll show you if you're one of the three types of people who can do just that. And it only takes two minutes. The quiz link is in the show notes. Go check it out. And you just might be surprised by the results. All right, let's dive back into today's episode.
01:02:59
Speaker
Boy, I've gathered a lot of information from you. I have learned so much about flower, or excuse me, about farmer's markets and being a flower farmer at them from you. And what a neat operation you have built on your family farm. The fact that you were growing on seven to eight acres is just mind blowing to me when I grow on an acre. I'm thinking, that is so many flowers. I wish you were close enough that I could come and see your farm.
01:03:26
Speaker
Yeah. I know that you are also a member of the ASCFG. Yes. Are you on the board? I was the Canadian director for the past two terms. um So the the Canadian region only started in 2017, 16 or 17 or something like that. um And it was mostly because of me because I was like, saying things like, you know, like Canada is different and the regions were like we were just lumped in with like Michigan and that kind of stuff. So we didn't really have our own little area. So um I started making some noise about having Canada separate. So then they they took that advice and then had the election for regional director. So
01:04:10
Speaker
I had to run for that basically because I had made enough noise. so um So I ran for that and won that position and was reelected for a second term as the Canadian Regional Director. So such a great organization. And if someone is like, even if you don't want to do full time flower farming,
01:04:29
Speaker
Just be professional about it and like find the professional resources and the really the good resources to go from. There's so many things out there and you can watch any YouTube video or that, but whether that's the right information for you or not, it may not be.
01:04:45
Speaker
and Over the years I've watched something and oh well that person did this so I should do this. Meanwhile they're in a totally different growing zone than me and totally different situation. um So through the association it's like researched and it's like really great knowledge and great information. So definitely it's something worth looking into. It does seem like an expensive but um undertaking when you're first starting out because like Flower Farm is is an expensive endeavor to get into. But the amount that you pay for your membership is so worth it. And it works out to not be expensive with all of the resources and things that you get from being a member of the association. There's so many great resources. And also just the networking opportunities of being able to meet like you mentioned in your same growing zone being able to find other
01:05:36
Speaker
Growers that have more experience than you that you can reach out to and form relationships with has been really great for myself. I know. Well, oh my goodness, I've learned so much today. Janice, before we go, is there anything that I have not asked you today that you would like to share with our audience?
01:05:56
Speaker
I guess we've we've talked about like the the letting the the business grow and not not rushing into everything so fast. Social media and Instagram and all that can get really get in your head. And even someone who's grown for 16 years, I'm guilty of like seeing someone else's stuff and going, oh, look, they have all that. Why why isn't mine doing that? or why isn't um Why aren't mine ready yet? Or um different things like that. So just not letting social media get into your head um and getting making you feel less than you are because you're seeing someone else. Because you have no idea what is really happening. People show the best parts on social media and um there's probably things going on that they're not showing that maybe will give you a full picture of what's going on.
Conclusion and Call to Action
01:06:48
Speaker
That is great advice. Thank you for that. My last question for you today is how can our listeners find you? Yeah, that's an easy one. Okay. So on ah Facebook and Instagram, it's under Harris flower farm.
01:07:06
Speaker
um so you can find us that way. Our website is harrisflowerfarm dot.ca and you can see our website and all that but if anyone's ever in Ontario definitely they can come and visit and see us here.
01:07:19
Speaker
perfect And if they're listening from Ontario, they should sign up or get on your list so they can join your CSA this next year. yeah Sounds like that sells out very quickly, which is amazing. yeah Well, I know this is a busy time of year for all farmers. So thank you so much for carving some time out to have this conversation. I know this will be so valuable for so many people. So thanks for joining us. And I'd love to leave the door open to have you back again. Sure. That sounds great. I'm glad to be here.
01:07:48
Speaker
Well, thanks so much for joining us. You have a great day. You too. Bye-bye. Bye. Thank you Flower Friends for joining us on another episode of the Backyard Bouquet. I hope you've enjoyed the inspiring stories and valuable gardening insights we've shared today. Whether you're cultivating your own backyard blooms or supporting your local flower farmer,
01:08:11
Speaker
you're contributing to the local flower movement, and we're so happy to have you growing with us. If you'd like to stay connected and continue this blossoming journey with local flowers, don't forget to subscribe to the Backyard Bouquet podcast. I'd be so grateful if you would take a moment to leave us a review of this episode. And finally, please share this episode with your garden friends.
01:08:34
Speaker
Until next time, keep growing, keep blooming, and remember that every bouquet starts right here in the backyard.