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Summit Speaker Series: Marryn Mathis on Selling Out Your Dahlia Tuber Sale
1.2k Plays17 days ago
In this bonus episode of The Backyard Bouquet Podcst, I'm sharing my Instagram Live conversation with Marryn Mathis of The Farmhouse Flower Farm. We talked about getting ready for her tuber sale season, how it feels like a total rollercoaster, and some of Marryn's favorite dahlias this year. Marryn is speaking at the Profitable Dahlia Summit on March 4th and she's teaching how to host a dahlia tuber sale that sells out in a single day.
Grab your summit ticket at the link in the show notes. Tickets start at $99.
https://thefloweringfarmhouse.mykajabi.com/profitabledahiliasummit
Connect with Marryn of The Farmhouse Flower Farm: https://www.instagram.com/thefarmhouseflowerfarm/
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Transcript
Introduction and Special Episode Announcement
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey there, welcome to a special bonus episode of the Backyard Bouquet podcast. I've been going live on Instagram with some of the speakers from the Profitable Dahlia Summit, and the conversations have been so good that I didn't want our podcast community to miss out.
Summit Speaker Insights and Ticket Information
00:00:18
Speaker
These are short, casual chats that we had on Instagram where we get to know our speakers and hear a little bit about what they'll be teaching at the Profitable Dahlia Summit.
00:00:29
Speaker
I wanted to make sure you got to be part of these conversations too, even if you missed them live on Instagram. The Profitable Dahlia Summit is happening March 3rd through 4th with a bonus session on March 5th to help you pull everything together.
00:00:43
Speaker
If you want to learn from these amazing speakers and join hundreds of other Dahlia growers who are focused on making their Dahlias profitable, you can grab your ticket at the link in today's show notes.
00:00:54
Speaker
Tickets start at $99. right, here's the replay. all right here's the replay Good morning. Thanks for
Meet the Speakers: Jennifer and Maren
00:01:01
Speaker
joining. We are going live today with Maren. Hello. Good morning.
00:01:06
Speaker
Sorry, I'm a little close. to That's all right. I am too. How are you? I'm good. How are you? Good. for everyone that is joining and maybe doesn't know us, I'm Jennifer of The Flowering Farmhouse, and this Maren Mathis from The Farmhouse Flower Farm. Our Instagram handles are quite similar. um We're here today because the Profitable Dahlia Summit is happening in two weeks, and you are one of our speakers.
00:01:35
Speaker
Yeah.
Maren's Tuber Sale Experience and Newsletter Strategy
00:01:37
Speaker
I'm so excited that you are joining us and you are talking about how to host a successful Dahlia tuber sale, which I couldn't think of anyone better than you to first that session. You are what, in the midst of dividing thousands of tubers? We are, good thing this is this is from the, the video's from like the top up because the top below, but no, we are in we knee deep in dividing tubers right now. So it's it's go time.
00:02:05
Speaker
Does that mean there's a tuber sale coming up sometime in the near future? There is a tuber sale coming very, very soon. So I'll be announcing that to newsletter subscribers this week. But yes, it's coming soon. It's happening.
00:02:18
Speaker
That's awesome. So if someone wanted to join your email list, is there a link in your bio? Yeah, there's a link in our bio to our website. And then you can sign up for our newsletter right there on the homepage. Awesome, I know I'm on your newsletter and I get ready every year for your Tuber Sale. It's one of my favorites. How many varieties do you have in your Tuber Sale this year?
Color Organization Method for Dahlias
00:02:37
Speaker
In our Tuber Sale, as of right now, there's almost 300. Wow. Yeah, yeah, almost So every Saturday I add a a different batch so that people can kind of see our progress as we've divided through the week. So any new varieties that we've divided during the week will be added on Saturday morning so that you can kind of see the rainbow grow as we're as we're dividing so and going through the process. So it's really fun, people really like it.
00:03:04
Speaker
I'm so curious, how did you get started with putting your dahlias in a rainbow order? I'm just, I'm very visual and just, I love color order. That's kind of my love language. So I do everything in color order. The only time that I do anything in alphabetical order is actually when I'm shipping varieties. because anybody that's helping me with the shipping process, you know, they obviously don't know what color things are. But when I'm anything in my field, I really try to plant in color order just because I find it just it's very, um yeah, it's very visually appealing to me, like ah calming almost. I just I just love the way that it's laid out in rainbow order. So I do all of our sweet peas that way, all of our dahlias that way. And so then it just translated into the website as well.
00:03:49
Speaker
It's so easy to shop your website because of that. And I've followed your idea on my field and it makes it so much easier now instead of planting by height or form when I'm harvesting for florist orders, it's like I can go down an entire section and get everything I need that's in that color palette instead of walking from the first row to the 20th row and back and forth. It's so helpful. There's so many different ways to do it, right? So like if you're hybridizing, it makes sense for people to plant like water lilies together or ball varieties together. But
Shipping and Sales Process Insights
00:04:19
Speaker
when you just have, you know, a big field and you're harvesting for, know, florist orders or weddings or whatever it is. And it's also when they're planted right next to each other, it's it's easier for harvesting, but it's also easier to compare them against each other. Like which one do I like better when I'm bringing in a new variety and they're classifying it as, you know, coral or raspberry or orange or whatever color it is, you know, how does it, how does it compare to my other favorites and stuff like that? So I really like to compare the different colors against each other.
00:04:48
Speaker
I love it. You're so amazing. Well, I'm one of the lucky ones that have also gotten to see your shipping process. And i have to say that I was blown away because you are so organized. And there's a reason why you are so successful with your tuber sales, because you have everything so systematized.
00:05:07
Speaker
Thank you.
Challenges in Dahlia Cultivation and Field Organization
00:05:08
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's taken a lot of work to get there, but it's, you know, when you have a good system in processtin you know in place and you have great processes behind it all, it makes it go so much smoother in the long run versus, you know, just having everything scattered. And it just, it takes us a few days to get, you know, get everything set and ready, but in the long run, it's just, it's time well spent for sure.
00:05:33
Speaker
Totally, this last year with my seedlings, that once my second to fourth year seedlings, I was so late in planting everything that I was kind of like, okay, screw the order. And I just planted them and I had four rows of them, 400 foot rows and I'm having to walk back and forth and I've got a red one here and then a white one and then a pink and it was it took me so much more time ah Yeah, seedlings are fun though, because you know, with as their genetics kind of change over the years, you know, from first to third year or whatever, it's really nice that like I said, to have them in color order so that you are, um you know, seeing how things change where it could be, you know, a light lilac the first season and you just absolutely love it. And then let's say the next season, it turns a little bit darker and it blows its center right away. So I just, I love that about growing dahlias, just how observant and just taking your time, slowing down, like really looking at the flowers, what what traits you're looking for in hybridizing and just how all of them are so beautiful in their own way. And they're all so different.
Growth Journey and Profitability in Dahlia Sales
00:06:37
Speaker
Totally. like How long have you been growing dahlias? Oh, wow. ah Since 2018. That was my first, that was my first season. Yeah. Yeah. Oh my goodness. So You just went all in. went all in. We started with 150 and now go over 8,000.
00:06:51
Speaker
yeah i went oh like we started with one hundred and fifty and now we go over eight thousand So yeah, I went all in. I guess that shows how quickly things can multiply. Oh, for sure. I think Dahlia should come with a warning label. Like it's an addiction for sure.
00:07:08
Speaker
For sure. The best kind of addiction. but the best kind of addiction. Yeah. But I think part of that is because they multiply so easily, which is why so many people are trying to sell their tubers now.
00:07:21
Speaker
Yeah, there's so many people out there trying to sell tubers and I think that's why this summit is so great. What you're doing Jen is that, you know, it's showcasing dahlias in so many different ways where you can be profitable off of flowers that are growing in your own garden. And with tuber sales specifically, I think, you know, a lot of people go into them thinking I can make, you know, a ton of money. And yes, the money is good with them. But there's also so much that goes on behind the scenes to run a successful sale and all those pieces that need to be in place before you can market your tubers. And so that's what we're going to talk about during my session um here in a few weeks about just all the things that you need to consider when you're trying to turn those tubers into profit.
00:08:04
Speaker
I cannot wait because I know when we had to move fields, I had to make the decision to scale back my tuber sales because I wasn't going to be shipping Dahlia tubers from my kitchen counter. Right. ah Because I no longer had a shipping spot. So I had to pivot and start, or not producing, but selling my Dahlias creatively. I was selling potted plants. I was selling more flowers locally. And I found a way to make it profitable outside of just the tuber sales. Right.
00:08:33
Speaker
I think so many people. And well, and you can go into it, like, let's say with 150 tubers, like that's not enough for me to do a tuber sale. And even the second year I was like, you know, I mean, I think quantities are a very important thing to talk about, you know, not having, you know, one, two or three tubers to to sell.
00:08:53
Speaker
But thinking like quantity wise, um just because, you know, the larger farms, larger quantities, you know, those are, um you know, they're not going to sell out as quickly as, you know, those unicorns. So for me, with with our following, it's really important for me to have a certain number that I'm able to sell before I even offer it for sale. just because i don't want, you know, all of my customers fighting over, you know, let's say 20 tubers, you know, it has to be a lot more than that for me to offer it for sale. So also just, I mean, there's all sorts of different, i mean, I could deep dive into it right now, but because i know we got
00:09:32
Speaker
there's just so many things to think about, you know, when you're getting into tuber sales. Absolutely.
Labor and Planning for Successful Dahlia Cultivation
00:09:39
Speaker
Well, going back to your session at the summit, what do you hope people walk away knowing from your session?
00:09:45
Speaker
I hope they walk away feeling more confident about doing the tuber sale, knowing the, you know, things that need to be in place in order to have a successful tuber sale, just all of the things that they might've not thought about, um you know, when hosting a tuber sale, the difference between on-farm sales, like you know, website sales, photographs, like just all the things that, you know, you need to think about during the season. There's no flower that we work harder for than dahlias. And if I broke it down as to how many times I touched not only the plants, but the flowers and just all the things that are, you know, part of the process. I mean, it it takes a year to produce, you know, tubers. And I would say in order to do a successful dahlias tuber sale, probably two or three, to be honest with you. I didn't start selling my tubers until 20, was it 2020 2021?
00:10:36
Speaker
was it twenty twenty or twenty twenty one But it was a couple years in. So it's quite an investment, but there's also ways that you can make money off of them, I guess, from the very beginning. So you can start with your initial stock and maybe go cut flowers for the first couple years until you actually really build up your stock. And then after that, dive into your sales.
00:10:59
Speaker
um But, you know, I mean, we're talking like sterilization you know processes and, you know, shipping processes and packaging and, you know, just dividing and marketing and all the things, you know, yeah it's it' so overwhelming. It's very overwhelming. yeah Can you tell I'm like knee deep in it right now?
00:11:17
Speaker
But you know, it's like you've got to be thinking of these things as the season is going on and as you know, your flowers are blooming and how are you going to market them? How are you going to showcase the beauty of them or you know, the growing shots, the field shots, handfuls, like just all of the things. So there's a lot to think about. It's not just, you know, digging up a tuber, cutting it into
Learning from Experienced Growers at the Summit
00:11:39
Speaker
pieces and you know,
00:11:41
Speaker
putting it into bags and selling it. There's just a lot of different things that you need to think about when doing Dahlia Tuber sales. Absolutely. i My head's just spinning, just listening to that. I'm like, oh my gosh, I've got so much to do. I've been so knee deep in the summit that I've divided...
00:11:59
Speaker
maybe a 10th of my tubers. And I still have most to wash and divide. And I'll be doing that probably well after your tuber sales are taken place this year. yeah We've got like all different stages. We've got tubers that need to be washed. We've got tubers that have been washed that need to be divided. We've got tubers that have been divided that need to be you know, I need to go through and quality check everything and then and count everything and inventory everything. And then we've got the tubers that are done. So i mean we've got all the different stages right now, but it's it's totally worth it. Honestly, just being able to share little pieces. You know, I look at each tuber as a little piece of our flower farming dream that I get to share with you know, other people, you know, across the whole entire country. And it's just, it's it's pretty awesome just to see, you know, our hard work turn into something that people are going to, you know, just really enjoy.
00:12:51
Speaker
Absolutely. and I love that you have such a big heart that you are not just sharing your flowers with the world, but you're sharing your knowledge. You're coming to the summit. You're taking time today instead of dividing dahlias right now to talk to us about this. So I'm so grateful. And I'm curious, Marin, outside of your session, is there a session that you're looking forward to attending at the summit?
00:13:12
Speaker
Um, all of it, honestly, I think, you know, there's, you're constantly learning, you're constantly constantly growing. There's every, every season is different and you know, you never know everything, right? Like you're constantly learning. And so I'm just really interested to, you know, hear the different speakers and just what they have to say and, you know, knowing how we do things and, you know, there might be a different way to do things and different things that we can try. along the way as well. So I'm just, I'm excited for all of it. I think it's going be great.
00:13:43
Speaker
Absolutely. I was talking with Giulio Freitas from the floor, who's also going to be speaking. And he's like, Jen, do you realize there's over a hundred years or different years of growing experience coming into this summit? Because every year is a different season and we have different lessons that we're learning every year. So we have over a hundred years of experience going into this summit, which is pretty cool. Yeah. I think honestly, people are going to get so much out of all the sessions. And I think, you know, just as a ah collection of, you know, there's so much to learn from dahlias and there's so much, you know, that we can gain from just, you know, listening to others, enjoying others, you know, company and really coming together over our love of flowers is is is pretty awesome. So I'm excited for everybody. i think you've got a great lineup. I think it's going to be absolutely fantastic. And yeah, i get your tickets, you guys.
00:14:37
Speaker
Well, there's a link in both of our bios. So if anyone wants to join us, the summit is happening March 3rd through 4th. And then on March 5th, I'm hosting a bonus session from 9 to 1030 AM, where I'm going to be taking notes throughout the whole session and recapping everything on Thursday morning with actionable steps to help people with the worksheet to put the whole session together so that you can choose one or two things that you learn and really focus on those this year so that you can set yourself up for success. and get your money's worth
Quickfire Questions: Maren's Favorites and Preferences
00:15:09
Speaker
out of the summit. Our live tickets start at $99 and all access is $199, which includes lifetime replays of the summit as well as speaker bonuses. And before we wrap up, Maureen, we need to get back to dividing dahlia.
00:15:24
Speaker
but I've got a lightning round of questions that asking all dahlia growers or all speakers real fast. So what is your favorite dahlia variety this year? oh goodness.
00:15:36
Speaker
like picking a favorite child. It is. its Well, and people ask me about a favorite sweet pea and I can never pick a favorite. um There's so many good ones. um I loved Peachy Parade this year.
00:15:48
Speaker
That was one of my favorites. River's Cantaloupe a stunner. I went like, I'm going, I'm geared towards the oranges and the peaches. Um, Bloomquist Pleasing, I love that one. Bloomquist Sioux, uh, Cafe is always a favorite. i know some people are like, she's a diva, but I absolutely love, love Cafe. Um, Farmer Finn, I gotta say Farmer Finn, one of my favorites. Um,
00:16:15
Speaker
there's so many good ones, Jen. Like honestly, it just really depends on my mood too. Like sometimes I'll go out into the garden and you know, I love one of my favorites is going out to the garden and just not even having a color palette to cut for and just what is really speaking to me in that moment. um But yeah, those are some of my favorites from this past season.
00:16:34
Speaker
Well, I just woke up Marin's Farmer's Fin. Oh, yay! Sorry. and i yeah cause we I just had one because you have to limit one on the sale. I know. And my florist absolutely loved that one. Oh, good. Yeah, it was a Blue Ribbon winner this year. So it's going to be officially in the ADS. So I'm really excited about that. But yeah, and it's created some sibling rivalry because Mavericks now picked out his dahlia seedling. And so I think Finn was kind of ribbing him a little bit when he was walking through ceiling patch. He's like, make sure it's a ribbon winner. i love it. It was it was fun.
00:17:09
Speaker
and That's so cute. Okay. I think I know the answer to this, but I don't know if everyone listening does. Coffee or tea? Coffee. Yeah, you know ah yeah i'm I'm living on like four cups of coffee a day right now and I'm sure you are too. Yeah. Most chaotic dahlia moment you've ever had?
00:17:28
Speaker
oh wow. Wow.
00:17:31
Speaker
most chaotic Dahlia moment. Oh, okay. um It was when it was, oh man, how many years ago was that? It was like three years ago and we were having a ton of rain and we had standing water in the field and I literally had clumps that were submerged in water. So that was probably the most chaotic. It was funny because, well, it wasn't funny, but at the moment it wasn't funny, but looking back,
00:17:56
Speaker
because it was cafe. And so I was like, God save the queen. was like, God save the queen. So, but yeah, it was, it was having clumps underwater. It's so, it's so stressful.
00:18:06
Speaker
It's so stressful getting those guys out. um But yeah, I would have to say that was my most chaotic Dahlia moment. That would definitely make me fearful. I've had some seedlings in the ground and we've barely gone below freezing. so I was like, oh they'll be fine. And we're on a hill. But I have an area where there's obviously standing water. And so the ones that I'm digging up that were under the standing water, and it's just a few, so things happen. But they are totally rotted. all it a apply for So it's so stressful. It's so stressful. and You know, especially when you've got such a big field and you're trying to get everything out. And, you know, it's at that time of the season where, you know, the weather's turning and just there's so many elements that, you know, come into play that it's just, i mean, it's all, ah honestly, it is,
00:18:54
Speaker
i I'm absolutely, let's see, I mean, my family runs on like crock pot dinners, frozen pizzas, and just like all the easy stuff when we're digging the field. Because it's, I mean, I'm literally out there from the time the sun is up until the sun, I mean, after it goes down. like I'm literally, I mean, I'm not digging after dark, but getting everything in and getting it into the cooler and, you know, tucked in and stuff. It's, you know, headlights on the tractor and all the things. So, yeah, it's a stressful time.
00:19:23
Speaker
For sure. It's a true labor of love. Yeah, it is. Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. It's labor of love. So that leads me to my next question. you ever say love it or dread it Both. bothtime Both. It's honestly, it's so stressful.
00:19:39
Speaker
for everyone involved. It's stressful for the seller because you know you're thinking of all the things that you know are happening behind the scenes and shipping costs and website stuff and just all of the little technicalities. And then you know that you've got so many people that are you know wanting it and waiting on the website. and you know I mean, I honestly, i can't even touch my computer when our sales go live because I'm literally shaking so badly. like The last 10 minutes before our sale goes live, it's,
00:20:08
Speaker
ah Yeah, it's, um I can't explain the feeling. It's, yeah. And then when you have a great sale, it's euphoria. And then it goes into, I mean, I allow myself to actually, you know, just kind of sit and enjoy the, you know, the, if it's successful. um And then you know, you go into getting ready for shipping and, you know making sure everything's packaged and, just you know, all of the things. So it's it's kind of like a roller coaster, really. But it's it's not only stressful for everybody that's out there that's, you know, made their lists and they want these unicorns and, you know, they everybody's, you know, fighting against the same varieties. But at the same time, I mean, it's really stressful for the seller
Essential Tools and Techniques for Dahlia Farming
00:20:50
Speaker
also.
00:20:50
Speaker
So, yeah. So so i can't I can't say love it or dread it. I mean, it's both because you've worked so hard to, you know, supply a product and you absolutely love these flowers and you love sharing them with people. But at the same time, like I said, it's just all the stress that's involved with on the back end.
00:21:11
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah. Okay. Last lightning question. Favorite tool farming hack. Oh man. have a good tool for dividing dahlias.
00:21:23
Speaker
I mean, I mean, snips, obviously. i have probably 10 or 15 pairs on the bench right now. um ah use the ARS45s. favorite tool?
00:21:35
Speaker
um but favorite tool um
00:21:42
Speaker
I mean, really, well, it's it's a mason jar with bleach water and good snips. I mean, I'm like seeing eyes in my sleep, you know, sterilizing everything, sterilizing between clumps, sterilizing between, you know, varieties, like all the things. So I think honestly, yeah just just good snips and, you know, just making sure you sterilize.
00:22:06
Speaker
clothes that can handle bleach stains. yes Exactly. Like there's nothing cute about dividing at all. It's about staying warm and you're going to be filthy dirty.
00:22:17
Speaker
And I mean, I don't match. I don't you know. I'm literally in there with you know, my beanie on, I've got a sweatshirt, hooded sweatshirt with my hood pulled up over it. I've got a flannel over.
00:22:31
Speaker
so it's not pretty work, but it's necessary. Absolutely. Yeah. Well, Marin, thanks so much for joining me for this
Conclusion and Summit Reminder
00:22:40
Speaker
one. And for those of you that joined us, if you want to go deeper with Marin or our other speakers at the Profitable Dahlia Summit, we'd love for you to join us March 3rd through fourth the bonus day on the fifth And you can visit the link in either of our bios to grab more information or tickets. And we hope to see you there.
00:22:57
Speaker
Good luck dividing your dahlias. And we'll see you. Yeah, we'll see you. Thank you so much for having me. And um yeah. Thanks, everyone. Bye, everyone. Bye.