Field & Garden

In my experience, most employee issues can be avoided. An employer's insufficient training, follow up, support, and lack of expectations can set employees up to fail. Going through some steps and thought processes before jumping into hiring can help avoid many of the problems associated with employing others in your business. Having a process for hiring and creating a culture leads to the best cre...

In this recent Clubhouse chat Lisa talks about the wonderful world of Cosmos! She covers common questions about how to grow them, details about the varieties she's currently growing, and the very important topics of harvesting and post-harvest handling. Cosmos are a late-season tender annual and they come in lots of fun colors! We hope you enjoy this chat and consider giving cosmos a spot in your...

In this recent Clubhouse chat Lisa talks with special guest Ellen Frost about her brand new on-demand workshop called Preparing to Sell to Florists. Ellen's workshop shares her best tips distilled from fifteen years of experience purchasing locally-grown flowers for her design studio work. Ellen also shares some current state-of-the-industry news and answers audience questions. Links & Mentions Po...

This is Lisa's most played and downloaded podcast episode so far, and with good reason. Lisa shares a sweet story of how she first got started growing flowers, and the joy it brought to her as well as her friends and family. In her own words: "It all started for me soon after I married this biker dude that came with a heart of gold and a big vegetable garden... Whether you are a home gardener, bud...

This is a very special edition of Bug Talk! For this episode, Lisa and Rhonda are joined by author and fellow "bug-hugger" Jessica Walliser. They talk about beneficial insects as well as the food chain and ecosystem that exists in your garden, both large and small scale. Did you know that less than 1% of all insects in the world are actually considered "pests" to humans and our crops? Lisa, Rhonda...

Are you growing basil to use in your cut flower bouquets? If not, you should be! In this recent Clubhouse chat Lisa talks about how she got started growing basil, why and how to grow it, her favorite variety, and the very important topics of harvesting and post-harvest handling. Links & Mentions Book:  The Flower Farmer  by Lynn Byczynski TGW Blog:  Basil for the Big Win Lisa's All-Time Favorite: ...

Dreaming big can lead to tackling those big dreams, but also getting lost in the weeds along the way. No one knows better how to get lost than me. I continually have to remind myself to reset. To stick with: being consistent, to follow through, and think about strategy. It is not easy for any of us. Remember that the overwhelm we may be experiencing is exactly what we worked for, right? Links & Me...

In this episode we catch up with Ellen Frost, TGW instructor and owner of Local Color Flowers floral design studio in Baltimore, MD. Ellen says that now, more than ever, florists are looking to local flower growers as sourcing options. As a studio designer purchasing from local flower growers for over 15 years, Ellen heard the call to put together a new on-demand workshop specifically for flower f...

Are you doing what it takes to get your flowers sold? In this recent Clubhouse chat Lisa talks about the business of flower sales and how you can manage to start selling to florists, grocery stores, etc. She also discusses a way of selling that is gaining popularity, outlined in our new on-demand workshop from instructor Amelia Ihlo of Rooted Farmers, which is called Collectives 101 .  Links & Men...

It's easy to be discouraged when we maybe experiencing: exhaustion, crazy heat or rain or cold, flat sales, broken equipment, or maybe a mean comment about your business. Friends, all of the above mentioned are a part of being in business. We must learn how to thrive not just survive these situations. We are the only ones that have the ability and the choice to choose to thrive in place of sufferi...

Today we're sharing a recent Clubhouse chat with special guest Dave Dowling! In this conversation Dave outlines the basics for getting started with bulbs, perennials and woodies as cut flower crops. This is a fast-paced discussion with lots of questions from the audience, so you may want to listen more than once to soak it all in!  Dave's 6-week online course, called Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies and...

In this episode Lisa and Dave Dowling discuss how we can expand our flower farming businesses by adding new crops. They talk about what you could and should add, the various ways to grow these plants, and how Dave's online course can help you make these decisions now and for many years to come. Links & Mentions Dave Dowling's online course, published by The Gardener's Workshop:  Flower Farming Sch...

For this episode I check in with my friend and student Nicole Pitt of Flower Hill Farm. Nicole farms in Boonville, New York on the land of her childhood (and current) home. A former TV news reporter/anchor, Nicole is now in her fourth year of cut flower production, selling through a CSA and to florists. In this interview we talked about how she got into flowers, the challenges faced as she grows h...

In this episode, I sit down with my good friend Dave Dowling to cover the basics of growing peonies.  For home gardeners, we cover where and how to plant them, when and how to fertilize, watering, deadheading and fall cleanup. For commercial growers, we cover varieties to grow for profit, purchasing tips, environmental conditions where they thrive, weed prevention, spacing & bed prep, disbudding,...

In this recent Clubhouse chat Lisa covered all the basics to get you started with Celosia, including variety selection, seed starting, harvesting and conditioning. Here are some of her highlighted picks: Best Celosia for Drying:  Cockscomb Cramer's Mix Most Popular with Customers:  Cockscomb Spring Green Most Productive:  Cockscomb Orange Red Sign up: TGW Free Weekly Farm E-Newsletter  Are you on...

What is the price we pay by skipping the groundwork? My journey through two decades of learning has brought me some key pieces that help stabilize the craziness of business. Why am I in business? Do I have a plan? What is my risk tolerance? How to slow or stop the craziness. Links & Mentions: We're excited about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine ! A tremendous resource. Use the...

Greg Peterson is the founder of The Urban Farm, a food-growing educator, a permaculture enthusiast, writer, and the creator of The Urban Farm podcast. Here, Lisa and Greg discuss how he became involved in the green living and sustainability movements, how his small urban residential plot in Arizona gradually became a sustainable food-producing powerhouse, and his recent move to North Carolina with...

Today's episode features a recent interview with Dave Dowling and one of his course students, Tim Pierce from Running Hills Farm. Tim and Betsy's Wisconsin farm has seen dramatic growth in the past couple of years, and Tim shares how they have been putting Dave's teachings into practice on the farm. There's a lot of great information in this discussion, including some "hacks" for dealing with weat...

In this episode, I sit down with my good friend Dave Dowling to discuss the top five mistakes that people tend to make with perennial cut flower plants. Whether you're a home gardener or a commercial cut-flower grower, Dave offers tips for avoiding these common perennial planting mistakes: 1. Not having weed management practices in place. You can't use chemical treatments on perennial beds, you'll...

I first "met" Dee Hall in the pages of the home and garden section of my local newspaper. It was a pleasure connecting with her and hearing about her urban micro-farm called Mermaid City Flowers, located just across the bay from me down in Norfolk, Virginia. In this interview, Dee describes how she came to be a specialty cut-flower farmer, her current business model, and what she sees for the futu...

I was so pleased to have Wanda Haken as a special guest on Clubhouse! Wanda is a commercial peony farmer located in the Alaskan interior, and she shared with us some great peony harvesting tips based on research performed at the University of Alaska. Wanda is also a student of The Gardener's Workshop courses, a former school teacher, and a very knowledgeable grower! She offers advice for new and s...

Whether you're a flower enthusiast home gardener or a commercial cut-flower grower, you know that you want your cut flowers to last as long as possible. In this episode, I cover post-harvest care for cut flowers in lots of different scenarios, and the practices that I recommend if you're selling to florists, at supermarkets, at the farmers' market, or at your farm stand. There are 5 general steps...

In this episode, I am exploring more entrepreneurship opportunities that grow out of and to the business of flower farming. I was honored to interview the dynamic couple, Daniel Schavey and Wesley Turner who own four businesses: Petal Picker Flower Co.  (flower farm)  Roots  (a garden boutique and garden center)  4Rooms  (Home Décor)  The Nested Fig  (Live Shopping Show) Listen to our conversation...

In this recent Clubhouse chat, Lisa interviewed Janis Harris of Harris Flower Farm in southwestern Ontario Canada. They discussed what it's like growing flowers at her farm in hardiness zone 5b/6a, and how it is different from Lisa's farm in zone 7b/8a in Virginia. Janis shares some tips for northern growers, but also offers great general growing advice about how to learn the best practices for yo...

As we are heading into the season here on my little flower farm, I'm reminded just how deep it is about to become as the flowers, the heat, and those weeds are about to get going. Walk with me as I look at the layers of a cutting garden and how I have learned to enjoy the journey.   Links & Mentions:   Bachelor Button Seed Mixes from The Gardener's Workshop   Excited about our partnership with the...