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Ep.6: Flower Farming on 1/6 Acre with Erin Simmons of Handpicked Homestead
4.1k Plays2 years ago
Are you dreaming of starting your own small-scale flower farm? In this episode of the Backyard Bouquet Podcast, host Jennifer Gulizia interviews Erin Simmons, a successful flower farmer and mom of four. Erin shares her journey from being a lobbyist to trading in her high heels for muck boots and pursuing her passion for flower farming on Vashon Island.
Erin provides valuable insights and advice for aspiring flower farmers, including tips on growing dahlias, daffodils, and zinnias, finding the right sales outlets, and the importance of connecting with mentors in the industry. She also opens up about the challenges of balancing family life and farming, offering valuable lessons on prioritizing and finding a healthy work-life balance.
Whether you're a backyard gardener looking to take your passion to the next level or someone interested in the world of flower farming, this episode is packed with wisdom, inspiration, and practical advice. Tune in to learn from Erin's experiences and discover how you can let your backyard bloom with a small-scale flower farm of your own.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- 00:02:03 – Erin’s background and journey into flower farming
- 00:06:06 – Involving her children in the flower farming process
- 00:11:05 – Growing daffodils and Erin’s favorite varieties
- 00:13:00 – Erin’s favorite dahlia varieties
- 00:23:23 – Erin’s favorite moments and experiences in flower farming
- 00:25:50 – Tips for buying dahlia tubers and finding new varieties
- 00:31:04 – Advice for starting a cut flower garden
- 00:36:37 – Selling flowers and finding sales outlets
- 00:40:03 – Balancing flower farming with family and personal health
- 00:44:31 – Plans and goals for the 2024 flower farming season
- 00:48:15 – Valuable advice for aspiring flower farmers
- 00:53:23 – The importance of mentors and community in flower farming
Episode Show Notes: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.com/2024/01/23/small-scale-flower-farming-with-erin-simmons-handpicked-homestead/
Learn more about Erin Simmons & Handpicked Homestead
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Transcript
Introduction to Backyard Bouquet Podcast
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.
Erin Simmons' Journey from Lobbyist to Flower Farmer
00:00:39
Speaker
All right flower friends, grab your gardening gloves, garden snips, or your favorite vase because it's time to let your backyard bloom.
00:00:57
Speaker
Today's guest on the podcast is my friend, Erin Simmons of Handpicked Homestead from Vashon Island. Erin is a mom of four who spent over a decade lobbying at the Washington state legislature before trading in her high heels for muck boots.
00:01:14
Speaker
I met Erin almost one year ago at the Oregon State Small Farms Conference in Corvallis, Oregon, where she was presenting about dahlia disease and virus to the Pacific Northwest cut flower growers. Erin and I hit it off immediately and Erin has become one of my dear friends in the floral industry who I chat with almost weekly with about everything from motherhood to dahlia viruses to spreading joy through our flowers.
00:01:42
Speaker
I know you're going to love hearing from Erin today as you learn more about her cut flower garden and how she shares the beauty of local flowers with her community. With that, please welcome Erin to the Backyard Bouquet. Hi, Erin. Hi, thank you for having me. Oh, it's my pleasure. Thanks so much for joining me on the podcast.
00:02:03
Speaker
It's really an honor that you asked me to come and I always, it's just been such a great friendship to build with you in the last year. And I'm thrilled at the different things you're doing. And this podcast is going to be such a great addition to the floral world. So I can't wait to see where you take it.
00:02:20
Speaker
Thank you. So Erin and I are chatting pre-launch of the podcast and this episode will be airing in January of 2024. So Erin, do you mind? I know I shared a little bit about you, but will you give our guests a little bit of background on who you are and what you grow?
00:02:39
Speaker
Sure. So like you said, I had been a lobbyist and then worked in the political arena for over 20 years now. But roughly a decade ago, due to a job change from my husband, we moved to very rural Northeast Washington. And I stopped working at that point. I had my fourth child.
00:03:03
Speaker
And I was kind of looking for, you know, what's next for me. And I took an online course called Naptime Entrepreneur. And that was my first step that led to flower farming and
00:03:19
Speaker
It's been great, great journey. I had not really grown anything before that time. So it's been a big learning curve, but a great adventure and just love it. I've met people like you along the way. So lots of great fruit beyond the flowers. What year did you take that course? That was in about 2017. So yeah, I'm going to be starting my seventh year this coming year of flower farming.
00:03:49
Speaker
That's amazing. Now, did you have a garden prior to this?
Challenges and Family Involvement in Flower Farming
00:03:53
Speaker
No. I'd grown dahlias a little bit when we lived in Olympia. I've grown them for maybe about 15 years or so, but it was really that move and getting more serious and trying to cultivate them in more of a farming way. I will say I've always been really small. Right now, I have about a sixth of an acre.
00:04:16
Speaker
that's fenced. And so I'm very small, you know, compared to a lot of places. But, you know, I think it can show that it's possible on a small scale to have a viable business. And so, yeah, that's been.
00:04:31
Speaker
part of my journey too. Okay. So I'm going to backtrack and, um, go through this timeline with you. So in 2017, you took the mommy entrepreneur. Is that what it was called? Yeah. Nap time entrepreneur, nap time entrepreneur. How did that get you thinking? Let's start a flower farm.
00:04:55
Speaker
Honestly, I was deciding between should I do kind of a sewing business because I enjoyed sewing or I had just, you know, read an article about flower farming in a magazine and that seemed really interesting to me and I, the flowers are beautiful and attracted me. And really what it came down to was I realized if I am sewing, it will be me alone.
00:05:21
Speaker
in a closet or something. Honestly, probably asking my kids to go away or something to concentrate and sharp pins and everything. Or choosing flowers would be outside. My kids can be outside. They can get dirty. My husband really enjoys outside projects. And so plus nature and sunshine. And so that was really what steered me toward
00:05:50
Speaker
towards flowers, and I'm really glad I made that decision. It was a good one, so. I love that you mentioned that it was something that your children could be present with you. Do your children help on the farm? Different kids help to varying degrees. My oldest loves, you know, she will shovel. She's 14 now. She will shovel. She will push that wheelbarrow. Heavy manual labor is her thing.
00:06:20
Speaker
She does not she's not like weeding She does have some interest in in you know, bouquets and floral design a little bit and then My my other kids will kind of come out and play and just sort of be in the periphery But I don't I don't necessarily ask him to do jobs or anything My third daughter is she loves making bouquets and and just wants to go cut things and she's she's
00:06:48
Speaker
let's see, 10. And so I think she probably would start a flower farm when she is older or something. She's really the one who seems most interested in the wide aspects of it. So yeah. I love that you involve your children and you don't force them, but you give them the opportunity to see what you're doing and to be involved in the process if they choose to do so. Now, I'm going back to when you started the flower farm.
00:07:16
Speaker
Did you already have a space or did you have to start from the ground up and cultivate your farm from scratch? We were renting a place. It had a field, it had a fenced area, so we just shoveled, dug up some rows. I got some landscape fabric and I knew so little. I just dove in. We just put seeds in the ground.
00:07:41
Speaker
I mean, I didn't know about starting them indoors and you know, so I had a huge learning curve. So there was also these ground squirrel pests that live there. They're like kind of things. And they just, I mean, the few things that did grow, um, just got annihilated by those ground squirrels. Um, it was, it was difficult, but you know, it's like, you just start somewhere and, you know, figure out from your problems how to,
00:08:10
Speaker
how to solve those and it was a good way to start. I learned very quickly that I can't sew anything in the ground and I couldn't figure out why and then I realized one day that the crows were watching me and literally I had to move only 10 feet away and the crows would come and eat every seed that I would put in the ground. So now I have to start everything in the greenhouse and then once it's growing, plant it out in the field.
Adapting to New Growing Zones and Early Floral Ventures
00:08:34
Speaker
So did you take any growing classes or any courses to learn how to grow the flowers or did you just learn as you went?
00:08:42
Speaker
I just dove in and start really knowing nothing. The person who wrote the article that I read, I reached out to her. I found her, I think, on Facebook. And she was kind enough to answer some questions and share about where she bought seeds and what she liked to grow. And she was in Tennessee, so it was quite a different growing zone. But it was really nice of her to share
00:09:11
Speaker
you know, some of those, she told me about Fleurette and Erin Benzekine, and so I got her book. And that was a really helpful way to start. I'd say a couple years in, I took Lisa Mason-Siegler's flower farming course. I took the No-Till flower farming course that is on Lisa's website that
00:09:37
Speaker
Jonathan and Megan Lace teach that one. I usually treat myself to an online course every year is pretty much my average. I really like the continuing education and online learning is really a way I prefer to learn. So yeah, it's a really great way to continue your learning because there's always something to learn as you are growing flowers. So what growing zone are you in?
00:10:04
Speaker
So I'm right outside of Seattle, Washington, zone 8B. So it's pretty forgiving. I don't get hard, hard freezes through the ground.
00:10:17
Speaker
So it's very forgiving, which is a big help to me. Where I started flower farming was actually a zone 5B. Oh, wow. Yeah, it was a huge change moving from Eastern Washington back over here to Bashan because I gained 100 days longer growing season. I mean, three months, it's pretty remarkable difference. So my hat is off to the flower farmers who are in those cold zones.
00:10:44
Speaker
It's tough, you know, so I'm happy. The 8B has been helpful for me. You definitely live in a growing zone that gives you lots of opportunity to grow pretty much everything. So when you started out, do you remember what were some of the first flowers you started growing? Dahlias I started with, zinnias, basil,
00:11:10
Speaker
trying to think what other ones, cosmos, marigold, you know, a lot of the tender annuals and just because I had previous experience with dahlias, you know, they were a big, I tried some sunflowers and
00:11:27
Speaker
After we moved to Vashon, I got fancy daffodil bulbs. And so that's really the only bulb that I grow. And yeah, we can get into that a little bit further in the conversation, but yeah, lower maintenance things and cut and come again are definitely attributes I look for in what I'm choosing to plant.
00:11:55
Speaker
Okay, so let's touch on that. What are some of the lower maintenance plants that you grow that you would recommend to someone who is starting out their garden? Okay, so I'm a huge daffodil fan. They naturalize.
00:12:10
Speaker
different from tulips for flower farming. They can grow year after year, you don't pull the whole bulb. For me, as a mom of four and I have a day job, time is a huge component, a constraint that I have. I put the daffodils in, they stay in the same bed for about three years before I move them, but they just grow, you pull the flower and that's it.
00:12:39
Speaker
That's a really helpful one that I recommend for people starting out. They're deer-proof. I have very heavy deer pressure on my property, so they can be outside the fence and not taking up space inside the fence, and they just show up and are beautiful. That's a big one. I like dahlias from tubers because I feel like that's a pretty good way for people to start. I mean, if you plant them and you're not having a drainage issue, they take off.
00:13:09
Speaker
as opposed to seed starting and all the nuances of seed starting and having a place to do that, putting a tuber in the ground, it just gets going. So that also is more foolproof, I think, than seeds. Seed starting isn't really my favorite part of flower farming. It's something I've struggled with troubleshooting. So yeah, zinnias are one I like, though. They start pretty easy, and they go
00:13:39
Speaker
different colors and those are a fun one that I really enjoy too. Perfect. Well, I'm going to touch on all three of them with you. Okay. So going back to daffodils, you mentioned that you move them every three years. Yes, they get high
00:13:54
Speaker
plant them pretty closely in my flower bed. You'll hear people compare to egg carton, you know, kind of think of, of lowdom in an egg carton. I did that initially when I moved them, I did spread them out a little bit further because I found, you know, they get, they naturalize and get more and more crowded in the flower bed. So by about year three, I had great flowers, but I felt like if I let them stay as they were,
00:14:22
Speaker
into a fourth year I think they can get so crowded that you may not see balloons just because they're they're space cramped so um I feel like for me three years has been kind of a sweet spot to move them and divide them and you
Deep Dive into Daffodils and Dahlias
00:14:36
Speaker
know yeah I now have a lot of bulb crepe some duffetals I need to figure out where they're gonna go but it's a gift that keeps giving so I like that aspect a lot
00:14:47
Speaker
That's great. And there's such a welcoming sight after winter time. I've noticed that a few of mine are actually starting to pop up out of the ground. Yes. Already. Not the flowers, but just the greens. Yeah. Yeah. It's just like hope for, you know, especially right now in winter and there's not much green or growth starting, but they're just popping out and starting to say, I'm on the way. There's hope. So I agree. Yes. I love that. Do you have a favorite daffodil?
00:15:17
Speaker
Oh, what? That's hard to say. Replete is a beautiful one that I love and Mammoth Mountain. I don't know that one. I mean, I just love them all. Tezeta are the ones that have a lot of tiny blooms on one stalk. Avalanche is one of my favorite Tezetas. The fun thing about daffodils I like is they're scent. Yes. Because most of the summer flowers don't have
00:15:47
Speaker
much scent and I really like the scent of the daffodils. It kind of takes people by surprise. But yeah, that's one of my favorite parts of it is the smell and yeah, I like all of them. They're just unique. It's like nothing like you see the yellow grocery store ones.
00:16:06
Speaker
Exactly. I will pick them while they're blooming and bring them by my bedside. And I just can't get enough of the fragrance. My favorite for smell is Sir Winston Churchill. And I'm determined to figure out a way of how to bottle up the scent. I'm like, it would be the best perfume. I don't wear perfume anymore. I probably need to working out in the field every day. But I just love the smell.
00:16:34
Speaker
of Sir Winston Churchill. There's a few others that I really like too, but I'm like, wouldn't it be amazing if we could find a way to bottle up that scent and keep it going throughout the year?
00:16:43
Speaker
It would be. I would sign me up for a bottle when you get that going. You will be the first that I send one to when I figure it out. That is definitely a goal of mine for the future. I need to talk to someone. So if anyone listening knows how to bottle up scents of flowers, I am all ears because I would love to capture my daffodils. Now, when you harvest your daffodils, at what stage do you harvest them? For the most part, I pull them in gooseneck.
00:17:11
Speaker
stage they're closed but they're kind of bending the bloom is bending over like a goose neck and that's that's another aspect i like is just putting them in the fridge like that you know rubber band in bunches and um i do not have a cooler um so i have used a refrigerator and i actually the trick i like is um the the the 1020 trays that we can seed start in um i like to use those and and some
00:17:41
Speaker
you can buy with a clear dome lid. And so I put my daffodils in those. I lay them, lay them flat and just, you know, put the lid over it, rubber band to just kind of hold it shut. And I can stack a couple of those in my refrigerator downstairs. And you dry store them. Yep. Dry store them. Yep. Just lay them right in, you know, yeah, no water. You just pull it, rubber band them. I do bunches of 10 and lay them down.
00:18:07
Speaker
And the sap does ooze from the end, but I just put it in there and I keep all the bloom heads at one end and the ooze cut end. I shouldn't say cut, because it's not good to cut them. It's good to pull them out of the ground. We can engage our six-year-old selves and just go pick flowers like we used to do. That's how gaffodils like to go. So yeah, I just put them in the grow the 10-20 tray with the lid.
00:18:33
Speaker
um, and put it in. I found if you just put them without a lid or some covering it, it's kind of like when you throw a lettuce head in your refrigerator and it gets kind of wimpy after a while, that can happen. But as long as I put the, the dome lid on, it's great. So yep. And I keep those, you know, I don't, half a week is mostly what I feel comfortable with, but that, that allows me to kind of harvest every day and, and just, yeah.
00:18:58
Speaker
move them when they're, when the farm stands stocking day is or the florist is ready for an order. So I feel like I just learned something new. I've never dry stored my daffodils before. And now I want to try that. I imagine that the dome kind of creates a moisture barrier and traps the moisture in. Yeah. Yeah. And, um, yeah, like I said, I don't know what, what, if it's a humidity thing, you know, that, that just, if you just, yeah, if you put a,
00:19:25
Speaker
vegetable or lettuce in the refrigerator without a bag or something protecting it. It gets just, it just gets gross. Um, and so I think putting your daffodils in, you would want, if you only had 10, 20 trays and not the dome, you might be able to get a plastic sack or something, you know, and just reuse it. But I think covering it somehow is a, is a key way. But yeah, I think, you know, half a week, I haven't experimented too much with going
00:19:52
Speaker
I mean, maybe people can try a week or something, but you'd have to vase test letting it bloom and just seeing how the bloom acts if you went longer. But half a week's great. That's what I can do without seeing any detriment later on the blooming end of the flower.
00:20:12
Speaker
Thanks for sharing that tip with us. And I want to just touch back on, you mentioned the harvesting. So for everyone listening, I did not know this until I started growing tulips. I just, or I'm sorry, not tulips, daffodils. I just assumed that you took your scissors and cut them at the base. But what you do instead is you grab your fingers almost like a pincher and you run your fingers down the stem
00:20:36
Speaker
underground where the leaves split. And as you kind of yank and twist, the stem literally separates from the bulb and comes up and you get another four or five inches of stem length on the daffodil, which then makes it usable in bouquets.
00:20:53
Speaker
And it's such a longer stem length because I'll go, Oh, I only have a 13 inch stem. But all of a sudden I go down, put pinch my fingers and go under the soil. And next thing I know I have a 20 inch stem daffodil and certain varieties have longer stems than others, but right.
00:21:10
Speaker
Yeah. And that's, you know, that's really the key to what you just described with, you know, that's, that's the way the daffodils keep going is, you know, you pulled the stem and the bloom, but all the green leaves stay. And then we let them, you know, keep, keep doing their thing and receiving, you know, chlorophyll and growing. And then that energy goes back into the bulb and.
00:21:31
Speaker
That's how it gets bigger for next year or begins to naturalize is, you know, we pulled the bloom, but the leaves can stay. And that's a difference between tulips and daffodils. Um, and that's what steers me towards daffodils too, is, is that, uh, longevity and year to year ability that they have that tulips don't. So that that's a plus for me, the busy mom is, you know, all the digging and planting, um, every year for tulips, just, you know,
00:22:01
Speaker
it doesn't work for me and my family's schedule. The tulips just don't have the same smell. Yeah, exactly. They are beautiful and there's some other growers on Vashon who grow amazing tulips that I love to go treat myself and buy their tulips, but I plan to just stick with the daffodils as what I grow.
00:22:25
Speaker
I grow both, but I have to say that if I had to pick one, it would be daffodils because of the fragrance. I just, it's one of my favorite smells in the world and I love them. So thank you for sharing on that. Let's move on to, you mentioned dahlias. You have been growing dahlias, you said for how many years? Probably, I mean, I think I started after we got married. So it's probably, yeah, 16 years now.
00:22:50
Speaker
And I just, I screw them without really knowing anything for, you know, a long time. And then as I actually started a business in flower farming, um, got more serious about it. Um, and then have really learned a lot in the past few years. I think, I think the entire, you know, flower world is learning a ton more about dahlias and, you know, viruses and hybridizing and.
00:23:15
Speaker
You know, it's just a very exciting flower right now. I think it's gained so much more attention the last five plus years, especially. So it's a fun thing to share. And there's being in Washington, especially Western Washington, that a lot of the great hybridizers are here too. So it's a fun place to be and all the dahlias that are around here.
00:23:40
Speaker
It's a great time to be a Dahlia grower. There's so many exciting things happening and there's the Dahlia Genome Project that is going on with the research that's going to help hybridizing Dahlias. There's a lot being discovered in Dahlia disease right now. So many amazing varieties are coming to market. Do you have
00:24:02
Speaker
Let's see. It's hard to name just a few, but if you had to, what are some of your most reliable producers for dahlias that you grow? Oh, I should have made a list before I talked to you. Sorry. No, it's just fine. I try to stay toward ball varieties. I don't know if some people don't like them, but
00:24:24
Speaker
Um, they are the toughest, they give the longest base life. And, um, so I really want, when I grow, I want it to last for a long time for the florists I sell to and then, you know,
00:24:37
Speaker
the community around me when they buy my flowers. I want things to last as long as possible. So I really try to stick with ball or some of the formal decorative or informal decorative, certainly closed center. I've tried a couple here and there of open center and just to be unique, but I love peaches and cream. That's a favorite one of mine.
00:25:06
Speaker
I tried some white delis out this year and Salish Snow Day was one of my favorites. That was hybridized by a farmer who lived on Bashan until a few years ago. So it's kind of fun to have one that was developed here, Noni Morrison, that's who hybridized the Salish series. What else? I'm gonna have to think on it. It's okay.
00:25:35
Speaker
Well, let's talk about right now dahlias are very popular and this is the time of year that a lot of tuber sales are coming up. Do you have a wish list for any of those unicorns that are those hard to get dahlias? You know, I'm going to make myself be very good this year. I'm trying not to buy any, um, I'll probably trade with a few people and that's what I totally recommend. Um,
00:26:01
Speaker
anyone listening, you know, there's your local Delia societies as well as Facebook Delia groups. Those are really fun to connect with other people in and you can find people who want to trade, you know, if you have this and they have that and you each take a cutting or tubers and trade, that's a nice budget friendly way to try new varieties out. I've grown, I went up to almost a hundred varieties last year.
00:26:31
Speaker
after only growing around 40 or 45 in previous years. So I almost doubled the varieties I was growing. And so I knew I was doing that and it was a lot. And so, you know, wanting to see what I liked and what didn't pass my test. And so I'm going to try to not buy anything new this year, but cold down, you know, what didn't make the
00:26:54
Speaker
the cut and, um, stay steady this year. So, um, yeah, I don't, I don't think I have any huge wish list ones this year, but it's always nice to, um, well, some of the, um, Marin, Marin's new, new one, uh, mama loa pamba loa. I think I'm saying that right. Yeah. Um, and again, so cool that it was developed, you know, right up, right up interstate five for me. So.
00:27:23
Speaker
Hello, Washington grower. So I'm just going to mention your reference referencing Marin at the farmhouse flower farm. And I believe I haven't heard an official announcement, but I've seen some pictures on Instagram last year that looks like those could be coming down the pipeline. So she has some beautiful varieties that she has personally bred and hybridized in Stanwood, Washington. Yes. Yes. And I think that's maybe where I'm, I mean, as I've learned, met more.
00:27:50
Speaker
flower friends, especially dahlia flower friends who are starting hybridizing. You too, Jen, yourself. Hybridizing isn't an area that I feel called to go, but I'm just taking great joy and seeing the creations that friends of mine are. And so I volunteer to be a test grower for any of my friends who want me to
00:28:14
Speaker
try growing what they've created in my garden in a separate space from what they have. But yeah, that great joy coming in in that area to see what other people are creating and hope I get my hands on those over the next few years. Absolutely. I think that as stock gets grown out on a lot of these varieties, they'll be
00:28:36
Speaker
more availability of many of them. Have you had a chance to think of two or three varieties that come to mind that have done really well for you? I know you mentioned peaches and cream. Yes. Um, well, I guess, you know, a big one is, um, I, Leanne Huber of Cozytown, Dallas in Pennsylvania is a very, you know, tried and true grower that I really trust. Um, you know, it's important to mention,
00:29:06
Speaker
particularly maybe for your listeners who are backyard.
00:29:09
Speaker
you know, maybe backyard growers or just starting, not all, not all dahlias are good cut flowers, you know, summer bread for show or, you know, different, different parameters that each hybridizer has. And so as a cut flower farmer myself, I don't feel comfortable going to a catalog and just thumbing through and picking something I like because it may be beautiful, but it might not have a good growth habit or a strong neck or the right angle, et cetera, et cetera.
00:29:39
Speaker
So I do really like what Leanne Huber develops. So Cozy Town Early Girl, Cozy Town Mason are two of hers that were some of my favorites, Cozy Town Baby Cakes. But I know she hybridizes with the cut flower farmer in mind. And so she's developing with that. That's her audience. So things that she's developed,
00:30:08
Speaker
What else? Oh, Bloomquist Gene was very fun. And I know that Paul Bloomquist up in Skagit Valley, Washington, he's an amazing hybridizer. He has some gorgeous ones, too. Yes. So Bloomquist Gene is one I grew that I really loved. And I should actually, yes, Bloomquist York is one I noticed. I hope I can get that this year, actually. I would make it, I break my no-buying rule if I can.
00:30:38
Speaker
find that one and get it. So that, that one is what a burgundy ish Maran color. Yeah. And I think dark foliage. So I think it's a very striking plant to see as well as cut flower, which is that's kind of a treat. So we've talked a lot about different Delia varieties and buying them and looking for cut flowers.
00:31:00
Speaker
Do you have any tips that have helped you in buying Dahlia tubers in the past that you would recommend for someone who is starting out this year and is about to embark on the Dahlia wars as some people are calling it with the online tuber sales? Yes. Um, to be really honest, uh, you know, you can only choose one thing and you have to go for that one thing. And I know people don't like.
00:31:29
Speaker
paying multiple shipping costs and things like that. But I don't have the best internet myself. And I'm not, you know, I didn't have all the, you know, credit cards saved in this, in the, you know, all of that. I don't know. I'm not great with technology, but you have to be really fast and you have to know what you want and you throw one tuber in your cart and you check out as fast as you can. And you cannot look for anything else. I mean, you just,
00:31:57
Speaker
You've got to just plan on that if you want something that's in high demand because it will sell out. I think also, being on someone's newsletter is a good idea if you know that they grow something because sometimes they give early access to subscribers. That's something that I do, but I do. I give my email subscribers
00:32:23
Speaker
just tubers before it opens up to social media or the general public. So in support, that's a good way to support those growers is sharing your email and staying in tune with what they're doing. So I think those are my, and then yeah, just maybe trading. Maybe you're trying to get Bluequist York and your friend tries to get
00:32:45
Speaker
blink with Jean and you each go for those and you know, and then you can trade cuttings or trade tubers after a year. That can be a more cost conscious way of proceeding to
00:32:56
Speaker
Those are great tips. I do the same thing as you for my email list as my subscribers are the first to know about our Dahlia tuber sales. So getting on lists of growers that you want to buy tubers from is a great way to get a head start. And not everyone has a preview online ahead of time, but often you can preview the varieties or at least have something on your calendar so you know when the sale is going to take place.
00:33:24
Speaker
The other flower you mentioned, Erin, was zinnias, which I think is just a wonderful beginner cut flower. And it's also a flower that I still grow a ton of. So can we touch a little bit on zinnias? Tell me what type of zinnias you grow and what do you love about them in your garden? Yes. I will never not grow zinnias. I love them.
00:33:50
Speaker
They're just, they're so forgiving. You don't have to stake them. They're very easy to seed start. They just grow. And, you know, for someone like me who isn't the best seed starter, I appreciate a flower that is easier for seed starting. I've grown, I think, I think most, all the types of varieties of them, I like Benneries Giants. I've grown the rainbow of those colors.
00:34:19
Speaker
uh the queen series i will say i feel like the queen series only have maybe about half as as good of germination as benry's giants um so i do i've learned to sew more of those because they don't all sprout for me um oklahoma series
00:34:41
Speaker
I grew zowie which is this fun kind of fire looking with pink and yellow and red. By nature I'm more of a bold bright color fan and not as much pastel romantic you know so so that all those bold bright ones are great. I'm trying to think um yeah it's just fun because there is all sorts of
00:35:08
Speaker
of range in Zinnia, so I think everybody could find something that they like and that complements your bouquet style, your design style, if you're selling to florists. I mean, there's just something for everybody, so love those.
00:35:22
Speaker
I agree, they can make a focal flower, they can be a disc, they can be a filler. I personally love the Queen Lime series. I did notice that they have a lower germination also, so I usually sow two seeds per cell instead of just one. And then the Oklahoma salmon are my best sellers to my florist. I can move pretty much every stem that I can grow.
00:35:47
Speaker
Of those, I do have power mildew that sets in towards the end of the season with sinneas. So I have to succession plant them so that I can keep them growing all season. Do you have a problem with that where you live? No, I haven't. I've been, I've been fortunate. Like as far as that goes, I have a couple, you know, I have a Veronica.
00:36:07
Speaker
perennial Veronica that seems to get cat powdery mildew. And I'm debating just pulling it out because, you know, why keep the liability there? But so far, knock on wood, it hasn't, you know, haven't, I haven't had an issue on, on zinnias or dahlias with, with powdery mildew, but perfect. Well, you're lucky. I hope, I hope it stays that way for you because it can spread very quickly once it starts. So tell us, what do you do with the flowers that you grow?
Selling Strategies and Life Lessons Learned
00:36:35
Speaker
So I mainly sell to a couple local florists. I'm unique. I mean, I'm very small scale. I do not have a cooler. I don't have a greenhouse. My seed starting happens on some small shelves in our basement. So I usually just, I mean, I grow it, cut it, and out it goes. I'm not storing blooms for really any length of time.
00:37:00
Speaker
with the exception of the daffodils we talked about in our refrigerator, but that's about it. So I like cutting to order like that. I've sold at a neighbor's farm stand down the street, which has been a great partnership. And I also did a CSA community supported agriculture, kind of a subscription bouquet series for just pretty small, but some people in our community
00:37:30
Speaker
been great fans of my flowers, which is such an honor. So I've offered a CSA and delivered just a subscription type thing to them. Those are the main ways for me that I'm selling. So you currently sell to your local florists and you still do your CSA also? Yes. And how often do you do your CSA? I offer just a three week
00:38:00
Speaker
Daffodil Bunch CSA in the spring. And then I did the month, I've tried it a few different ways. I liked how I did it this last year was the month of August and the month of September. So people could just get one month or the other or both, but just four weeks at a time for that month. And that was a good fit. And I felt like it was a fair price point for people and just going by the month.
00:38:29
Speaker
I love that. So you have about three months of the year that you have flowers going out the door to a CSA subscribers. Yes. Yeah. And, uh, and it's nice to be able to be flexible with them too. I mean, you know, kind of mother nature dictates when, when things are going to go that the, the August, September, you know, obviously does work by the month, but with the daffodils, I, you know, I have them for about four to six weeks.
00:38:54
Speaker
in my growing zone. And usually they start around St. Patrick's Day, kind of mid-March till mid-April. But I kind of let those customers know it'll roughly be that time, but I might wait a week or two into daffodil season so that I have a nice mix to offer them. So they know that there's a little bit of flexibility, but they've been great about it. And so I haven't had a problem with sort of a rough estimate rather
00:39:24
Speaker
of time. I'm such a planner. I've always struggled with my spring CSA. Well, this last year was my first year doing a spring CSA because I've struggled with the idea that I don't have a concrete start date because I'm at the mercy of Mother Nature. We've had snow in April or we've had it very dry and already warming up. So it is interesting how we
00:39:48
Speaker
often don't have control over so much of what happens out in the field. So with that, can you think of any valuable lessons that you have learned from working with flowers that apply to your life in general? Well, I think, I mean, what you just touched on is mother nature and kind of the uncertainty that, that surrounds farming. Um, I, it's easy to get stressed out or worry about things and that can be
00:40:18
Speaker
due to weather issues, it could be a sales outlet, evaporating, competition, you know, from other growers. I mean, it's all part of business and farming. So I've really done, you know, a lot of work like when I feel worry or stress, stopping myself and asking, you know, what is this about?
00:40:44
Speaker
you know, what's causing this worry because worry is, you know, it's worthless. I mean, it doesn't do anything. It just tires us out, keeps us up, you know, from sleeping. I mean, um, it's very negative. And so I've learned to just stop and identify what is the problem, what's causing me the worry, and then what is an action I can take about that. And once I identify what that is, take that action.
00:41:09
Speaker
And immediately just by taking action, who knows if it's the right thing to do, but we can immediately feel better because we're taking an action to try to solve the problem rather than just continuing to stew over something or debate what the right answer is. I mean, it's just, it's, it's gotta be pretty fast and cause I don't want to lose sleep for days or a week or something. So that's been useful in other areas of my life too, is to just,
00:41:39
Speaker
when I feel worried or stressed to stop and think about it and then decide on an action to try to improve the situation. That's great advice. I love that. So applicable to all aspects of our life too. Can you think back to one of your favorite moments or experiences related to either flower farming or working in the garden? That's a hard one because there's so many.
00:42:09
Speaker
I really find that the people connection is a huge part of why a flower farm is it's such a great way to connect with people. So all the people I've met, you know, yourself, you know, other Delia growers, other farmers in my community, both flower farmers and, you know, just organic food, you know, all types of farms on Vashon Island.
00:42:37
Speaker
That's been a huge plus to just connect with people. And I love being able to connect others then. I mean, you know, if you have an issue and maybe I know somebody who's dealt with that or, you know, I love to connect people and try, you know, I just always think we don't have to make all the mistakes ourselves. So if someone has dealt with a problem
00:43:01
Speaker
I have already, you know, or I hear about somebody, I always like to try to connect to people and just share our knowledge that way. So that's, I think, one of my favorite things. Yeah, going to conferences or classes or meeting the other people in the class. That social side of it is a huge plus. And I think just, yeah, I'm a person who likes to just know how to do something. I just want to open it and it works. And there I go.
00:43:30
Speaker
Not how flower farming has been for me. So I think it's caused personal growth in teaching new things, not being good at some things. And either do I let it go or do I keep trying and trying and trying to improve? So I think just personal development that maybe we can stagnate as we get older. We're just in our career, we do our thing. So it's a new
00:43:55
Speaker
Flour farming provides just challenges in a lot of different ways that then I think helped me grow and keep life interesting and personal development in so many different areas.
Balancing Family and Future Plans in Flower Farming
00:44:07
Speaker
So I think that's those are kind of my favorite things about it. I feel like the flowers are always teaching us something. So that's a really great perspective. How do you juggle
00:44:21
Speaker
You mentioned you have a full-time job. You're a mom of four. You homeschool. You have a beautiful flower farm. How do you juggle it all? Well, I have learned I cannot juggle all of it. And I know that transparency is one of your signatures, and you try to really present real life what it's like. You're not just showing the shiny, pretty side of things up.
00:44:49
Speaker
So to be really honest, I mean, I've, you might call it the seven year itch here for me. Um, my kids are now all, you know, uh, ages seven to 14. They're really busy. Um, and for the first time this last summer, I felt like I was having to say no to some family things because of commitments I had with my flower farm. And that was a little bit of a red flag to me because I want to be present for my kids and what they need and,
00:45:19
Speaker
So I purposely made this year, this 2024, will be
00:45:26
Speaker
a smaller year for me. It's going to afford me both time to observe, but also to really evaluate the needs of my family and my own health. I mean, I have a chronic illness that's managed well, but I saw some evidence in the last year of stress-induced issues. So it's really important to listen to our bodies and make sure we're balancing
00:45:56
Speaker
Cause I think we're told you can do it all, but I think the truth is we can't. I mean, we, somebody said, you know, saying yes to something means you're saying no to something else. And, you know, if I'm trying to, you know.
00:46:11
Speaker
be a wife and a mother and have a day job and flower farm and homeschool. You know, I just homeschool one of my children, not all of them, but all of those things. I mean, I think I was saying no to my own health and certainly the sleep I was getting. And it started to show some signs. So I don't want to lose perspective
00:46:35
Speaker
I don't want to have regrets in 10 years when my kids are grown up and, you know, more out on their own. So luckily, and that's part of what I look for in flower friends and mentors I've chosen is people who do really try to keep a balance. Because sometimes we forget that.
00:46:58
Speaker
Uh, we, we think we have to do this. We have to do this. We have to do that. Somebody else is doing this. So I need to do that. And, um, so it'll be interesting how this year goes, but it's a purposeful year to make changes. And, you know, I'm sure let go of some aspects of my farm, um, to focus on other ones that bring me joy that are, uh, good to mesh with my family. So.
00:47:27
Speaker
That's where I'm at. I love that. Thank you for your honesty and your openness and sharing. One of my previous guests that I interviewed was Paul Mattelucci from Applecore Farms. And while you were talking, I was thinking about what he shared. And he said that one of the things he loves about flower farming
00:47:48
Speaker
is that each year we have a clean slate and we have the opportunity to start fresh. And it sounds a lot like that's kind of what you're doing. You've spent some time evaluating, you've analyzed your priorities and you're choosing to put your family first, which is incredible. Kudos to you. You have some very lucky kiddos there. Can you tell us what does 2024 look like for your farm right now?
00:48:15
Speaker
I'm going to continue doing some virus testing and trying to evaluate growing strong plants. The science side is very fascinating, so I'm looking forward to having some more opportunity and time to dive into that and learn more. I will continue hopefully selling to these florists. I hope they like what I grow and keep wanting what I grow. I do want to get out and
00:48:40
Speaker
I feel like I grew a lot of things. I found a mentor this last year to guide me with growing cool flowers, a successful flower farmer north of me in a different market, but just someone I really admired. And that was a wonderful help. But I think at this point in my life, cool flowers is not going to be
00:49:04
Speaker
really my forte. I'd love it to be, they're amazing. But yeah, the legislative session is in session January to March or April in Washington. And you know, it's just like, I can't do both. Yeah, I can't do both. So yeah, I mean, I think it'll be increased focus on the summer flowers, but I also am just trying to evaluate the sales outlets, you know, the florist, the farm stand and
00:49:34
Speaker
uh, the CSA and, you know, what takes me the longest, you know, what, what it brings the most income. And so those are factors I'm going to look at. Um, I love making bouquets so much, but that does take me a lot of time. So I may focus more on selling as bunches or, um, flowers that lend themselves to just cut bunch and off they go. And that can still be enjoyed, you know, sweet peas, daffodils are like that.
00:50:02
Speaker
Dahlias are like that, you know, and so less bouquet work, but just trying to simplify what I'm doing. Um, so those are some thoughts I have now. We'll see how it goes. Great thing is, is it's a fresh start this year and you've got plenty of time before summer flowers to fully outline. So I'm excited to see what you're going to do this year on your farm and with your family.
00:50:28
Speaker
What advice would you give to someone that is listening right now that is thinking about starting their own cut flower garden for the first time this year?
Advice for New Gardeners
00:50:37
Speaker
I think two major pieces of advice. I hear a lot of people say, you need to have a plan going in. What are your sales outlets? All those things. And well, we would be remiss not to think about some of those things. I don't think you can know it, especially if you were like me who had really no growing background.
00:50:58
Speaker
It's hard to know before you dive in and you can make all these plans, but until you actually grow it, what are you good at or what do you hate? And I didn't expect myself to sell to florists and then that door opened and it's been fabulous. So I think some of it, just don't be afraid to try and jump in and just start.
00:51:25
Speaker
Um, but do, you know, obviously keep, keep financial perspective. Um, I don't have a lot of investments. I don't have a greenhouse, no cooler, no, you know, tractor equipment or anything like that. So, I mean, I think it's possible, you know, and we've talked a lot about Dahlia tubers, but you know, this can be expensive to start out. So, you know, starting with seeds and annuals and those sorts of things, just watching how much you're investing, um, to temper that with.
00:51:53
Speaker
how's your business doing in your sales outlets, but it's okay to jump in and just start and kind of figure it out as you go along to some degree. And then the other thing I think is finding mentors. I recommend, I think it's helpful to find somebody near you in your growing zone, similar area, but I think it's probably best not to ask somebody right in your same market. I mean, the bottom line is you are gonna be
00:52:22
Speaker
maybe having some of the same customers. And so that can be, can be weird. But if you just find somebody, you know, a little ways, an hour away from you or something, I mean, they'll have a lot of advice pertinent to your area. Um, but, uh, the other thing would be, you know, I think it's important to offer, offer compensation to a mentor. I mean, that's what I did. And I, and I had, you know, a great relationship, but you know, people work hard to, um, to
00:52:50
Speaker
gain the knowledge they have, and they probably have invested. So I think it's good faith to not expect. I mean, there's a lot of learning we can do on our own, but similar to paying for an online course, which I also recommend, is a great way to learn and teach yourself, finding those mentors, but finding a way to give back or compensate or something. But I think that's a great way to learn.
00:53:19
Speaker
to my main advice for someone who's starting out. I really appreciate that advice. I think it's so important to always be learning and always be growing and having someone that has gone before you that can answer those tough questions when you're out in the field and you're going, what do I do is so helpful, or even finding some friends
00:53:43
Speaker
in the industry. I'm grateful that the small farms conference led me to you. And Erin has been one of those people that I can send a text message or a voice message on my phone and say, something weird is going on in my garden. What do you think this is? And I'm five years, this will be my sixth year as a commercial farmer.
00:54:07
Speaker
and I've been a gardener pretty much all my life and there's going to be things that come up and when you have that community that you can fall back on. I think it's it's really amazing and it's important to feel supported and encouraged so that you don't think what am I doing wrong or
00:54:24
Speaker
Why is this happening to me, but you have that support to keep you moving on because it can be tough at times, but it can also be really wonderful and it's even more fun when you have friends in the industry or fellow gardeners to connect with.
00:54:39
Speaker
So I think also you mentioned a mentor. If someone is just a backyard gardener, you can also join a local garden club or different societies. You could become a master gardener. There's ways to get involved. There's lots of Facebook groups and different community organizations that can connect you to someone. So I love that you talked about the importance of connection there. So thank you for sharing that.
00:55:06
Speaker
I have really enjoyed chatting with you today. Can you tell my listeners, please, how can they find you? Well, thank you for asking. Um, my website is probably the best way. Um, it's www.handpickedhomestead.com. Um, I actually took Instagram off my phone, uh, about two months ago. Um, again, just that kind of battle for.
00:55:33
Speaker
being a good mom, being present and looking at where my time was going. So I'm not sure if I'll go back on it. There's parts I miss, but it definitely took a lot of time. So I do is still, you know, my Facebook business is on a Facebook page too. But yeah, the website is the best way, I think, and hop on my newsletter email sign up and that'll keep you in the loop.
00:56:00
Speaker
Perfect. Thank you, Erin. So if you want to follow Erin or subscribe to her newsletter so that you know when her next tuber sale will be, be sure to head to handpickedhomestead.com and I'll put a link in today's show notes to that site.
00:56:17
Speaker
Erin, thank you so much for joining us today. I would love to have you back again another time if you'd be willing to join us in the future. I'd love to hear how your year has gone and how everything is going growing and battling, not battling, excuse me, juggling motherhood and working and having a cut flower farm is no easy feat.
00:56:46
Speaker
kudos to you for being an inspiration to so many others who are trying to juggle it all. And before we end today, I'd like to leave it to you. Is there anything that you would like to leave our listeners with today? I think there's a quote I think about sometimes Dieter Updorf said, creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others
00:57:15
Speaker
when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty. And the desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. And I think that really sums it up that whether you're flower farming or backyard growing, that ability to partner in creation, to plant seeds, tubers, and create something beautiful, and then even to turn them into a bouquet or
00:57:45
Speaker
I love selling, you know, to the florists because they are masters and what they create is far beyond what I could myself. So it's getting to partner with them and see the end product after it passes through their hands. Flowers are just a connector and, you know, in the political arena I work in, you know,
00:58:09
Speaker
There's a lot of divisiveness and, you know, even beyond that to in our communities, there can be so flowers are just a wonderful connector. Nobody dislikes flowers. I mean, it's just something we can all relate to and enjoy and share with each other. And I think just our communities in our world need more of that.
00:58:30
Speaker
So we should all be growing. Whatever moves you, let's get out and plant it. And wherever flowers or plants take you, it's just a way to build bridges and make our world better. So that's just something I think about. And again, you know, it led me to meeting you, Jen, and I'm grateful for our friendship and, you know, things beyond flowers too that we share being mothers and caring about our communities. And so,
00:59:00
Speaker
That's one reward is our friendship and also others that I've met too. So cheers for the year ahead. 2024 is going to be a good growing year. Oh, I love that. Yes. 2024 is going to be a beautiful year with lots of blooms. So thank you so much, Erin. It was such an honor to have you join us today. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Talk to you soon.
00:59:29
Speaker
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,
00:59:44
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.
01:00:07
Speaker
Until next time, keep growing, keep blooming, and remember that every bouquet starts right here in the backyard.