Anyone else grow flowers?
 

I realize that this forum is dedicated to tomatoes and such, but thought the topic might garner some interest.

Last year, my first year growing for a farmers market, I grew some flowers. Not a bunch of flowers but enough to help fill up my tables. I grew wave petunias in hanging baskets, and assorted coleus and marigolds in 4 inch pots. A few herbs rounded out the mix. I was thankful too have the flowers when my first tomato picking was behind and didn't have any for the market. I was also the only one at the market to have flowers. :D

Pros:

1. Bright cheerful colors stand out from the usual sea of red and green produce.

2. They sale them selves.

3. No worries about picking and having to hold, hoping they don't go south, unlike a lot of produce.

4. While your at it, plant some for your own landscaping. Save a bunch of money vs. buying at the big box store.

Cons:

1. Flowers can have a bit of a learning curve.

2. Once you get past mid June, most folks really have every flower they want. But flower sales do pick back up around Aug., when the Fall flower bug hits.

So, fellow Market Farmers, what say ye?

I'm only a customer but flowers and plants attract me every time I go to the Farmer's Market. Once I scored a big beautiful lemon verbena plant for only $4!

Just started some today. I thought I would try some this year.

Jon

As far as flowers for market (As a buyer) if someone gave me $1,000 for buying flowers - I would buy that many.

I am experimenting with dwarf sunflowers right now.

Who doesn't like sunflowers? Great idea!

This will be my first year doing it, so far I have started Marigolds, African Daisies, Shasta Daisies, cosmos and straw flowers. I am also doing herbs this year. Cilantro/dill/basil/

Which flowers sell best for you?

If I may add some commentary as somebody who had 25 years experience in the retail garden center world.

1. If it is not showing some color, probably leave it back at the farm. It doesn't matter how good the picture on the tag is. Yes, full blooming plants aren't the best for transplanting, but you have human nature working against you to try and educate the buyer to buy green plants with no flowers.
You have some leg work to do to figure out days from seed or cutting to flower. Remember that the professional grower is using growth regulators to control size and still get blooms (not saying to do this).
Companies that produce cuttings for sale have good info on grow-out programs for all sizes of growers. They can tell you when to plant, temps, fert, and pot sizes.
Many can UPS you a tray of rooted cuttings and you have a major jump on the process, and uniformity. It's plug and play.

2. Even with point number 1 above, you should have tags in each pot. People want to know, even if out of curiosity. Price each unit if you can even if it feels repetitive. Consider a sign (about sheet of paper size) with name of plant near the grouping of one flower type

3. Consider a 2-fer price for hanging baskets. People (most) have two arms/hands.

4. Look at the grower's catalog and pick the stuff that has wow factor. Think like the customer.

5. Our best sellers were supertunia or wave petunias, sweet potato vine, lantana (hard to grow without heat), Rex-type Begonias (grown for foliage not flowers, the 'Big Begonia' Series Begonias (especially the burgundy leaf), New Guinnea Impatiens, Sunpatiens, Coleus (not the boring wizard mixes or similar from seed), Calibrachoa, Portulaca (the vegetative types, not from seed), Purple Fountain Grass.

Clockwise from left: Green Sweet Potato Vine, Rex Begonia (I forget the cultivar name), Sunpatien, Supertunia, Variegated Lysimachia
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Purple Fountain Grass and Fuchsia Portulaca:
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We started and grew a small handful last year, I cant remember what varieties.
This year I will be starting some dianthus, marigolds, snap dragons, sweat peas, and a few others, as well as fall mums

I grow sunflowers, glads, zinnias, and dahlias for cut flower sales at my farm stand. They really brighten up the stand. One of the easiest crops to harvest and customers really enjoy them.
Marcus

Glad to see so many responses to the question. Everyone should take what Pure Harvest said to heart. I worked in a retail operation a few years back... everything Pure Harvest said is spot on, including varieties of flowers.

Also mentioned, was buying cuttings. This year I do plan on buying some plugs. I happen to have 2 wholesale nursery's with in driving distance. For my small operation, its a no brainer.

Cole_Robbie mentioned dwarf sunflowers. My understanding is that sunflowers don't transplant well, so the flower would probably need to be in a larger container. I know that NC plants a metric ton of dwarf sunflowers along the interstate. They do seem to handle the drought pretty well.

For me last year, wave petunias did well. I had them in hanging baskets. Also marigolds. Not sure of the variety but they were an unusual variety.

Thought I might add a pic of my coleus. I started the seed on Feb 3rd, it was a pelleted seed. I sowed them into a 72 cell tray. Pretty good germination, far as im concerned.

This is "Rainbow". I do believe its time to transplant. I have been waiting for night temps to warm up just a bit, so I can move these out to the greenhouse, which is unheated.

I was talking to someone about this the other day. She mentioned that the market she went to flowers went very well, while basil would go for fifty cents a bunch. Her reasoning was that in that market/area the people like things that are showy, so a bunch of flowers they can walk around with and show off in a vase at home is worth more to them then some produce. This is for cut flowers.

I sometimes do hanging baskets and sell them on Memorial Day. Certain colors go better then others. I still haven't figured out how to predict what will be hot though. The only tomato plants I can sell then are the ones with blooms or fruit, but they will go for a good amount.