Jesse, hang in there girl, I feel your pain on a much smaller level. I'm much older than you and my body won't hold out to all I want to do. I see flowers that other growers grow and like you, I want them all!!! But we have to realize our limits and do what works for YOU!!! Hang in there, rest when you need to, as long as you need and go at your pace! You will find your rythm and You've already come SO far and I KNOW you're going to succeed more than you ever dreamed!!!
As a small town Florist, my vote, pass on the dahlias as a main flower. They are gorgeous, BUT expensive and they shatter way too easy😐. Love what your doing and cheerleading you on, always, from Southern BC Canada 🍁
Taking notes, i am just planning a cut flowers garden for the fun of it. This year was my first ever garden and i learned that flowers is what i want to grow. Hello from zone 5 B Canada ❤
Just a note on dahlias and summer heat. The hotter it is, the more water they need and if they don't get it the flowers are weak. If they are weak they will not do well as a cut flower. When our temps get above 30deg Celsius, the dahlias - which are in full sun - get watered three times a day. Also on the note of perennials are your friend. I couldn't agree more. When I did my top 10 flowers of 2022 video, half of them are perennials.
Great lessons learned! Thanks for keeping it real and not casting flower farming as an instagram picture-perfect fairytale--it's a lot of beauty mixed with seriously hard work and a lot of unpredictability!
Lesson Number 11 - Don't use RU-vid channels as role models for how to farm. Their market isn't your market, their climate isn't your climate, their finances aren't your finances. For many of them actual farm income is secondary, their main farm product is content for RU-vid and sponsors. Some, I'm sure you know who, have no control over their spending but never seem to be short of money, that's not how my finances work.
Stick with it..., learn and progress and don’t fall into comparison and “ go big or go home” mentality. Grow slow and steady. My husband began a small business as a general carpenter and contractor about thirty years ago. So did three of his buddies. They all bought new equipment, new trucks , advertising etc..., each one has gone out of business and one went bankrupt.., twice! Thirty years later my husband is going to retire and we still have a small business, loyal customers and mostly well used equipment and used trucks we bought only as we could afford them. We used what he made to buy only the tools he needed and drove used trucks. I am very proud of the life we made together but no huge money was made. We own our 20 acre farm and are happy with no debt. ❤
They come back for me too. I remember them always coming back when I was younger at my dad's, but things were saying they weren't hardy to zone 6. So I was digging them but then I realized the ones I missed were coming back! So I don't dig them unless I want to move them.
I can relate to 100% of what you said! Especially the burnout! This past season was my first time experiencing burnout & it was rough! I wanted so bad to go out & harvest, plant seeds, etc. But I couldn't bring myself to do it a lot of the time!
It sounds like you've really grown as a flower farmer. Great lessons, very helpful! I'm trying my first actual cut flower garden this year. It's hard not to want to grow ALL the flowers.... but I hear you, start small with what you can handle. Rooting you on from the Netherlands! You are doing so great!!
Regarding the deer, which are torturing here, I've had some luck making a fishing line fence. Lots of videos on RU-vid. And, the most common deer spray found locally never worked well for me. I've had better luck with bobbex and I must garden.
Idea for deer in tulip season... tulle fabric! I am planning to order tulle to help protect my dahlias from bugs. I bet it would confuse the deer, if used in combination with some of your other deterrents.
Do what’s right for you Jess. Comparing yourself to others is a set up for failure. Everyone has a different situation. I think your lessons learned are great. Also honeywort is great when directly sown. Just if you want to give it another try. 😊 Good luck next season. ❤
Living traditions homestead has a deer fencing system that works well for them. They have inexpensive cattle panel fencing about 4' tall around their garden and orchard area, and then another set of fencing around that 6' apart from the first set of fencing. They said it is an old time trick. The deer have terrible depth perception and can't tell if there's enough room to get in and out safely. Their last video talked about it again. I think this was their 3rd year with that system and they've never had a deer cross it, and they have lots of deer in their area. You should check it out. Also, your farm is gorgeous, and it sounds like you are going into 2023 with a lot of wisdom. God bless you and your family. ❤
Thanks Heather! That's the plan! One day I would love to have the cattle panel at the bottom and electric at the top, but it's going to be super expensive for my area I need to protect. One day though!!
100% agree with the cash method! I’m happy that your doing better even us as home gardeners we get burned out . I’m excited for spring today was minus 19 windchill so calling the sun gods to warm us up 😊 and gladiolus should be fine to plant now.
Haha, you sound like me. I just managed to order 1500 more lilies today. Already planted 200 this year. My excuse is that it started snowing again here this morning. I had to do something... 🙂
Amazing advice! This was the best and the most honest advice I have heard from any flower farmer. If I lived closer I would come buy some of your beautiful flowers. I live in Georgia 🥲
As a Dahlia farmer, I understand that dahlias aren't for everyone or every growing zone. Maybe you just aren't a Dahlia market but dahlias are my number one crop. High yield. High reward. It could also be that you're choosing the wrong dahlias. It could be that you're growing large dinner plate or decorative dahlias vs balls or pom pom.
Hang in there Jessie. Small is beautiful sometimes. I am still trying out things in my garden dreaming still of having a flower farm. It’s year two of my ‘practice run’ but I’m in Ireland and we have very different weather than yours. I can leave my dahlias in the ground all year long and I realise from looking at RU-vid this is a blessing. All my family love you and your flower journey so take care of yourself. And remember many of the ‘successes’ we are all watching on RU-vid both partners work full time on there farms. We are all different and therefore need to know ‘our enough’ my enough is just making the plants pay for themselves which by the way they haven’t but when they do that’s enough for me 💕🦋 Know your enough and please don’t burn out this year. We all want to see you on here.
This was such a great video. You really know how to be introspective, and hones and we all love that about you. This so helpful for so many people. These lessons can be used in everyday life and other business as well. Especially spending at the speed of cash. Being in debt adds so much stress and is so hard to dig out of. Wishing you the very best the season and cheering you on from Canada.
My dear, the most important thing is to learn not to stress out too much and preserve your health. Baby steps are the way to go for as long as it takes to stand firmly on your feet. Love:)))
Take care of yourself! You are wise to slow down and spend less, and only plant what you can handle! Same lesson here, but it's hard to have discipline when all the beautiful flowers are calling to us!
In 2021, we had the hottest weather on record, here in northeastern Washington state and my dahlias were so sad!!! I even tried putting up shade cloth over them, but they suffered so much.
Maybe try to spray some butter spray on some of the outside plants to teach the deer not to munch? I did this with my tulip bulbs that the voles were eating and it seemed to work. Just make sure not to get it on your hands!
Lol...don't you love the full sun lie?🤣🤣🤣 I am in zone 8b Florida and the only thing to survive full sun here are...sunflowers, roselle, and okra. Everything else seems to need some shade.
I have alot of moles now and I just role with it. I can't end any life so I just don't get angry anymore. I love animals more but I do love money! I just grow extra so everyone gets what they need lol
Was it an orange ladybug? That variety, which is not native to North America, is the aggressive one that will bite, although only if it thinks it is threatened.
I'll grow the ones currently in the ground... if I ever dig them up to move them. I doubt that I'll purchase more in the future. This was my 3rd attempt and they just didn't sell well enough for me.
great videos.. If you donate your flowers to a registered non-rpofit, you should be able to get a tax deductoin for the donation ... which would be a fair exchange .... Check out registered charities such as homeless centers, domestic violence centers, NPR, etc ... Keep up the good work .. and videos
