Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

Discuss your tips, tricks and experiences growing and selling vegetables, fruits, flowers, plants and herbs.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old March 8, 2016   #1
FourOaks
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: NC
Posts: 511
Default 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.

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?
FourOaks is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 8, 2016   #2
Deborah
Riding The Crazy Train Again
 
Deborah's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: San Marcos, California
Posts: 2,562
Default

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!
__________________
"The righteous one cares for the needs of his animal". Proverbs 12:10
Deborah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 8, 2016   #3
peppero
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: selmer, tn
Posts: 2,944
Default

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

Jon
peppero is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 8, 2016   #4
AlittleSalt
BANNED FOR LIFE
 
AlittleSalt's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 13,333
Default

As far as flowers for market (As a buyer) if someone gave me $1,000 for buying flowers - I would buy that many.
AlittleSalt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 8, 2016   #5
Cole_Robbie
Tomatovillian™
 
Cole_Robbie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
Default

I am experimenting with dwarf sunflowers right now.
Cole_Robbie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 8, 2016   #6
Deborah
Riding The Crazy Train Again
 
Deborah's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: San Marcos, California
Posts: 2,562
Default

Who doesn't like sunflowers? Great idea!
__________________
"The righteous one cares for the needs of his animal". Proverbs 12:10
Deborah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 9, 2016   #7
BigVanVader
Tomatovillian™
 
BigVanVader's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Posts: 3,099
Default

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?
BigVanVader is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 9, 2016   #8
PureHarvest
Tomatovillian™
 
PureHarvest's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b
Posts: 1,369
Default

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
IMG_0462.JPG

Purple Fountain Grass and Fuchsia Portulaca:
IMG_0645.JPG
PureHarvest is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 9, 2016   #9
Uncle Doss
Tomatovillian™
 
Uncle Doss's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: zone 5b/6a
Posts: 134
Default

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
__________________
Anything in life worth doing is worth over-doing. Moderation is for cowards.
Uncle Doss is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 9, 2016   #10
Marcus1
Tomatovillian™
 
Marcus1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Colorado
Posts: 124
Default

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
Marcus1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 9, 2016   #11
FourOaks
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: NC
Posts: 511
Default

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.
FourOaks is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 9, 2016   #12
FourOaks
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: NC
Posts: 511
Default

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.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 20160309_082520.jpg (485.3 KB, 73 views)
FourOaks is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 9, 2016   #13
tash11
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Ohio
Posts: 156
Default

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.
tash11 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:48 PM.


★ Tomatoville® is a registered trademark of Commerce Holdings, LLC ★ All Content ©2022 Commerce Holdings, LLC ★