Field & Garden

This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. It was guest-hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink, a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course:  ⁠⁠⁠ Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More ⁠⁠⁠ . Dave is always happy to share his knowledge with our listeners!    Topics Covered Wateri...

Lisa shares her 2025 plan to downsize her growing space and encourages those with smaller spaces to optimize their production in the following areas: bed spacing and maintenance, soil health, weed prevention, intensive planting techniques, and succession planting.      Mentions Podcast:  Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne Free Phone App:  The Gardener's Workshop Live Shop Lennie's Online Course:  Profita...

Lisa lays the groundwork for you to succeed out of the gate, rather than suffering through failures to find your way to a great cut flower garden. Whether you're new to the cutting garden concept or you've been unsuccessful starting one in the past, listen in for the three key factors that will lead you down the path to gorgeous cut flowers!   Mentions Lisa's Book:  ⁠The Cut Flower Handboo k Lisa'...

Discover essential insights into the world of flower farming, where passion meets perseverance! This episode dives deep into the heart of flower farming, unraveling the layers of determination, business acumen, and preparation needed to thrive.   From the first-hand experience of someone who started their journey 25+ years ago, learn about the highs and lows of stepping into the unknown, the resil...

Today's episode features our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram called Ask a Flower Farmer. This one was hosted by Lisa Mason Ziegler, a flower farmer with over 25 years of experience, author, online instructor, founder of The Gardener's Workshop, and self-proclaimed "head bottle washer." During this session in early May, she fielded questions on the following topics...   Topics: buckwhe...

Today's episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. This one featured guest host Lennie Larkin, author of Flower Farming for Profit and owner of B-Side Farm in Oregon. She is also one of our course instructors here at The Gardener's Workshop. In this Q&A Lennie fielded questions about bouquet pricing, floral design, how to research y...

In this episode, Lisa visits Emma Mobley's flower farm in Suffolk, VA. Emma shares her journey of transitioning to flower farming and discusses her new business model, focusing on spring and fall blooms. Listen as she reveals her selling strategies, challenges, and what the future holds for End of Nowhere Flower Farm. Note: video version of this podcast available on our YouTube channel Mentions We...

Today's episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, normally called Ask a Flower Farmer. This one, however, we called Ask a Florist, and it featured guest hostess Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers in Baltimore, MD. Ellen is a floral designer who creates exclusively with flowers and foliage purchased from local growers. She is also one of our course instructors...

I had a wonderful time visiting Torrie Anderson's place, The Flower Farm at Youngs Mill, back in June. Located just a couple of miles from my farm here in Virginia, Torrie is one of my dedicated students who has truly embraced the lessons and made remarkable progress! Now in her third year of flower farming with her husband and four children, join me to learn about Torrie's journey and hear her pl...

This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. It was guest-hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink, a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: ⁠⁠⁠Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More⁠⁠⁠ .   Dave is always happy to share his knowledge with our listeners! Here, he answers question...

These are the top 5 mistakes I see folks making related to Cool Flowers, don't be one of them!   1. Not knowing your first & last frost dates, along with your lowest expected winter temperature   2. Not preparing your garden beds ahead of time   3. Not knowing how each seed prefers to be started (indoors or outside, direct sow vs transplants)   4. Not providing the right environmental conditions s...

If you are a Southerner or a Northerner you may think the Cool Flower concept doesn't work for you, but nothing could be further from the truth! When you find your planting time sweet spot you will be the envy of all your grower friends, and your customers will think you are nothing short of a miracle worker!   As a Southerner, I spent years at the farmers market watching customers love on my swee...

Stepping away and looking at the big picture, it is easy to see why and how we have been skipping over spring crops. Some of us go to extremes to get warm plants blooming sooner than they should be and others are still planting this family way too late to reap the rewards that well-established plants give. Warm-season plants are familiar, which makes them seem easier to grow.   I want to fast forw...

Why Grow Annuals?   I stumbled into growing annuals. I initially began planting perennials but I quickly saw the errors of my way-- I was going to run out of space, QUICK!   As my business was gaining more demand than flowers I had-- I became a little crazy figuring out how to make the most of my total property of 1.17 acres that also had my home and outbuildings.   I already had a nice stand of h...

This episode features a takeover of our popular "Ask a Flower Farmer" live Q&A session on Instagram. Daniel Schavey of Petal Pickers Flower Co. in Greenville, SC hosted this one. Daniel is an 8th-year flower farmer growing in zone 8a and an alumnus of most of The Gardener's Workshop's online courses. Here, he answers questions on topics such as Mother's Day flowers and pricing, ordering plugs vs....

Take control now, because if you don't, nobody will! Resist distractions, structure your workdays to get the tasks that matter done, grow more of less, endlessly market your business, and streamline everything!   Mentions ⁠ Lisa's Favorite Hat to Beat the Heat! ⁠ ⁠ Lisa's Book, Cool Flowers ⁠ ⁠ ⁠Shop the TGW Online Store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ for all your seeds and supplies!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up to receiv...

In this episode, Lisa and our newest TGW instructor Lennie Larkin offer a look inside our online course, Profitable Flower Farming.   Mentions Online Course: ⁠ ⁠ Profitable Flower Farming with Lennie Larkin ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠Shop the TGW Online Store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ for all your seeds and supplies!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ The ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Field and Garden Pod...

In this episode of the Field & Garden podcast, Lisa and guest Lennie Larkin discuss her journey into flower farming, her move to Oregon, and the creation of her educational business. They also delve into the challenges of profitable flower farming, the future of the domestic cut flower industry, and introduce Lennie's new online course published by The Gardener's Workshop.   Mentions New Online Co...

This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. Guest-hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink, also a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: ⁠ ⁠⁠ Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More ⁠⁠ ⁠ .   Dave is always happy to share his knowledge with our listeners! Here, he answers questi...

Today's episode features Lisa Ziegler and Layne Angelo as they introduce their new online course. It was over a year in the making and is called Cool Flowers from Seed to Harvest . Listen in as they talk about their inspiration and how the course came to be, what it includes, and answer audience questions.   Mentions ⁠ Cool Flowers from Seed to Harvest ⁠ ⁠ ⁠Shop the TGW Online Store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ for...

A quick little set of reminders for busy flower growers!   1) Weeds: You need a prevention plan, plus a plan to extinguish any that survive when they're small.   2) Succession planting: designate resources/time to getting those successions done, it needs to be a top priority.   3) Always be selling: be on the lookout for additional sales opportunities, putting feelers out continuously.   4) Don't...

Today's episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, normally called Ask a Flower Farmer. This one, however, we called Ask a Florist, and it featured guest hostess Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers in Baltimore, MD. Ellen is a floral designer who creates exclusively with flowers and foliage purchased from local growers.  She is also one of our course instructor...

I don't know about you, but I am always anxious about spring. A lot is riding on it, right? Weather, seed sowing issues, never enough help, everything seems urgent, netting-netting-netting... seedling care, and then bedmaking, planting, and harvesting starts.   What I have learned after decades of facing anxiousness is that constant support, encouragement, and prioritizing are what get me through...

This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. Guest-hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink, also a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: ⁠ ⁠ Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More ⁠ ⁠ .   Dave is always happy to share his knowledge with our listeners! Here, he answers question...

Don't allow these things to hold you back from pursuing your flower farming business dreams. No acreage, tractor, or greenhouse? No problem. I didn't have any of those during the first decade of my flower farm.   Originally aired 9/27/22   Mentions ⁠ Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers ⁠ (ASCFG) ⁠ Online Courses from The Gardener's Workshop ⁠ ⁠ Shop the TGW Online Store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ for all your...