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Ep.4: The Sweet Pea Queen: Flower Farmer Marryn Mathis on Her Passion for Growing and Sharing Sweet Peas
3k Plays2 years ago
Learn How To Grow Sweet Peas with Flower Farmer Marryn Mathis
If you're listening, get ready to be inspired by the world of sweet peas in this episode of the Backyard Bouquet Podcast. Host Jennifer Gulizia welcomes her friend Marryn Mathis from The Farmhouse Flower Farm, a renowned flower farmer in Stanwood, Washington. Marryn is known for her incredible dahlia field and her expertise in growing sweet peas.
In this episode, Jennifer and Marryn dive deep into all things sweet peas. They discuss Marryn's passion for these beautiful flowers and the emotional connection they hold for her. Marryn shares heartwarming stories of the impact sweet peas have had on people's lives, from bringing back cherished memories to providing comfort during difficult times.
In addition to sweet peas, Jennifer and Marryn touch on the topic of dahlias. They discuss the joys and challenges of growing dahlias from seed and the thrill of hybridizing new varieties. Marryn's dedication to her craft is evident as she shares her experiences and insights.
You will hear about the importance of following your passion and finding joy in what you grow. You will be encouraged to embrace the learning process, even in the face of challenges, and to never give up on their dreams.
So, if you're ready to immerse yourself in the world of sweet peas and gain valuable insights from a seasoned flower farmer, tune in to this episode of the Backyard Bouquet Podcast. Jennifer and Marryn's enthusiasm and expertise will leave you inspired to let your backyard bloom with the beauty of sweet peas.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- 00:02:24 - Marryn's Background and Journey into Flower Farming
- 00:05:10 - Marryn's Favorite Flower and The Emotional Connection
- 00:13:01 - Sweet Peas as a Family Affair
- 00:18:03 - Starting with Sweet Peas and Learning Along the Way
- 00:21:33 - Sweet Pea School Workshop Details
- 00:25:06 - Tips for Beginners Growing Sweet Peas
- 00:30:47 - Challenges and Struggles with Growing Sweet Peas
- 00:33:02 - Sweet Pea Growing Success Tips
- 00:36:00 - Harvesting and Selling Sweet Pea Seeds
- 00:42:01 - The Process of Breeding and Releasing Dahlias
- 00:43:52 - The Future of Hybridizing Sweet Peas
- 00:49:17 - Marryn's Upcoming Sweet Pea Book
- 00:57:30 - Marryn's Top Sweet Pea Varieties and Seed Sale Preview
Show Notes: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.com/01/09/growing-sweet-peas-with-marryn-mathis
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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. All right flower friends, grab your gardening gloves, garden snips, or your favorite vase because it's time to let your backyard bloom.
Guest Introduction: Marin Mathis
00:00:56
Speaker
Today's guest on the Backyard Bouquet podcast is none other than my friend, Marin Mathis from the farmhouse Flower Farm. Marin is a flower farmer in Stanwood, Washington. She's probably most well known for her incredible dahlia field and of course her amazing sweet peas. I've actually been fortunate to visit Marin and her farm both when her sweet peas and dahlias have both been in full bloom.
00:01:23
Speaker
Each one of them are an amazing sight to see. Besides growing cut flowers, Marin is also a cut flower educator and the queen of growing sweet peas. Today, we're going to be chatting all things sweet peas, including Marin's sweet pea school, growing tips, seed sale, and we'll hopefully get a sneak peek at what's in store for her upcoming book that's all about growing sweet peas.
00:01:48
Speaker
I've had the pleasure of getting to know Marin over the last four years, and I'm so honored to have her joining us today for our fourth episode of the Backyard Bouquet podcast.
Transitioning to Flower Farming
00:01:59
Speaker
Please join me in welcoming Marin to today's chat. Hello, my friend. Thanks for joining me today. Thanks for having me. This is so exciting. Congratulations on the new podcast.
00:02:10
Speaker
Thank you. Thanks for agreeing to be a guest. So early on in the show, I know everyone is going to be so excited to hear from you today. So thanks for being here. Thanks for having me. This is fun.
00:02:23
Speaker
So I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that most of my guest listeners have heard who you are or a little bit about you. I'm sure that most people in the flower world know of the farmhouse flower farm. But for those that are new here, can you please give a little bit of a background on yourself and your journey into flower farming? Sure. So I worked in, um,
00:02:52
Speaker
I actually wrote interface coding in my, I call it my BFF life, my before flower farming life for a healthcare provider here in the Pacific Northwest for 21 years. So straight out of high school, started working for them. And I sat in a cubicle all day and I just, I wasn't, it didn't feed my soul. And so we took that opportunity when Fin, Farmer Fin was born to just to kind of do a reset and
00:03:22
Speaker
I, through a course of a series of events, I discovered flower farming and I just knew from the get-go that that's what I
Emotional Connection with Flowers
00:03:30
Speaker
wanted to do. I was just completely, I don't want to say obsessed with, you know, those beautiful flower photos that you see online, but I was just like, this is what I want to do. And so we lived in a neighborhood and we had always had a vegetable garden and that kind of thing, but I had never grown and cut flowers before. And when I put my mind to something like I'm a hundred
00:03:52
Speaker
100% in 150% in actually in a hundred miles an hour. Um, so we just decided, uh, one night that we were going to make, you know, my husband was like, go for it. If this is what you want to do, let's do it. And so we just decided that, um, we were going to, you know, put both feet in and here we go. And so in 2018, um, I started, you know, my flower farm and here we are.
00:04:19
Speaker
And it's just, it's grown and blossomed part of the pun, um, every year. And it's just because of something that I never, I never would have imagined in a million years. Um, but I'm so grateful. Uh, it was very nerve wracking leaving corporate America and that steady paycheck. Um, but looking back, I just, I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't change a thing. Flower farming has fed my soul in a way that I never would have imagined in a million years.
00:04:47
Speaker
And just seeing the power of flowers when you're handing somebody that bouquet or the inspiration when people are growing your seeds. It's an amazing thing. It's been an amazing thing for our family. And it's just been incredible to watch this dream come true.
00:05:10
Speaker
Well, your flowers are a gift to the world and the way you share them with all of us is something so special. So yeah, I'm really excited for people to hear more about you as a flower farmer and as a person and I would love to know, do you have a favorite flower? Sweet peas have my heart. So, you know, I think the,
00:05:40
Speaker
The seed for me for sweet peas was actually planted when I was a little girl. My grandma loved sweet peas. And so I remember sitting on her lap as a little, little child, you know, and she would tell me, you know, about sweet peas and talk about flowers and that kind of thing. But it never really, I mean, I remember that now looking back, but to be honest with you, it didn't like, you know, stick with me all those years until I started growing flowers.
00:06:08
Speaker
And of course, you know, Sweet Peas obviously were at the top of that list. And I never, until I grew them for myself, I didn't understand just the, you know, how much power there is in that flower and how much emotion there is in that flower. And so they have really had my heart from the very start just because, you know, every time I see them, I remember my grandma. And it's just, they're so, I mean,
00:06:35
Speaker
crying, talking about them. They're just such an emotional flower. So many people have these amazing memories of gardening as a child or their grandmother's garden or one of my most memorable experiences as a flower farmer was about Sweet Peas and it was actually one of my first bouquets that I ever gave it away.
Sweet Peas and Personal Stories
00:06:59
Speaker
It was to
00:07:00
Speaker
elderly lady and she had just lost her husband and so I gave her a bouquet of sweet peas and she just she buried her nose in them and she just immediately started to cry which you know of course I started to cry and she raised her head and she's just tears streaming down her face and she just says you brought him back to me and little did I know is that she gardened for years and her husband had actually built her a garden and she grew sweet peas in them
00:07:28
Speaker
And for that moment in time when she was bearing her nose in them, she forgot everything that was going on around her, and she remembered that time with them together. And so that is the magic of flowers. It's way more than beautiful photos. It's way more than getting lost in the moment and all of those kinds of things. It's so much more than that for me. And so Sweet Peas, like I said, I've had my heart from the very start.
00:07:57
Speaker
And just every season I get more and more and more enamored with them and I can't get enough of them. It's just my sweet pea patch is my classroom. It's my sanctuary. It's where I learn. It's where I grow. It's where this year has just been an incredible grieving process, losing my grandma earlier this year.
00:08:23
Speaker
Yeah, they're just an amazing flower that I'm kind of on this mission that if I can get sweet peas in every garden that there is, you know, there can never be, you know, too many sweet peas in the world. They're just incredibly magical. You know, I think people view them kind of as a, you know, sweet peas, you know, sometimes, and there's just so much more than that.
00:08:45
Speaker
So yeah, so sweet peas, hands down, sweet peas and dahlias, don't tell the dahlias. But sweet peas and dahlias, they have my heart. Well, it's a good thing they bloom at different times. I know, right? I know how much your grandmother meant to you and how influential she was in your life. I love that you still have something that can connect you to her.
00:09:14
Speaker
I think one of the things that's so special about flowers, like you just said, is those connections that it's almost like this way that we can hold on to someone or bring back those memories and remind ourselves that they're always with us. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, she's, yeah, it's, I honestly have felt her with me. I mean, this has been our biggest sweet pea season.
00:09:36
Speaker
Yeah, and I think we'll talk about that in a few minutes, but She has been with me every step of the way every step of the way this like I said hands down has been the biggest Year for sweet peas for us. It's been the biggest project that we've worked on and I feel like you know, she was you know, watching over watching over me the whole entire whole entire way. So Yeah, it's been it's been very it's
00:10:05
Speaker
There's been a lot of grief, but at the same time, there's been a lot of healing as well. So yeah, she's still with us. So I love that. I'm doing for her. Oh, I'm sure she is smiling down on you. I'm just so proud. Now you have a special name for your grandma, don't you? Mamo. So that's kind of the story with my grandparents' names.
00:10:32
Speaker
So we have very, our family comes from Ohio and Kentucky and in the South, there's, you know, you, a lot of people call their grandparents, mama and papa. Well, I went back there when I was just a little tiny, tiny thing and I put my own spin on it. And so it was mama and Popo and it kind of stuck. So I'm the oldest grandchild on both sides. And so, yeah, so we have all of the grandkids on both sides of my family call our grandparents, mama and Popo.
00:11:02
Speaker
So it's a fun name that we have for them. And my grandparents on both sides were both married for over 65 years.
Honoring Family Legacy with Flowers
00:11:13
Speaker
And so that's where we actually have our first dahlia that's coming out this year that I've named Mammal and Popo. So that'll be really exciting because it's after them. They belong together. And yeah, so that'll be fun.
00:11:28
Speaker
I love that. I had a chance to see that Dahlia and it's gorgeous. I think I've seen it actually twice in your field because I think you first, it was a first or second year seedling the first time I got to visit you. That was a second year seedling when you saw for the first time. And then this year was your fourth. So we're going on. It's amazing. It's very beautiful. I love that your first, this is your first Dahlia that's coming out to the world. Yeah. First Dahlia is coming out into the world. So.
00:11:57
Speaker
Yeah, I'm really excited. And am I saying it right? Mammo and? Mammo and Popo. Popo. Yeah. Mammo and Popo. I love it. Yeah. Kind of like the police, you know, people call the Popo. Yeah. Oh, I love it. Popo to me doesn't mean the police. It actually means my grandpa.
00:12:20
Speaker
Oh, that's so cute. Now, does Farmer Finn also call it the same? Mamo and Popo? Mamo and Popo, yeah. My mom and dad have different... They're not Mamo and Popo. Mamo and Popo are strictly my grandparents, so that hasn't translated to their grandparents. So they know who Mamo and Popo are and got to meet them and all sorts of stuff.
00:12:50
Speaker
That was fun. If I'm not mistaken, the boys got to go with you a year ago to see your mama on Popo or your mama and deliver some sweet peas. Yeah. So that was, that was so special. Um, we, it was in July of last year and, um, yeah, we took sweet peas on the plane. So it was, the boys were loaded up with sweet peas. We gave the flight attendant sweet peas. Um, yeah, it was, it was a lot of fun.
00:13:19
Speaker
And we took, you know, huge bouquets of sweet peas on the plane with us. And she actually got to, you know, smell our flowers and stuff. So that was the hardest part, I think, was her being so far away that she didn't really get to experience this in person. She didn't really get, she didn't get to see the farm in person. And so that was fun for us to be able to bring the farm to her. So she was able to see it in pictures, but she was never able to see it in person.
00:13:47
Speaker
And so that was really a lot of fun for me and the boys to be able to bring her sweet peas from the farm. So that was really special.
00:13:58
Speaker
I love that you traveled with the flowers. I've traveled a couple times with flowers, and the first few times I never had any troubles with TSA. And then the last time I traveled with flowers, they searched my bouquet of flowers like I was trying to confiscate something. And I'm thinking, you're going to destroy my pretty petals. Don't touch them. And then the TSA agent, when he's done inspecting it, hands it back to me. It's 4.30 in the morning. And he says, you know this bouquet would be a lot better with calla lilies in it.
00:14:29
Speaker
And it was full of my dahlias and I was just heartbroken. I'm like, it's four 30 in the morning and I'm traveling to see family and you're telling me that my bouquet is terrible. And I said, well, thanks. I grew all of them myself. Oh my goodness. Yeah. So to get through TSA. So so many people have asked me about that. So to get through TSA. So we took a Mason jar with water all the way up into TSA. Then you have to dump the water out. We had to lay the bouquet flat, put it on the tray, get it through the x-ray thing or whatever.
00:14:59
Speaker
Um, and then as soon as you're done with TSA, I had to fill the glass with water again and then put the flowers back in it. And then that's, that's how we traveled with them. But yeah, it's, it's quite the process. I mean, they have to go through screening and all of that kind of stuff. So yeah, I sat, I sat right on the ILC, you know, with my huge bouquet of flowers in my lap the whole entire flight, but it was so worth it. It was so worth it. I wouldn't change it for, for a second.
00:15:28
Speaker
I love it. I bet everyone loved sitting next to you and they could smell the sweet peas. Well, I was worried that somebody was going to be bothered with the scent because, you know, sweet peas have an incredible fragrance. So I was nervous about that, but luckily, luckily that didn't happen. So that was, that was good. That was good. But yeah, it was good. It was a lot of fun. She was really surprised and she absolutely loved them. So it was, it was definitely a full circle moment, you know, to, you know, go from being a kid
00:15:57
Speaker
And, you know, and then being able to, you know, give her a bouquet of sweet peas after all those years. So that's so special. And you don't just grow a few sweet peas. How many sweet peas do you grow?
Sweet Pea School and Education
00:16:12
Speaker
So last year we grew 20,000, 20,000 sweet peas. Oh my goodness. Yeah. 20,000. And, um, this year we're on, you know, we're kind of on the same track for 20 to 22,000. So.
00:16:26
Speaker
Yeah, I go big or go home is my motto. So you can never have too many sweet peas in my opinion. But especially for the project that I was working on, we had to have all sorts of different types of sweet peas this year.
00:16:43
Speaker
I feel so fortunate that I got to see your sweet peas this summer. It was row after row after row after row of heavenly sweet peas. It was just like nothing I've ever seen before. Well, it's fun for me to see like through other people's eyes. And I'm not going to say that I get immune to it because I don't because every time I walk out to the sweet pea patch, it's just it's my happy place. But to see it through somebody else's eyes
00:17:12
Speaker
and just watch them walk through the rows in wonder. I can't even put that feeling into words. Just watching somebody else experience it for the first time. Even if you've grown sweet peas before, or just to see 20,000 plants all together in one space, it's a pretty magical thing.
00:17:41
Speaker
It's incredible. I last year grew two rows of sweet peas, which I thought was a lot until seeing your farm and how many you have. And I don't have space for any more. I wish I did because the smell and just the sight when they're all in bloom is so magical. Did you start with a lot of sweet peas or how did you get started with your sweet peas? So we started, so my first season of flower farming in 2018, we started with
00:18:11
Speaker
about a row and a half of, and our rows at that time were, I think, 50 feet long. That was before we moved to this farm. And I want to say, you know, I knew what I was doing, but honestly, it was beginners luck my first season. But I put my sweet peas on the farthest row of our field and, or our little growing space that we had.
00:18:38
Speaker
My first season was in the middle of vacant land. We lived in a 28 foot travel trailer. I mean, we went all in on this place. So it was on the far end and they got morning sun until about one to two in the afternoon. And then they were given the shelter of the afternoon shade from the heat. And I was still harvesting sweet peas in October. And I didn't realize that that was... Oh my goodness.
00:19:04
Speaker
that was exceptional, right? Like I was wearing a scarf in the fall harvesting sweet peas on top of an orchard ladder because they were almost 12 feet tall. And it was just kind of that secret sauce, you know, basically my first season. And ever since then, it's just been, you know, I can't get enough information about them. I, you know, want to try more. I want to do this. I want to do that. And, you know, how can I be more successful? That kind of thing. And just sharing my love with them
00:19:35
Speaker
love of them with other people. And so I got so many questions about, you know, how do you do this? How do you do that? And that's where my Sweet Pea School workshops kind of originated from. So many people were asking me questions about them. And I'm like, okay, when I first started flower farming, I think that's the beauty of this journey, right? Is sometimes life can take an unexpected twist. And when I first started, you know, I had this, you know, envision in my mind, like, I wanted to do farmer's markets. I wanted to do weddings. I wanted to do all these things.
00:20:05
Speaker
I never once thought about teaching and the opportunity presented itself. And I'm like, okay, let's do this. And I find I get such an energy from teaching other people about my love of flowers, about sweet peas, how they can grow sweet peas. I mean, just all of it. It's such invigorating for me or so invigorating for me that I can't get enough of it.
00:20:32
Speaker
I can't get enough of it. And so that translated, you know, Sweet Pea School. We've had people attend from 26 different countries from all over the world. Wow. And it's just been this amazing thing to be a part of, just the love of Sweet Peas. You know, it's sharing the love of Sweet Peas and just seeing so many people excited about these, you know, flowers that have been around for honestly hundreds of years. And they're just so relatable.
00:21:00
Speaker
They're so emotional, but they're so relatable at the same time. And a lot of people think that they're very high maintenance, and in all actuality, they aren't. It's just there's very specific things and some little tips and tricks that I've learned along the way that can really make you more successful in growing sweet peas in your own gardens. And it's just kind of caught on. And you've joined me for my sweet pea school workshop a few years back, and it's been a lot of fun to see it just kind of grow and
00:21:30
Speaker
and spread. So yeah. Well, as a past student, I can say you are a great teacher before taking your class.
00:21:39
Speaker
I planted a row of 50 feet of sweet peas, but little did I know you don't plant them in late June, early July. And I had a very unsuccessful first year with them and I had lots of pests. And I think my longest stem was maybe like four inches long. It wasn't a very long cuttable stem. And then I saw, well, I knew you already, but I saw that you were offering the sweet pea course online. So I took your class.
00:22:05
Speaker
And then I decided to plant a lot more sweet peas. A lot more for me was, I think I had about 400 plants, which was about two rows. And I had a lot of sweet peas that year and I had a great success thanks to your class. So I hear that you're teaching some more classes this year. Is that correct? Yes. So my next workshop will be on Saturday, the 20th. It's at 10 a.m. Pacific standard time. So tickets are available on our website.
00:22:34
Speaker
And the beauty about it is it's Zoom. So no matter where people are in the world, they can attend. And we talk everything from start to finish. It's about a two-hour workshop. And then start to finish about what you need to know about growing great sweet peas and how you can be more successful. But yeah, a lot of people don't realize that sweet peas like it cold. And so
00:23:00
Speaker
the earlier that you can start them. And there's different combinations, like people live in warmer zones, cooler zones, that kind of thing. So if you really tailor it to your specific growing zone, there are definitely different ways that you can be more successful in growing your sweet peas for sure. And your course is live, right? It's not a pre-recorded class.
00:23:23
Speaker
Live access, it's very interactive. We do a Q&A, so we do, you know, people put their questions in the chat and then at the very end of the class, I go through and I answer everybody's questions. I don't want, my goal with the Sweet Pea School Workshop is I don't want anybody to leave with having any unanswered questions. And I want people to know that this is way more than a workshop to me. I want, I want you to be successful in growing Sweet Peas. So if they have any questions along the way,
00:23:53
Speaker
you know, I am here to answer them. It's not just, you know, here's my workshop, watch it, you know, attend it, and then you're on your own. You know, if it's, I'm still there for you after the fact. So, you know, during the season, if you have any questions and, you know, concerns or if something's come up and it just doesn't look right, like, you know, I'm there to answer any of that. So it's, it's for me, it's way more, it's, it's kind of my mission.
00:24:19
Speaker
in life, I feel like to have people be more successful, more Sweet Peas in the world, all of that kind of stuff, sharing my joy and the beauty of flowers with others. So it's way more to me than just that workshop. So yeah, it's been a lot of fun. And I've actually become friends with a lot of my Sweet Peas school attendees throughout the year.
00:24:42
Speaker
That's great. I love that it's live and interactive so that people do get to engage with you and ask those questions. I think that's a huge benefit of the class that you offer. So for those listening that are newer to Sweet Peas, if they're thinking about signing up for your class, who would be a good person to attend your class?
00:25:06
Speaker
So my workshop is for everyone from your cut flower farmer that wants to learn how to harvest seed or grow for seed or is struggling with stem length, your backyard gardener that is looking for something to just kind of up their flower game or their backyard or something like that. I mean, it's for everyone. So whether you're
00:25:34
Speaker
looking to put posies in your roadside stand or whether you're just looking for a different flower that you haven't grown before that you want to add to your landscape. It's for everyone. If you love flowers, I'd love to have you. It covers all the basis. Like I said, from start to finish, we cover
00:25:57
Speaker
different types of sweet peas, the history of sweet peas, I mean, all the way to harvesting seed and all of that kind of stuff. So I take you, like I said, the course is two hours, usually it lasts about two and a half with the Q&A. So it's jam packed full of information about everything you need to know about growing sweet peas. So it's for, not just for flower farmers, it's just for flower lovers in general.
00:26:22
Speaker
Perfect. So anyone who has any interest in Sweet Peas, whether they are a beginner or a flower farmer, should consider joining your course. How can they sign up for your class? So the class tickets are available on our website, the farmhouseflowerfarm.com under the Sweet Pea tab. It's the first option there. It's called Sweet Pea School. You can purchase your tickets there. And then the night before class, I send out
00:26:52
Speaker
a PDF about what we're going to go through over the course, and then they can register for the Zoom. And yeah, it's a lot of fun. It's really easy, really fun. It's nice to be able to see faces of people that are attending and reach more people. But yeah, it's very, very interactive. It's a lot more than just signing up for a course and just watching it. It's very interactive. I try to make it fun and interactive for everybody.
00:27:24
Speaker
I love it. I will provide a link also in today's show notes so people can click straight over to your website and check out the sweet pea class. You have been growing sweet peas for a while now. Are there any struggles or challenges that you have experienced with growing sweet peas or has it all been just smooth sailing for you?
Challenges and Growth in Flower Farming
00:27:46
Speaker
I don't think flower farming is ever smooth sailing ever. If you're not growing and you're not learning along the way, yeah. Honestly, there's a difference. It's funny because there's the teacher in me that knows that things are going to be okay. And then there's the grower in me that still has that like, oh, are they going to be all right? Or, you know, so just
00:28:12
Speaker
For example, I mean, I know sweet peas like it cold. I know they can take a frost. I know they can take a freeze. But we had, so I had a greenhouse full of seedlings. And I had to keep all of my sweet peas in an unheated greenhouse. And it got down to 16 degrees. And I went out there and they were frozen rock solid. So the plants, I mean, they were literally crunchy. The soil was completely frozen. They were frozen in their trays.
00:28:42
Speaker
Um, so this should tell you how tough sweet peas are. Um, and I've learned over the years, you know, my first season, I was like, Oh, the little bitty babies. And then, you know, as, as time has gone on, um, I'm like, come on girls. I mean, you, you want.
00:28:57
Speaker
you want beef cakes in the garden when you're dealing with sweet peas. Like you want rugby players. You don't want your plants to be long and lean. So when I walked out into the greenhouse to check on the plants and it had been 16 degrees overnight, I mean, I was just like, you know, the grower in me had that instant like panic. The teacher in me knows that they're going to be okay. So for example, like I said, they were frozen rock solid within two to three hours of the sun coming out in the morning. They were right as rain.
00:29:26
Speaker
completely unthought and you would have never known that they were frozen solid. So that tells you the resiliency of sweet peas. So as the years have gone on, you know, I mean, now when they freeze, I don't panic. I don't, you know, I don't think, Oh, I'm going to lose them all. It's just, I think as long, you know, the more that you do this, the more that you experience, you know, different, you know, like we had a heat wave a couple of years ago where it, you know, it was 100, I think it was like 106.
00:29:56
Speaker
in our sweet pea patch, and I thought for sure they were done for. They struggled a little bit, but they bounced back. I think every year you learn a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more, and you experience them in a different way, and experiment with them in a different way.
00:30:21
Speaker
Yeah. It's, it's, it's been a lot of fun and I don't, I honestly don't view, uh, the failures as failures. They're all learning experiences no matter whether it's sweet peas or whether it's different cut flowers. It's all a learning experience and you take, you know, you take that experience, you learn from it and you, you know, you just keep going. Um, that's part of, that's part of growing.
00:30:47
Speaker
I love that. That's such a great reminder for all of us that there's always something new to learn, Mother Nature and being outside with the flowers. Yeah, there's always something new to learn.
00:31:01
Speaker
I know my first year, I think we became friends because I reached out to you so many times. I would send you a message. You were my 4 a.m. buddy that I could send a voice message to and be like, what am I doing? What did I do? And I've gained some confidence over the years, but I've still there's so many lessons that I learned that I think for those that are starting out and let's just maybe keep it for Sweet Peas, someone that's starting out with Sweet Peas. What is one reminder for them that would be helpful as they're getting going?
00:31:31
Speaker
As they're getting going, keep them cool. I think it's easy when you are starting out, you know, it's that nurturing within us, right? Like we want to nurture, we want to grow and sweet peas like it cool. I think the number one mistake that people make when starting their sweet peas is they start them too warm and they don't give them enough light.
00:31:59
Speaker
And those two things in combination can really hurt you in the long run. So sweet peas germinate between 50 to 55 degrees. So don't put them on a heat mat. Don't make sure that they're in an 80 degree temperature, that kind of thing. If you start them warm, it's gonna, yeah, that's the number one thing. They'll just bolt. And then once they get long and lanky like that,
00:32:29
Speaker
it's really hard for them to recover if at all. So start them cool and remember that they're tough and they're not like a lot of flowers that we start on flower farms. They like it cool. So that would be my number one piece of advice for people that are just starting out is don't baby them. They are tough.
00:32:54
Speaker
That sounds like my kind of flower. There's so many things to do that if you could not have to baby something, that sounds amazing. Yes, exactly. I mean, 50 to 55 degrees, once they germinate, once those little snake heads pop through the soil, I put them out into my unheated greenhouse and they grow cold. And that's what they like the best. They will respond to that very, very well. They will grow slower at those cooler temps, but when grown cold,
00:33:23
Speaker
Sweet peas are more successful when they are started at the right time and they're started at the right temperature versus started too warm. And then you have to recover from that. Um, they just, they like it cool. So remember that was with sweet peas and you'll have way more success in the long run. So keep it cool. Keep it cool. New saying for 2024. When do you start harvesting flowers from your sweet peas?
00:33:54
Speaker
So flowers will start blooming for us towards the end of June and all through July. Then they start setting seed in August. So sweet peas don't like generally temps above 80 degrees. So, and I actually very rare, unless it's for photos, very rarely, just because we grow for, you know, for seed, very rarely cut my sweet peas. And so
00:34:23
Speaker
Yeah, we'll start getting blooms, like I said, end of June. And then depending on if they're an early flowering variety or not, if it's an early flowering variety, we could get flowers in May. It just depends on the variety just because they require less hours of sunlight to induce the bloom cycle versus other varieties as well. But usually June through August is a really safe bet. And then September,
00:34:50
Speaker
is really all about seed and there's some that will still continue to bloom, but the more you cut them, the more they grow. So if you let them set seed, then your plants will start to kind of fade quicker than those that if you're still cutting them and you're still harvesting those flowers, they're still rejuvenating, they're still growing, they're still doing their thing. So it's just, it depends on your temperatures,
00:35:16
Speaker
Um, you know, if you get really high heat and they might, you know, start to kind of peter out a little bit towards the end of the season, but usually June through August. That's a nice long season right in time for the dahlias to start blooming. I know the most, my favorite part of the season is when, you know, there's still sweet peas, but then there's the first dahlias. And then it's like, Oh, it's that, you know, moment where, you know, my two loves combined.
00:35:40
Speaker
And, um, yeah, that's, that's a pretty awesome time of the season, short lived, but it's, it's pretty awesome. My sweet peas have never made it to Dahlia season. So I'm envious. I would love to see them in a bouquet together. So you said you let your sweet peas go to seed. What do you do with those seeds? We actually sell the seeds. So we harvest all the seeds and then we sell seed on our website. So.
00:36:06
Speaker
We have a rainbow of kind of known for the sweet pea rainbow now, but we have a rainbow of colors and varieties available on our website. Our seed sale this year will be on January 25th. So we have all of our varieties are on our website that we'll have available for sale. And then yeah, we grow most of them, most of them are for seed.
00:36:33
Speaker
And you have this massive team that helps you harvest the seeds and pack them up and ship them out, right? It's us. It's us. I mean, we're truly a small family farm. I mean, I mean that from the bottom of my heart. So we literally will sit at our dining room table at night and we package sweet pea seeds as a family and farmer fin.
00:36:59
Speaker
I'm sure you guys have seen the videos on Instagram where he's, you know, counting to 10 and putting the suit PCs in the packets. So, um, no, we do not have a team, uh, for shipping and we have like our, you know, our big launches and stuff. We'll bring in, you know, family and friends and stuff. They, they help us, but yeah, it is truly a small family farm in every sense of the word. So, um, there's a lot of pride and a lot of love that goes into every packet that's sent out of
00:37:28
Speaker
you know, whether it's sweet pea seeds, you know, other seeds that we grow here on the farm or dahlia tubers, all of that. It's just, there's a lot of love and a lot of time that's gone into everything that we send out.
00:37:43
Speaker
I was completely kidding because I know how hard you work. I've seen the photos of you sitting at your dining room table, sorting seeds with the boys. And I think it's just so amazing because one, it's awesome that you do it as a family, but the life skills and the dedication that you're showing those boys is really amazing. I mean, I've been to your farm. I've seen them. Your boys have pride in the field and the farm. And I mean, farmer Finn, he's how old now? 57.
00:38:14
Speaker
He's seven and he makes his own bouquets and harvests. Yeah. So he, I mean, he tells me all the time that he's going to take over the family business. And I think that's the, the beauty of this too is, you know, when we got into flower farming, we wanted to do something as a family and, you know, to show our kids like, you know, digging in the dirt and hard work and all of that. Um, and it's just, it's become something way,
00:38:42
Speaker
bigger and more special than we could have ever imagined.
Family Involvement in Flower Farming
00:38:47
Speaker
And, you know, yeah, we do. We sit there as a family. We do this as a family. Farmer Finn especially has taken the liking to flower farming. You know, he's done little tutorials on dividing dahlia tubers and planting daffodil bulbs and all sorts of stuff. But I mean, he makes bouquets.
00:39:04
Speaker
He harvests all of his, so when he makes a bouquet, he harvests all the flowers and makes the bouquet in arrangements and they sell out every weekend in our farm stand every time, every time. I mean, it's just, he is so proud of those bouquets and put so much love and effort into them. It's just, it's so heartwarming just to see, you know, your kids finding so much joy and, you know, and stuff and sharing the beauty of flowers with others as well. So it's not just us, it's just,
00:39:33
Speaker
It's, you know, our whole entire family. I love it. You are literally planting the seeds of the future generation. No pun intended. So I wish I could do a range marriages and set them up with my daughter. They could be the future flower farmers together.
00:39:55
Speaker
They got along really well when Olivia was up here. They had a lot of fun. I mean, they were running around this farm all over the place. You and I were out in the dahlia field, and they were just being farm kids. It was a lot of fun to see. Yes, Olivia came home and decided that she was going to start helping with the breeding. And she made her own little list of the plants that she's going to cross-pollinate this year. So it's really fun to see. No, I mean, so there's been times where I've
00:40:25
Speaker
Farmer Finn has picked something that he likes like an Ardalia seedling patch where he's picked something that, you know, I necessarily didn't think, you know, it didn't really catch my eye, but it caught his eye. And so he has his own little, you know, his own little selections and stuff that he's made. So that's, it's been a lot of fun, you know, just teaching them and seeing, you know, what they gravitate towards and what colors, you know, speak to them and, you know, who they are.
00:40:53
Speaker
Um, you know, uh, just becoming, you know, little men, you know, kind of thing. So it's, it's been a lot of, it's been a lot of fun. That's so fun. And did I see that farmer Finn has his own Dahlia also? Yeah, he has his own Dahlia. He's been, oh, he's been eyeing the seedling patch. Just, he walks down, walks down the rows and, you know, and stuff. And so finally he picked one that, you know, he loved. So we do, we have a farmer Finn.
00:41:22
Speaker
This year it was its third year, so it'll be going into its fourth year this coming season. So that'll be fun to see as we grow stock of that one. But so many people, I posted about it on social media and so many people were like, I want it, I want it. So it might be a while before we have enough stock to sell on that one because I think it's going to sell out like hotcakes.
00:41:47
Speaker
I think that's one of the hardest things as I've started my own seedling patch too. And mine will be going into its third year this next year. And it takes a while to build up the stock. It's not like you can just grow a flower and release it to the world the next year. No, it's, it starts out as a seed. The first, as you know, the first year and then, you know, dahlia genetics are very, very interesting. And the more I do this and the more I, you know, work with them and experience them.
00:42:15
Speaker
I mean, there's so much that can change. The reason you can't, or you shouldn't, I should say, sell a seedling in its first or second year is those genetics can change as the years go on. So I've actually seen beautiful seedlings the first and second year totally change the third year and be completely different than it was in year one and year two.
00:42:41
Speaker
So you don't want to put something out there on the market that's going to be, you know, changing. You want to make sure that those varieties that you're selling are stable and you know, that they are, you know, year after a year going to be the exact same flower that you would expect. So it takes four years for a variety to, you know, you should wait four years before you sell a variety. So it takes a while. Um, lots of observation.
00:43:09
Speaker
Lots of nurturing and all of that kind of stuff. But in the end, it's totally worth it in the long run. But yeah, four years is kind of the magic number.
00:43:18
Speaker
Yeah, I had a third year seedling that I had been excited about. It was kind of this like light lavender ball. It was great the first year. Second year, it was still looking good. I chucked one plant because it was open centered, but the others weren't. This year, third year, I had grown it out. So I had 15 plants. Every single one of them, every single bloom had blown its center. So I tossed all of them. And here I thought I had this great seedling that I've nurtured for now three seasons.
00:43:48
Speaker
And every one of them was composted this year. Yeah, that's the hard part about growing dahlias from seed and hybridizing and that kind of stuff is that you can put all of that time and energy into it to getting it through two seasons. And then on the third season, it changes and it either blows its center or it turns into a third
00:44:16
Speaker
the coloring is completely different than it was the first two seasons. So yeah, you just want to make sure that those genetics stay stable, but it's a lot of fun. Every year I want to grow more and more and more seedlings just to see what comes out of it, because you don't know. I mean, you could take
00:44:35
Speaker
two parents and what comes out of that is just you some of the combinations i'm like whoa that's pretty wild you know and some of them you can see who the parents are and some of them i'm just like wow where did that come from i mean it's beautiful but where did that come from so it's a lot of fun it's kind of like christmas morning walking through the ceiling patch seeing what's gonna pop up and what's gonna bloom
00:45:01
Speaker
I know I'm like a little kid, just like you said at Christmas and I spend way too much time in the summer walking the seedling patch thinking, okay, what bloom today? Is there, what's going to be next? And I see that bud forming and it's like, okay, what color is it going to be? And then yeah, it's, it's fun. Anything that's fluorescent yellow or, um, I hate to even say this, but purple is out. So as soon as I see that bud starting to crack and if it's, you know, any of those colors, like I'm pulling it.
00:45:28
Speaker
Um, so one of the things with our seedling patches, I don't pinch them. I don't pinch our seedlings just because I want to see what that blooms going to be. Um, and then, you know, then I allow it once it kind of makes the cut with the first bloom that I just kind of let it, you know, kind of do its thing. Um, but yeah, it's, it's a lot of fun seeing, you know, what combinations come out of, come out of things. So, so if you haven't grown dahlias from seed, I know you're totally in this, I know you're totally in this camp.
Dahlia Growing and Patience
00:45:58
Speaker
But if you haven't grown dahlias from a seed before, you totally need to. You'll be addicted in no time. So speaking of seeds, are you selling your dahlia seeds this year? We are. We are. Yeah. So our dahlia seeds will be available on the 25th. And we have a field of 8,000 dahlias. So we've got lots of seeds to share.
00:46:23
Speaker
Oh my goodness. That's incredible. That's no easy feat either. I mean, when you sort the Dahlia seeds, it takes so long. I mean, I know our listeners can't see, but behind us or behind me right now on the screen, I have my remaining Dahlias to still sort from this summer and it's, it's time consuming. Yeah. I mean, just because every seed within that pod.
00:46:50
Speaker
even though it's in the same pod, can produce a completely different flower. So it's an amazing thing, different than tubers, whereas tubers are the same as the actual parent plant. Seeds are completely different, even within the same pod. But yeah, it's very time consuming and making sure that all of the seeds are viable, that some pods don't produce a lot of seeds, some produce a ton. The more you do it,
00:47:18
Speaker
It's interesting just to see the different variables that kind of go into play when collecting seed too. So open pollinated varieties or open centered varieties, I should say, definitely produce way more seed than your varieties that don't have open centers. But yeah, it's a lot of fun. So we do both open pollinated and then I hand pollinate some of our crosses as well.
00:47:47
Speaker
Speaking of hybridizing, have you ever considered or are you already hybridizing sweet peas? It's on the agenda. Let's just put it that way. So I had the privilege of visiting with Roger Parsons in England two years ago now, and he showed me how to hybridize sweet peas. And so
00:48:15
Speaker
Um, this year it just wasn't in the cards. There was just so much, so much going on. Um, so this next year, you think dahlias take a long time to hybridize. Sweet peas take a really long time to hybridize. I mean, there's been some varieties that have been released that, you know, they've been working on for over 10 years. So, um, you know, for every sweet pea new sweet pea variety that you see out there, there's so much work that goes on behind the scenes, again, with genetics and.
00:48:43
Speaker
Um, you know, just making sure that, you know, everything stays stable and, um, yeah, just scent and fragrance and vigor and all of those kinds of things. But yeah, that was one of the, one of the coolest things that I've experienced as a flower farmer was honestly, I mean, as a sweet pea lover and an avid sweet pea grower, uh, was meeting Roger and, um, yeah. And being able to walk through, in fact, my first sweet pea that I smelled in 2022 was actually in his.
00:49:12
Speaker
in his sweet poo patch. So that was, that was pretty special. So, um, so yeah, so we'll see. We'll see. Do you remember what variety that was? No, I don't remember. I don't remember. Um, it was orange. I don't remember what variety it was, but I was so, um, just enamored with the fact that of where I was and just.
00:49:39
Speaker
that I was actually there and meeting him and stuff. It was a really special experience for me that I was just, I was trying to take it all in, but then it was one of those flower celebrity moments where I was just like, there he is standing right in front of me kind of thing. So that was really fun. But yeah, I do not remember what variety it was. Unfortunately, I wish I did.
00:50:06
Speaker
I just remember who I was with. I mean, it was, you know, it was, you know, my friend Nicole and Roger and I, and that was it. And so it was just this once in a lifetime experience of being able to just, you know, ask him any question that I wanted and, you know, talk to him about Sweet Peas and, you know, really just kind of pick his brain and see, you know, how he does it.
00:50:35
Speaker
It was just an amazing experience that I'll remember for the rest of my life. So yeah, very, very cool. That's an awesome opportunity that you had. Well, I know I've taken a lot of your time today. There's one thing that we haven't talked about yet, though, that I would love to hear more about. And I think that everyone else that's listening also is dying to know more about your sweet pea book. You're writing a book.
Writing a Book on Sweet Peas
00:51:03
Speaker
That's another that's that's why this year was like the biggest sweet pea season that I think we've ever had is just because this is the biggest project that I've ever taken on and You know again when I started flower farming a book was not even on my radar ever and The more workshops that I taught and the more people that I talked to, you know I had quite a few students actually asked me have you ever thought about writing a book?
00:51:34
Speaker
And it just kind of planted that seed in me. I keep saying that, but it's kind of the, it's a good analogy, but it just kind of planted that seed within me and, you know, it terrified me, but at the same time it was, and it was pushing me so far out of my comfort zone, but at the same time was so exciting. And I feel like I have so much passion about this flower and just the response I get to Sweet Pea School and just Sweet Peas in general has just been so amazing.
00:52:04
Speaker
I was just like, you know what, I'm going to go for it. And so I put together a book proposal and met with some publishers. And yeah, I'm so excited and blessed to be working with Chronicle Books. And yeah, so my book will be coming out in March of 2025. I just finished writing my manuscript about a month ago. And it's all about Sweet Peas. So this year has been about
00:52:32
Speaker
writing, photographing, documenting everything about Sweet Peas. So 2024 is the year of Sweet Peas. 2024 and 2025, I would love to see tons of Sweet Peas out there and the more I can share about them, I feel like it's a beautiful thing. So yeah, so March of 2025,
00:52:57
Speaker
Uh, the book will be out and I cannot wait to share it with everyone. So it's going to be really, really exciting. I'm so excited to see it. And you have been involved from start to finish on this book. You have written the script. Yeah. It's been a labor of love. Let me tell you. And, um, writer's block is a real thing. Like I, I could talk about sweet peas all day long. I feel like, you know, it just
00:53:24
Speaker
so much to share, you know, all of that, but then writing about it is a completely different, completely different animal. Um, so yeah, it's a real thing, but it's, um, yeah, I cannot wait to see it come to life. And, um, yeah, just to be able to share it with everyone is going to be going to be an amazing, amazing experience. So, so March of 2025.
00:53:49
Speaker
I'm so excited to see it. And I can't wait for when you have more details about when we can buy the book and where it's going to be available. So maybe we can have you back on. Well, I might have to ask you to come back a couple of times because I'd love to continue our conversation about growing dahlias a little bit more as well. But I know we're all going to be really excited to hear more details about the book when it's available. So I would love to have you back.
00:54:16
Speaker
Oh, I would love to come back. Thank you. It would be so fun to chat with you more. Before we go, is there anything that you want to leave our listeners with today? Just get growing. Just do it. Put yourself out there. Don't be afraid to try. Don't be afraid to fail.
00:54:44
Speaker
There's so much beauty in the experience. And so many, I think for me, so many life lessons that I've learned in flower farming in general, that, you know, I think it's so scary to make that change from, you know, corporate America to flower farming. But if you love it, that passion and energy will
00:55:12
Speaker
show through in what you're doing. And, you know, grow what you love. Grow what, you know, brings you joy. Because again, that joy is going to, you know, I mean, sweet peas, I love them to pieces, but there's so much energy that, you know, I get through them. And I think that's one of the things, you know, that people have gravitated towards as well is that
00:55:43
Speaker
I'm so passionate about them and I just wanna share so much about them and all about them that it's contagious. So what brings you joy? I mean, for you it's the dahlias. For somebody else it might be another cut flower. What brings you joy? When it brings you joy, it's gonna change your life. So do what makes you happy.
00:56:13
Speaker
You don't have to do weddings. You don't have to do farmer's markets. You don't have to do all those things. If you want to do those things, that's great. If that's what brings you joy and if that's what you love, do what you love. Don't be afraid to get started. Don't be afraid to, you know, if things don't go right the first time, don't give up. Don't give up. Just keep going. Just keep growing. Just keep trying. That's my,
00:56:38
Speaker
That's my piece of advice. Oh, that's beautiful. I love it. That is fabulous advice. So all right, flower friends, listen to Marin. Get going. Get growing those flowers and grow what you love. I love that advice that you just gave all of us. I was going to end there, but I just realized that I forgot to ask you a really important question. I know that everyone
00:57:06
Speaker
is probably listening to the very end of this call because they are waiting to hear your favorite sweet pea varieties. Can you share three to five of your must grow varieties? Or maybe even, how about this? What are the top three to five varieties that people should look for on your seed sale? Oh, wow. Okay. King's Ransom, that's the one that
00:57:36
Speaker
everybody wants because it's super hard to find. It is that one is stunning. Oh, it is one of the most beautiful sweet peas that I've ever seen. I mean, the color is incredible. It's absolutely incredible. It starts out like this creamy, creamy peach and then morphs into kind of like this
00:58:06
Speaker
cranberry coral then goes into like this dusty rose and ends up this smoky purple it's this i've never seen anything like it it is the most incredible sweet pea honestly it's just it's so put that one at the top of your list um
00:58:25
Speaker
I know that when I went to your farm this summer, I kept sneaking back in your greenhouse to take a peek at that because it was so beautiful. I just, it was just mesmerizing. It reminds me of like a bearded Iris, just like the way the colors kind of flow through. It was, it's stunning. It's on my wish list. It's so stunning. Yeah. It's so stunning. I cannot get enough of that one. Um, it, you know, it's so funny because I knew that people would want seed of it because it's so hard to get. So I cut.
00:58:53
Speaker
very few flowers of that. I cut maybe one, two handfuls and we grew over 400 plants of it this year and that's as how it was because I knew that people would want seed and so we we have a good amount of seed to sell but yeah it's it it hands down will be the first one to go at the seed sale. My next favorite is
00:59:22
Speaker
Probably Castle Wellen. I absolutely love the color on that one. Really long stems. It's a really light, blushy peach. Beautiful, huge flowers. Great fragrance. Love that one. And it goes with so many different color palettes, too. I mean, it can go with blush. It can go with white. It can be a bridge color to get your oranges and your creams to match. I mean, it's just, yeah, it's incredible. Blue Shift.
00:59:52
Speaker
is we call it the tie-dye flower here on the farm. The boys think it looks like tie-dye, which it kind of does. It morphs from, I mean, no two flowers are the same. So it's purple magenta, all sorts of different shades of blue. It's just, it's absolutely stunning. That one was bred by Dr. Keith Hammett. And it's just an abs, it's just a, it's a color shifter for sure.
01:00:21
Speaker
Just absolutely gorgeous. So yes, those three for sure. Next on my list, Bix. I gotta have Bix on my list. She's just so beautiful. One of the most stunning blush varieties that you could possibly grow. I grew her my first season and have grown her every season since. Just really long stems. So if you're looking for cut flowers, if you're gonna do wedding work, anything like that, put Bix at the top of your list. Oh man.
01:00:50
Speaker
There's so many good ones, Jen. I don't know how you can go wrong with any sweet pea, really. I know. I know. It's like picking, you know, when people are like, what's your favorite? I mean, what's your favorite dahlia? Ooh. Yeah. So I mean, I would say those four would definitely be at the top of my list, but there's so many good ones. Like I just, I don't know which one.
01:01:11
Speaker
I feel like I'm... I hate to pick favorites. There's so many good ones. Emma, Wild Swan, it just depends on the color that you're looking for. Susan Burgess, Clementine Kiss. I mean, there's so many good ones. So I gave you more than five, but yes, there's so many good ones. And, you know, Sweet Peas come in every single color other than yellow. So yeah, it just depends on your color preference too.
01:01:41
Speaker
Some people are looking for fragrance. Some people aren't looking for fragrance. Some want long stems. Some people are growing them for cuts. Some people are just growing in their gardens. So there's all sorts of different variables to look at when growing your sweet peas. But yes, those would be my top ones to look for for our seeds. And more to be continued that I grew this year that are absolute favorites that I can't wait to share more of.
01:02:06
Speaker
Oh boy. So we look forward to those. Um, my lap. Yeah, we will. My last guest on the podcast was Paul from apple core farms. And I love what he said to me when I asked him what his favorite flower is. He told me his favorite flower is the flower that he last saw in the garden. Oh, I think that would be so true for your sweet peas because when I was walking through your garden,
01:02:34
Speaker
Your sweet pea patch, everyone I looked at, I go, Oh, I love that one. There's not a single one that you were growing that I wouldn't be thrilled to have growing up a trellis in my garden. So, um, I think that as people are looking at your sweet pea sale, cause you mentioned King's ransom is going to go quickly and we know how seed sales go when something's in high demand. I would suggest to everyone listening that if that one sells out by whatever sweet pea,
01:03:03
Speaker
is still left and you will not be disappointed because they really are magical. They, and you have poured your heart into these seeds. I have grown your seeds. I know they grow well. I've had excellent germination from them and you just put so much out there to this community that I can't wait to support your seed sale coming up. So thank you for all that you have done to grow the flower community. So it's been so fun chatting with you today.
01:03:31
Speaker
It's been fun chatting with you too, some nice little girl time. I know, it's been too long. Well, I would love to have you back again sometime if you would come join us on the podcast again. Absolutely. I'd love to come back. I'd love to come back. Thanks, Marin. Well, I hope you have a wonderful day. I know you have a lot of sweet pea seed sewing and things to do to get ready for your sweet pea sale.
01:03:57
Speaker
We will say goodbye until next time. Yeah, if anybody out there has any spare time and wants to come help me sow 20,000 seeds, come on up. You might be careful. You might get a few volunteers coming, which actually I've got one last question for you. For those that want to come help you sow seeds or just follow your journey and support you as your book launches, how can they find you? They can find me on Instagram. We are the Farmhouse Flower Farm. We're on Facebook.
01:04:27
Speaker
Also, our website is the farmhouseflowerfarm.com. Perfect. Thank you again for your time today. As always, it's lovely chatting with you and we will chat again soon. Happy gardening. Happy gardening.
01:04:45
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,
01:05:01
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.
01:05:24
Speaker
Until next time, keep growing, keep blooming, and remember that every bouquet starts right here in the backyard.