Field & Garden: Recent Episodes
Lisa Mason Ziegler
Join Lisa Mason Ziegler on the Field & Garden Podcast talking flower farming, cut-flower gardening, business, and all things related!
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 Handbook
Lisa's Online Course, Flower Farming School Online: Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 resilience required to overcome the myriad challenges, and the critical importance of a strong business foundation to sustain your passion for flower farming.
Embark on your path to becoming a successful flower farmer today by understanding the importance of preparation and equipping yourself with the tools needed for a flourishing future in flower farming.
Mentions
Book: The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski
Lisa's Online Course, Flower Farming School Online: Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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: buckwheat cover crop, weed suppression & prevention, harvesting strawflowers, how to store seeds, recommended soil for raised beds, perennials for shade gardens, fertilizing cool flowers in the spring, succession planting, protecting plants from squirrels and rabbits, scouting for pest and disease damage, Sweet William varieties & successions, early and late-season sunflowers
Lisa hosts these live Q&As on Instagram every Wednesday at 12:30 pm Eastern time, and we occasionally have guest hosts on as well - we invite you to check it out!
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Lisa's Online Community: The Gardener's Workshop Club
Our Live Shopping Phone App: Download Link
Lisa's Book: The Cut Flower Handbook
Online Course: Cool Flowers From Seed To Harvest
Products: Stand-Up Hoe, Neptune's Harvest
Catch "Ask A Flower Farmer" live on our Instagram!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 your local market, and more.
Topics: Tiered pricing for bouquets, principles of floral design, flower markups, researching your market to develop your business model, building bouquets efficiently
Mentions
Lennie’s Instagram: flowerfarming.forprofit, B-Side Farm
Online course: Profitable Flower Farming
The Gardener’s Workshop on Instagram
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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
Website: End of Nowhere Flower Farm
Find Emma on Instagram or Facebook
Discover our online courses!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 here at The Gardener’s Workshop. In this Q&A Ellen fielded questions about floral design, the different flowers she uses throughout the year, and some great business questions too.
Other topics mentioned: floral design for beginners, long-lasting flowers, arranging in mason jars, what Ellen designs with during the winter months, foam-free floral mechanics, the first steps toward selling your flowers, how to get the best vase life from your flowers, how to sell to a florist for the first time, flower cart sales, flower pricing for florists, buying bulk flowers, using social media as a tool to tell your story, spring focal flowers, price undercutting.
Mentions
Ellen’s newsletter signup
Ellen’s YouTube Channel
Instagram: Ellen Frost Flowers
Instagram: Local Color Flowers
Ellen's courses:
On-Demand Mini-Workshop: Preparing to Sell to Florists
Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing
Field & Garden Podcast #130: Local Color Flowers – A Design Studio’s Year Month-by-Month with Ellen Frost
Seed Talk Podcast #52 – Zinnia Challenges with Florist Ellen Frost
The Gardener’s Workshop on Instagram
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 plans for the future.
Mentions
Website: The Flower Farm at Youngs Mill
Find Torrie on Instagram or Facebook
Discover our online courses!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 questions about snapdragons, baptisia, ranunculus, peonies, larkspur, lisianthus, and so much more.
Other topics include the updated USDA hardiness zone map, managing thrips and aphids, powdery mildew, fertilizing and pinching techniques, his all-time favorite perennials to grow for cut flowers, and making a profit from flower farming.
Mentions
USDA Hardiness Zone Map - updated Nov 2023
Bulb Supplier: Ball/Colorlink, or Call for Account Setup: 800-686-7380
Dave on social: Facebook, Instagram
Dave's Course: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Discover our online courses!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
These are the top 5 mistakes I see folks making related to Cool Flowers, don't be one of them!
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Not knowing your first & last frost dates, along with your lowest expected winter temperature
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Not preparing your garden beds ahead of time
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Not knowing how each seed prefers to be started (indoors or outside, direct sow vs transplants)
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Not providing the right environmental conditions seed sprouting and optimal seedling growth (light, temperature, air, and water)
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Failing to realize that you do NOT have to start all seeds yourself (plugs are an option!)
Avoid these common mistakes to save time, money, and most importantly, your sanity!
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Silage Tarp
Plug Suppliers: Farmer Bailey, Ball Hort/Colorlink
Cool Flower Seeds from The Gardener's Workshop
Lisa's Book, Cool Flowers
Online Course: Cool Flowers from Seed to Harvest
TGW Phone App/Live Shopping Show
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 sweet peas and tell me why they can't be grown here - Ha!
Meanwhile I hear from my northern flower farming friends that they have become driven to find ways to get this plant family in the ground earlier and earlier each year to reap the benefits!
Cool Flowers are for everyone. Myth busted, truth unveiled!
Enjoy this week's episode for my best Cool Flower tips and recommendations for Southerners and Northerners.
Mentions
Request the FREE webinar: 3 Foolproof Steps to Success with Cool Flowers
Lisa's Book, Cool Flowers
Request the Cool Flowers video book study
Online Course: Cool Flowers from Seed to Harvest
Lisa's Book, The Cut Flower Handbook
TGW Phone App/Live Shopping Show
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 forward to where this journey of embracing seasonality with cool-season hardy annuals can lead.
This is a trend that I have seen over and over, and I think it is so smart.
My first experience with flower farmers making a clear decision to move away from offering summer crops and focusing on spring and or fall crops was with good friends Megan and Jonathan Leiss of Spring Forth Farm in North Carolina. I met them before their babies came, and I watched as they started a family, lived the homesteading life, and grew cut flowers as a piece of their family life, not allowing it to consume them. They developed their model as an early to late spring offering flower farm.
Now we're seeing more and more flower farmers realizing they can maintain control as they grow their businesses, molding them into a more manageable part of their life.
I had the honor of visiting one of my student's farms a couple of years ago. She came to the rescue of furnishing some flower crops for a photo shoot for my newest book, The Cut Flower Handbook.
I knew I wanted to revisit her farm with the team to learn and film about how she got into flower farming and where her journey is headed. I was thrilled to hear her story of creating a more manageable flower farming business. Our visit with Emma will be released as a Field & Garden podcast episode later this season.
Mentions
Request the FREE webinar: 3 Foolproof Steps to Success with Cool Flowers
Lisa's Book, Cool Flowers
Online Course: Cool Flowers from Seed to Harvest
Emma Mobley, End of Nowhere Flower Farm
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 hydrangeas in our landscape and thought-- bingo, use it all. But then I needed a consistent supply-- I didn't see it yet but annual plants were knocking down my door.
Then I got it! To maximize my space and to have a consistent supply I needed annuals.
What I discovered along that journey is that annuals are the perfect fit for the small-space flower farmer.
It's the recommended way all farmers get started to learn how to farm, maintain, seed start, harvest, and find customers:
- Low investment,
- Max production small space,
- Constant ability to change up-colors & varieties,
- The annual system has been so misrepresented
A little-known reality of the "Annual Farmer" is that this style of farming can become an asset to your home. I could literally stop farming any day, plant trees or grass, and call it a life well lived.
Mentions
Online Courses from The Gardener's Workshop
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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. starting from seed, purchasing and saving ranunculus corms, and so much more!
Other topics covered: hydroponic tulips, when to plant dahlia tubers, tuberose growing tips, peonies for Mother's Day, perennial phlox, starting small with flower farming, ranunculus harvest stage, starting zinnias from seed, shipping flowers, foliage and greens for Mother's Day, sunflower seed starting.
Mentions
Petalpickers.com: fresh flowers shipped nationwide, dahlia tuber and fall bulb sales
Follow on Instagram: Petal Pickers, The Gardener's Workshop
Book, The Cut Flower Handbook
Book, Postharvest Handling of Cut Flowers and Greens
High Tunnels from Farmers Friend
Lisianthus plugs: Ball Colorlink, Farmer Bailey, Leo Berbee
Online Courses from The Gardener's Workshop
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
In this episode, Lisa and guest Lenny 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 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 Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 questions about lilies, ranunculus, peonies, lisianthus, calla lilies, and so much more.
Other topics include dianthus, sweet peas, eucalyptus, bells of Ireland, viburnum, cosmos, dahlia gall, sunflowers, pinching, new garden bed preparation, and selling to florists.
Mentions
Ball Seed's Cut Flowers Info Hub
Dave's Online Course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Lisa's Book, The Cut Flower Handbook
Facebook Group: Lisianthus Seed Starters
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Discover all of our online courses!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 run out of supplies: purchase with an entire season in mind so that you're not stuck waiting for something.
5) Do paperwork weekly: put it in your schedule weekly, as this task gets more overwhelming if you don't keep up with it.
Mentions
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 here at The Gardener’s Workshop. In this Q&A Ellen fielded questions about floral design, the different flowers she uses throughout the year, and some great business questions too.
Mentions
Ellen’s newsletter signup
Ellen’s YouTube Channel
Instagram: Ellen Frost Flowers
Instagram: Local Color Flowers
Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing
On-Demand Mini-Workshop: Preparing to Sell to Florists
PDF: Pro Tips to Make Your Flowers Last
Follow on Instagram: @florxeight, local rose grower
Floral Hydrator: Quick Dip
The Gardener’s Workshop on Instagram
Postharvest Handling book in the ASCFG bookstore
The Floral Coach®
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 and have led to less anxiousness overall.
Hope this helps,
Lisa
Mentions
Workshop: Cool Flowers from Seed to Harvest
The Gardener's Workshop Club
Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 questions about peonies, snapdragons, lilies, stock, and so much more.
Other topics include dried flowers, tulips, how long it takes to grow seedlings, fertilizing in the field, cosmos, when and where to pinch plants, treatments for aphids and thrips, viburnum, orlaya, grow lights, dahlia tubers, fertilizers, poppies, RootShield, calla lilies, and celosia.
Mentions
Dave's Online Course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Lisa's Books: Cool Flowers, The Cut Flower Handbook
Ball Seed's Cut Flowers Info Hub
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Discover all of our online courses!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 a 7th-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 high tunnel growing, lisianthus, tips for new cut flower growers, hydroponic tulips, and so many more!
Other topics covered: microclimate trial & error, selling to florists, ranunculus, tuberose, aphids, deer fence, roses, dahlias, sunflower successions
Mentions
Petalpickers.com: fresh flowers shipped nationwide, dahlia tuber and fall bulb sales
Follow on Instagram: Petal Pickers, Cuts of Color, Scratch House, The Gardener's Workshop
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG)
Lisianthus plugs: Ball Colorlink, Farmer Bailey, Leo Berbee
Online Courses from The Gardener's Workshop
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Join Rhonda Graves and Lisa for another episode of Bug Talk! Today, they expand into the broader topic of restoring the natural order on your farm or in your garden: the benefits, the methods, and the rewards. They share all of their favorite resources for learning more about what YOU can do to improve the natural conditions in your space.
Recommended Reading
Vegetables Love Flowers
Bringing Nature Home
Good Garden Bugs
The Life Cycle of Butterflies
The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs
Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden
Good Bug Bad Bug
Other Resources
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
Start A New Habitat: Homegrown National Park
Identify Bugs: iNaturalist phone app
Identify Birds by their call: Merlin phone app
Other Bug Talk Podcast Episodes:
Japanese Beetles
Bug Talk with Nancy Lawson, The Humane Gardener
What Happens to Bugs in Winter?
Native Bees with Dr. Barb Abraham
Bug Talk with Author Jessica Walliser
Bug Talk: Ants on Peonies
Bug Talk: They All Have A Purpose
Bug Talk with Lisa & Rhonda
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
We are so hard on ourselves when we hit a wall or fail. I’ve found that the reality so often for me is that my expectations weren’t based on any facts or experiences, just hopes, and dreams. No wonder it didn’t work out!
Stepping back and rethinking the process can change it all.
Hopes + Dreams + Experience + Knowledge = a smoother and straighter road to success.
I hope this episode meets you where you are, encourages you, lets you know you are not alone, and sows the seeds of hope that there is another way.
I hope you enjoy this episode. ~Lisa Z.
Mentions
Request the webinar: What It Takes To Be A Flower Farmer
Sunny Meadows Flower Farm: Instagram Website
Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More with Lisa Mason Ziegler
Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More with Dave Dowling
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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, who is also a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More.
Dave has such a wealth of knowledge to share! Here, he answers questions about dahlias, hydrangeas, tulips, lisianthus, and so much more!
Other topics include pest management, crop rotation, organic vs. conventional fertilizers, seedling care, zinnias, sunflowers, celosia, and gladiolus.
Mentions
Other Ask A Flower Farmer podcast episodes featuring Dave Dowling: #269, #266, #247, #244
Dave's Online Course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Ball/Colorlink: Wholesale Plant, Bulb, & Seed Supplier
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Discover all of our online courses!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Lisa was recently featured on Growing For Market podcast, joining host Andrew Mefferd to discuss concepts from her new book, The Cut Flower Handbook. Topics covered include:
- The current US market demand for cut flowers
- Cool vs. warm season flower crops
- Professionalism in flower farming
- Succession planting concept for continuous blooms
Podcast excerpts are published with permission.
Mentions
Lisa's Book: The Cut Flower Handbook
Full original Growing For Market episode #55 podcast Available Here
Book: The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG)
The Slow Flowers Society
Discover our online courses!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
After almost a year in development, we're so excited to tell you about our new online community!
Membership Features:
- Monthly live Q&As with Lisa Z!
- Exclusive training sessions
- Expert guidance from Lisa
- Commiserate with your flower-loving peers
- Interactive challenges keep you inspired to succeed
- Private club platform - no tracking or advertising
- Access anytime from your phone, tablet, or computer
Who Is This Online Club For?
- Aspiring Flower Farmers
- Established Flower Farmers
- Passionate Flower Gardeners
Mentions
More about The Gardener's Workshop Club
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Lisa was recently featured on The joegardener® Show podcast, joining host Joe Lamp'l to discuss the foundational concepts from her new book, The Cut Flower Handbook. Topics covered include:
- The soil blocking method of seed starting
- Cool vs. warm season flower crops
- Natural weed & pest prevention
- Succession planting concept for continuous blooms
Podcast excerpts are published with permission.
Mentions
Full The joegardener® Show Episode #351 Podcast & Blog Post Available Here
Lisa's Book: The Cut Flower Handbook
Book: The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski
Products: Soil Blocking Tool, Biodegradable Mulch Film, Flower Support Netting
Soil Blocking Mix Recipe & Instructions
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Starting and being in business is overwhelming! Yep, it's true. And the overwhelm doesn't just stop one day, you have to take control and make it happen. Only you can make that choice.
Add to that the stress of flower farming, and it becomes clear why so many new growers never leave the starting gate.In this episode, I'm sharing one of the keys to getting started and staying in business as a flower farmer. Allow yourself the fair opportunity to learn how, I highly recommend it!
(Encore presentation, originally aired March 2021)
Mentions
Learn about our Online Courses
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
In September '22 Lisa was featured on The joegardener® Show podcast, joining host Joe Lamp’l to discuss the Cool Flowers concept and how she got started growing this fantastic group of spring stunners! They covered topics such as:
- How to determine which Cool Flowers you can grow in your region
- When and how to start your Cool Flowers from seed
- The special care requirements of flowers planted in the fall and in very early spring
- What you should do to prepare in the fall even if you don’t plant until very early spring
Mentions
Lisa's Book, Cool Flowers
The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski
The New Organic Grower by Eloit Coleman
Bio360 Biodegradable Mulch Film
Row Cover Hoop Kit
Cool-Season Hardy Annual Seeds
Full The joegardener® Show Episode #274 Podcast & Blog Post Available Here
Request Lisa’s Free Resource: Cool Flowers Planting Guide
Joe’s Book, The Vegetable Gardening Book
Joe’s online course, Organic Vegetable Gardening
Watch Growing a Greener World and connect with Joe: Website, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Growing, giving, and receiving cut flowers is good medicine for whatever ails you. I learned this firsthand from Stevie’s mom's memorial service.
The stories of Ruby sharing my flowers amongst the thousands of pound cakes she baked and shared were evidence of the power of flowers. Sharing them is an excellent ending to a flower's journey.
Mentions
Lisa's newest book: The Cut-Flower Handbook
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Enjoy this short podcast to get relieved of the pressure to start seeds now. ~Lisa
In the episode, I share the reality that this rush and pressure we feel to start seeds in early spring is a result of marketing, and it is not the only time to start seeds! In fact, many of us could start seeds all 12 months of the year.
I hope this gives you the nudge to jump in where you are and not feel like you're behind.
Mentions
Book: Vegetables Love Flowers
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
This time of year we have lots of folks reaching out because of fears they are experiencing about their Cool Flowers facing cold weather. I understand and suffer from the same thing from time to time. It’s natural, and we need to do all we can to meet their needs to maximize success.
This chat I hosted includes encouragement and some steps to follow that stack the cards in favor of your cool-season hardy annuals.
Mentions
Video Series: Cool-Season Flower Chronicles
Blog: The Secret Sauce of Growing Cool-Season Flowers
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
In this encore presentation of Lisa's very first episode of Field & Garden, she covers a couple of really big topics:
1) How NOT to freak out if you decide to peek under your row covers in mid-winter, and
2) How to use this time to harness the power of succession planting as you plan out your bed space throughout the coming year.
As avid cut flower gardeners and farmers, we know that the dead of winter is not just for dreaming! Now is also the time to carefully plan your bed space for maximum production.
P.S. Do you peek under the row covers? I find it to be the scariest thing this farmer can do in mid-winter! ~Lisa
Mentions
Book, Cool Flowers
Rocket Snapdragons
Nigella/Love-in-a-Mist
Book, Vegetables Love Flowers
Blog, Storing Seeds Longer
Cover Crop, Crimson Clover
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Tests and lessons (failures!) lead to perseverance. Perseverance is a required ingredient for a small business.
We must continue despite failures, difficulties, or opposition. Don't give up or give in to fear. Facing fear in business never ends, so we must all learn to overcome it.
Remember...
"Fear is a mile wide, but only an inch deep." - Lisa Z.
Mentions
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Join Lisa, Dave, and Gretel as they discuss the Flower Farming School Online Trio Sale. The culmination of several years of work, these schools are being offered as a complete set for the first time, and for a limited time only.
Students now have the opportunity to gain immediate access to beginner through expert-level teachings for cut flower farming, both in the field and in structures, in a format that fits their lifestyle and needs. If you're looking for the most time and cost-efficient way to have a thriving flower farm, both now and into the future, then these courses are for you!
Mentions
Flower Farming School Online: The Trio Sale limited time only
Sneak Peek Videos for all three courses
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Did you know that we have another podcast series? It's called Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne, and it's become really popular! This is their top podcast episode of 2023, the one with the most overall listens, and it's the first episode in a 3-part series about cut-and-come-again Cool Flowers.
If you like this one, please consider subscribing to Seed Talk wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch Seed Talk on our YouTube channel (see the Seed Talk playlist there), or listen to Seed Talk anytime in the podcast section on our website.
Winner, Best of 2023 Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne
Wondering which cool flowers will branch and produce multiple rounds of blooms? Today, Lisa and Layne discuss the first half of their list of “cut and come again” cool flowers. They cover why each of these plants is worth growing, approximately how many stems you can expect per plant, and tips for succession planting. From Ammi to golden drumsticks, listen to the podcast and learn about the productivity of these cool-season hardy annuals!
The video version of Lisa and Layne’s conversation will be posted to The Gardener’s Workshop’s YouTube channel, where all “Seed Talk” episodes are organized into a playlist. In addition, auto-generated transcripts are available for viewing on YouTube. If there is a question or topic you would like to hear discussed on a future episode of “Seed Talk”, please fill out the form linked below. We would love to hear your suggestions!
Mentions:
“Seed Talk” YouTube Playlist
Shop: Cool-Season Hardy Annual Seeds, Book: Cool Flowers
“Seed Talk” Topic Suggestion Form
TGW YouTube Channel
TGW iPhone App (iOS App Store)
TGW Android App (Google Play)
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The “Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne” podcast is produced by The Gardener’s Workshop and co-hosted by Lisa Mason Ziegler and Layne Angelo. Lisa is the founder and owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, where Layne works as Seed Manager. Lisa is the award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers and the publisher of Flower Farming School Online, Farmer-Florist School Online, and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with her on social media. Layne is an avid gardener, seed starter, and engineer who loves learning and applying her technical knowledge to all areas of life, including gardening and growing flowers. Thanks for joining us!
Winner Best of 2023 This podcast had the most listens this year!
If I had the opportunity to restart my business today based on what I have learned since starting in 1998, these are some of the things that would change the course of my business. They seem so simple now, but when I was in the weeds-- I never even thought of these things!
Hope they help! ~Lisa
P.S. Listen through to the very end for an uplifting note from Jennifer!
Mentions
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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, who is also a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More.
Dave has such a wealth of knowledge to share! Here, he answers questions about lots of plants, including snapdragons, lisianthus, astilbe, winterberry, willows, baptisia, anemones, ranunculus, peonies, freesia, tulips, and calla lilies.
Other topics mentioned: stem strength, harvest tracking, bed/path widths, where to start in flower farming, selling to florists, bulb storage, and wholesale cut flower and plug/liner pricing.
Mentions
Dave's Online Course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Ellen Frost's Online Courses: Preparing to Sell to Florists, Florist School Online: Growing Your Business With Local Flower Sourcing
Ball/Colorlink: Wholesale Plant, Bulb, & Seed Supplier
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
I'm looking over my shoulder as I begin to firm up my business goals and plans for 2024. Lessons learned and reminders of advice given is good food for thought. Learning to say no to great ideas that aren't in my wheelhouse is at the top of my list.
Mentions
The Book That Changed My Life: Interview with Lynn Byczynski
Pre-Order Now: The Cut-Flower Handbook
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
I find that many people struggle and quit flower farming before they really get started. Why do they quit? Not because they aren’t trying, but because “they don’t know, what they don't know” and get burned out doing the wrong stuff.
How do you learn the right stuff? Networking with those who are ahead of you in their business journey.
Mentions
December 9, 2023: Gratitude Open Warehouse
Lisa's Book: The Cut-Flower Handbook
Podcast Series: Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne
Courses: Flower Farming School Online
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. This one was guest-hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink. Dave is also a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More.
Dave has such a wealth of knowledge to share! Here, he answers questions about lots of plants, including ninebark, dahlias, cool flowers, gladiolus, tulips, lisianthus, snapdragons, amaryllis, peonies, winterberry, daffodils, hydrangea, and ranunculus.
Other topics mentioned: thrips, raised beds, pelleted seeds, perennials & woodies for warmer climates, sales outlets, and interplanting.
Mentions
Dave's Online Course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Ball/Colorlink: Wholesale Plant, Bulb, & Seed Supplier
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Join Lisa Ziegler and Jessi Graven as they discuss the writing of The Cut-Flower Handbook. This book is scheduled for release in February 2024 and is available for pre-order now.
Pre-order The Cut-Flower Handbook directly from TGW to get our FREE bonus resources! Details HERE.
Mentions
Lisa's book, The Cut-Flower Handbook
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Join me as I catch up with Gretel Adams of Sunny Meadows Flower Farm in Columbus, Ohio. In this episode, we talk about how life on the farm has changed with the addition of their first child, get an update on their flower farming biz, and learn of another big development in Steve & Gretel's farm and home life. Listen in for the scoop on Sunny Meadows!
Mentions
Flower Farming School Online: Growing Cut-Flower Crops in Hoop & Greenhouses with Steve & Gretel Adams
Learn more about and connect with Steve & Gretel Adams and their business, Sunny Meadows Flower Farm.
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Dried Flowers = Added Value!
My goal was to always sell it all fresh, but, there are always leftovers, right? Why not hang them to air dry and sell them as added-value products?
Dried flowers are back in vogue and an excellent cash crop to sell alongside your fresh fall flowers and those holiday-blooming bulb containers. Dried straight bunches, bouquets, and wreaths are all in demand.
Mentions
About Ellen Frost: Instagram, YouTube
Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing
Mini-Workshop: Preparing to Sell to Florists with Ellen Frost
Flower Farming Schools Online:
The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!
Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Growing Cut-Flower Crops in Hoop & Greenhouses
Mini-Workshop: Forcing Glorious Blooms for the Holidays and Beyond with Val Schirmer
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
In this very special episode, TGW staffer Jessi Graven guest hosts as she visits fellow TGW student and established flower farmer Michelle Wheeler of River Bend Blooms in Kentucky!
Here, Michelle tells the story of how she came into flower farming, how the business has grown, the selling outlets she's utilizing, and discusses her plans for the future. During the farm tour, she shows us the wildlife conservation practices in place on the farm and gives us a glimpse of her awesome flower truck as well!
Michelle would like to extend a BIG "Thank you" to all of our TGW course instructors! She says she's taken almost all of them, and each course helped her grow her business in one way or another.
Mentions
River Bend Blooms: Website, Facebook, Instagram
The Gardener's Workshop Online Courses
Arnosky Family Farms
Sunny Meadows Flower Farm
Book: The Flower Farmer (affiliate link)
CREP Program
Collective: SOKY Floral Exchange
H-2A Temporary Agriculture Labor Program
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer, hosted by Jennie Love of Love ’n Fresh Flowers. Jennie is a well-known and highly sought-after farmer-florist in Philadelphia specializing in field-to-vase wedding and event work. She is also the author of two of our online courses: Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process, and the online mini-workshop called Making Workshops Work for You. Here, Jennie graciously shares her thoughts on many different topics, including:
- how to get started as a farmer-florist
- where to get floral design training
- and so much more!
Other Topics/Questions Covered:
- Korean Natural Farming treatment for powdery mildew
- Hardening off seedlings
- Fertilizing fall seedlings
- No-till garden bed creation
- Snapdragon succession planting
- Overwintering/perennializing dahlias
- Snapdragon transplant timing
- Recommended woodies to grow
- Bridal bouquet process
- DIY Bucket Contracts
- Crop planning for annuals & perennials
- Finding customers
Mentions
Jennie's Course: Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process
Jennie's Online Mini-Workshop: Making Workshops Work for You
Connect with Jennie on Instagram: @lovenfreshflowers, @notillflowers
Jennie's Blog at Love 'n Fresh Flowers
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Time for another great chat between Lisa and expert cut-flower grower, Dave Dowling! Dave is also a bulb and plant broker, and the author of our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More.
In this episode, Lisa & Dave talk about the many ways they've sold their flowers, and how you could be selling the flowers that you grow, too. Topics include:
- Importance of researching your local market to identify opportunities
- Understanding that you'll need to try different types of selling to find the best fit for you & your farm
- Over a dozen different ways to sell your flowers!
Mentions
Online Courses published by The Gardener's Workshop
ASCFG Online Bookstore: Post-Harvest Handling Book
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
What does trusting the process mean? Learning the steps and just keep doing them. I lean on mentors, teachers, organizations, resources, and team members.
Everyone needs them all. Business is an ever-evolving and changing force meaning every day has scary stuff— we need backup.
Doing this podcast reminded me that all will be well. ~Lisa
MENTIONS
We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers
Book: The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski (affiliate link)
Online Courses published by The Gardener's Workshop
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Get your notepad ready! This is an information-packed crash course in lily succession planting from expert grower and bulb broker, Dave Dowling. Dave is also the author of our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More.
In this episode, Lisa & Dave cover lily succession planting from start to finish! Topics include:
- Why to succession plant lilies
- Intro to crate growing, how to get crates
- What types of lilies to grow
- When and where to buy them
- How to plant them
- How to care for growing plants
- When and how to harvest
Mentions
Lily Bulb Suppliers: Ball Colorlink, Zabo Plant
Available Now! Dave's online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Coming out of the dog days of summer is the time to consider: what are my flower needs for next season? While it is fresh in your memory, consider "Where am I selling and when does it start?" These guiding principles will lead you to what you should grow, how much, and when the blooms should begin.
Mentions:
Our Online Mini-Workshops
Seed Starting Saturdays on YouTube
Check out the app for our shopping show! Find it Here
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Please enjoy this replay of a webinar that Lisa did with Jennie Love called “Top 5 Mistakes New Farmer-Florists Make.” Jennie & Lisa put this one together with the hope of helping new farmer-florists avoid some common pitfalls - all mistakes that Jennie admits to making herself when she was first starting out. There are some great tips here!
Mentions
Jennie's Free PDF: Favorite Suppliers of Vases & Other Floral Design Hard Goods
Jennie's Course: Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process
Jennie's Online Mini-Workshop: Making Workshops Work for You
Connect with Jennie: Love n’ Fresh Flowers Website Instagram Pinterest
Cool Bot for your floral cooler
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Do you love the processes of starting, growing, and harvesting lots of cut flowers, but don’t really want to go into business? That is totally doable and in my book, an even higher calling!
Mentions
We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Lisa's course, Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!
Check out the app for our shopping show! Find it Here
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Today’s episode is a chat that Lisa recently had with Tammy Osselaer, owner of Little Petal Farm in Noblesville, Indiana. During this conversation, they chat about retail sales, farmers markets, the importance of weeding regularly, AND how flower farmers are ALWAYS learning. Listen in to hear how Tammy’s long-time passion for gardening flourished into a thriving flower farm and retail store a few years ago, PLUS what she plans to add next!
Mentions
Lisa's Course: Flower Farming School Online
Website: Little Petal Farm
Find Tammy/Little Petal Farm on Instagram, Facebook
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Lisa recently had a chat with Debra Prinzing to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Slow Flowers Podcast. As part of the festivities, Slow Flowers is reairing selected episodes from each year of the podcast, and Debra chose Lisa’s episode for the second year, which was 2014. During this conversation, which originally aired on Instagram Live, Lisa and Debra get a rare chance to reminisce and catch up.
Mentions:
Listen to Slow Flowers Podcast Episode #621
Lisa's Book, Cool Flowers
Book, The Flower Farmer (affiliate link)
Book, The New Organic Grower (affiliate link)
Lisa's New Book, The Cut-Flower Handbook: Join the Waitlist!
TGW Online Schools & Workshops
On Instagram: @gardenersworkshopfarm, @slowflowerssociety
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
A well-known writer, speaker, and horticulturist, the TGW family might know Dr. Allan Armitage best as the co-author of one of our favorite reference books, Specialty Cut Flowers. Here, Lisa chats with "Dr. A" about how they met, how he got his start in the industry and helped form the ASCFG, his writing and teaching career, and his current and future projects.
Mentions
Use free shipping code 'LISA' for book orders at: https://www.allanarmitage.net/shop
(valid for US domestic orders only)
2023 ASCFG Conference: Celebrating their 35th Anniversary
Armitage's Great Garden Plants Phone App
Connect with Dr. A: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Website
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
I vividly remember harvesting flowers that I knew were destined for the compost heap. July and August can be tough sales months, but facing and overcoming it can be done. I hope this helps! ~Lisa
Mentions
Lisa's course, Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Today’s episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, normally called Ask a Flower Farmer. In this episode we instead did an Ask a Florist session with guest host Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers in Baltimore, MD. Ellen is not a flower farmer, but a year-round designer who creates exclusively with flowers and foliage purchased from local growers. She is also one of our course instructors here at The Gardener’s Workshop. In this Q&A Ellen fielded questions about floral design, the different flowers she uses, and some great business questions too.
Mentions:
Ellen's newsletter signup
Ellen's YouTube Channel
Instagram: Ellen Frost Flowers
Instagram: Local Color Flowers
Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing
On-Demand Mini-Workshop: Preparing to Sell to Florists
Jonathan & Megan Leiss' course: The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Postharvest Handling book in the ASCFG bookstore
The Floral Coach®
Bloomhouse
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Do you need a break? To continue performing everyone needs time to refuel. For me, marrying into a family that observes Sundays as a day of rest played a significant role in my business success. Looking back I see how it gave me down space to become better.
Mentions
We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Lisa's course, Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!
Dave's course, Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Recommended Podcast: Discover the Word
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Lisa, Val, Dave, and Ellen discuss the impacts of the pandemic and how the industry has moved on in the following years from the perspective of a cut-flower grower, a florist, and a wholesale plant broker.
Trend Alert: Customizing flower growing to fit your lifestyle, developing a narrow niche to focus on
Mentions
Ellen's Online School, Dave's Online School, Val's Online Mini-Workshop, Lisa's Online School
Association of Specialty Cut-Flower Growers (ASCFG)
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. This one was guest hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink. Dave is 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 questions about many different flowers, including peonies, campanula, flowering kale, stock, calla lilies, eucalyptus, and many more.
Other topics mentioned:
- Best cut-flower varieties of Baptisia, Ninebark, and Smokebush
- Selling flowers to restaurants
- Eucalyptus growing tips
- Celosia high tunnel growing
- Butterfly ranunculus harvesting
- Best perennials for newer growers
- Didiscus planting
- Ethylene-sensitive plants
- Obedient plant
- Bronze Fennel
- Alliums
- Using beneficial insects to treat aphids
- Deer-resistant perennials
Mentions
Dave's Online Course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Ball/Colorlink: Wholesale Plant, Bulb, & Seed Supplier
Lisa's Online Course: Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!
Ellen's Online Course: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing
Lisa's Book,Cool Flowers
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Now is the time for big-picture planning for next spring: where and when. As I am shuffling our gardens again, I am excited to embark on a smaller garden that produces more.
I know where I am planting Cool Flowers and when I should plant which leads me backward to mark the calendar with when I start transplants, have seeds on hand, get beds ready, etc.
Take a minute to review the book and related resources to plan for the biggest season of the year, spring.
Mentions:
Join the waitlist for Lisa's new book, The Cut-Flower Handbook
Get the TGW Live Shopping Phone App
Online Mini-Workshop: The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm
Lisa's book Cool Flowers
Blog/Video Series: The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles
Cool Season Seeds
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our email newsletters!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Little did I know that being afraid to sell my first flowers was actually the gift that prepared me for a career of success. Becoming a strong, confident seller was not what I thought, it was the result of becoming a prepared and professional flower farmer that led me to selling success.
Mentions
We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Lisa's course, Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!
Ellen's online Mini-Workshop: Preparing to Sell to Florists
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. This one was guest hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink. Dave is also a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More. Dave has such a wealth of knowledge to share! He answers questions about many different flowers, including ranunculus, sunflowers, clarkia, celosia, peonies, amaranth, and tulips.
Other topics mentioned:
- High Tunnel Growing Tips, privacy Screen Trees
- Cooler Storage of Ranunculus, Sunflowers, Lilies
- Harvesting of Sweet William, Clarkia, Ranunculus
- Seedling Care for Celosia, Amaranth
- Seedling Care under Grow Lights
- Fertilizing Ranunculus
- Tulip Growing/Tulip Fire
- Tree Peonies
- Icelandic Poppy Germination
- Peony Disbudding
- Planting Gladiolus over Daffodils
- Butterfly Ranunculus
- Mother’s Day Prep & Organization
- Scouting for Thrips, Aphids, and Tarnish Plant Bugs
Mentions
Dave's Online Course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Ball/Colorlink: Wholesale Plant, Bulb, & Seed Supplier
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Lisa was recently featured on The joegardener® Show podcast, joining host Joe Lamp'l to discuss the concept of succession planting with flowers. Topics covered include:
- Spreading out & making the best use of your resources
- Maximizing your harvest over time
- Flowers that thrive late summer into fall
- How starting seeds indoors in soil blocks benefits your farm or garden
Mentions
Full The joegardener® Show Episode #315 Podcast & Blog Post Available Here
Products: Silage Tarp, Warm Season Flower Seeds, Flower Support Netting
Soil Blocking Mix Recipe & Instructions
Book: The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Join Lisa Z. and Dave Dowling as they talk about some big improvements and changes to Dave's online school! These changes benefit both current owners of the course and prospective students alike, check them out!
Mentions
Available Now! Dave's online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
This episode is an encore presentation of a chat 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 fifth year of cut flower production, selling through a CSA, to florists, and at her newly opened nursery. In this interview, we talked about how she got into flowers, the challenges faced as she grows her business, and what the future may hold for Flower Hill Farm. Nicole’s story demonstrates how investing in education and applying it to your business’s needs as it grows can be the foundation of success.
Originally aired as Field & Garden episode #146
Mentions
Flower Hill Farm: Website YouTube Facebook Instagram
Lisa's online course: Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!
Dave's online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Do you refer to yourself as a flower farmer or a cut flower grower? I wonder if our verbal preference is a reflection of our subconscious focus. Either way, I believe telling our story has far more reach and impact in the future than we can imagine. Tell your story often, because it will go way beyond you. ~Lisa
P.S. Stay tuned until the end for a special message from Charissa. :)
Mentions
Lisa's Flower Farming School Online - available now!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
As I am facing the struggle of realigning my business priorities as my book project is wrapping up, I am revisiting class one in Flower Farming School Online which is helping me so much. It is making me take a look at what I’m doing with my business day and what I may need to do to take the next step. If you are overwhelmed in business or looking for your next move, these steps will flush out your path.
Mentions
We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Lisa's Flower Farming School Online - available now!
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
This episode features a takeover of our popular “Ask a Flower Farmer” live Q&A session on Instagram. This one was hosted by Daniel Schavey of Petal Pickers Flower Co. in Greenville, SC. Daniel is a 7th-year flower farmer growing in zone 8a and an alumnus of most of The Gardener’s Workshop’s online courses as well. Here, he answers questions about lots of flowers, including ranunculus, sunflowers, bells of Ireland, celosia, peonies, anemones, and alliums.
Other topics covered: powdery mildew, high tunnel crops, dahlias, woodies, tulips, daffodils, fertilization techniques, learning what grows best on your farm
Mentions
Petalpickers.com: fresh flowers shipped nationwide, dahlia tuber and fall bulb sales
Lisa's Flower Farming School Online - available now!
Daniel's source for High Tunnels: Farmers Friend LLC
Fox Hollow Peonies on Instagram
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. This one was guest hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink. Dave is also a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More. Dave has such a wealth of knowledge to share! Here, he answers questions about lots of flowers, including ranunculus, sunflowers, bells of Ireland, celosia, peonies, anemones, and alliums.
Other topics mentioned: coated seeds, storing seeds, bacterial/fungal issues in greenhouses, growing lilies in bulb crates, storing tulips in a cooler, managing flying insects in the grow room, tarnish plant bug damage, cold-hardy annual seedling care, dealing with aphids & thrips
Mentions
Dave's Online Course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Ball/Colorlink: Wholesale Plant, Bulb, & Seed Supplier
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. This episode was guest hosted by Val Schirmer of Three Toads Farm. Val is a flower farmer based in the Lexington, Kentucky area, and also the current president of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, the ASCFG. She’s one of our course instructors here at The Gardener’s Workshop as well. In this Q&A Val answered questions about forcing bulbs to have ready for winter and spring holidays, both as cut flowers and in potted arrangements. She provides tips about amaryllis, paperwhites, tulips, narcissus, hyacinths, and more!
Mentions
YouTube Video: Val Schirmer on Ask A Flower Farmer
Three Toads Farm Instagram, Facebook, Website
Val's Online Mini-Workshop: Forcing Glorious Blooms for the Holidays & Beyond
Greenhouse Megastore for deep plastic 6-packs
Accent Decor for planters (wholesale only)
ADR Bulbs and Ball ColorLink for Bulbs (wholesale only)
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG)
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
You never know where your interests and hobbies will take you! Here, Sarah shares her dream scenario, going from a flower enthusiast in a busy healthcare career to a successful flower farmer. She was introduced to the world of local flowers and her local flower community when she attended a design class at Ellen Frost's studio, Local Color Flowers. From there, Sarah chose to dive deep into her floral business education and soon moved to the farm that she runs today, called Strawberry Hill. Now she sells flowers to Ellen!
Here Lisa, Ellen, and Sarah celebrate the flower community and the magic of seeing where your interests and passions will lead you. We hope this interview inspires you to seek out your passions and discover where they may take you one day as well.
Mentions
Sarah Strouse of Strawberry Hill: @strawberryhillmd on Instagram
Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers: Website: Local Color Flowers, Instagram: Local Color Flowers, Instagram: Florists Buying Local
Online Courses from The Gardener's Workshop
Lisa's Book: Cool Flowers
Lisa's Hellebore Webinar: Request the Replay
Book: Postharvest Handling of Cut Flowers and Greens (sold by the ASCFG)
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. This episode was guest hosted by Amelia Ihlo. Amelia is a flower farmer based in rural New Hampshire and owns the Rooted Farmers online flower-selling platform. She is also one of our course instructors here at The Gardener’s Workshop. In this Q&A Amelia fielded questions about selling to florists, pricing models, and selling through collectives.
Mentions
Blog: Rooted Farmers
Book: Specialty Cut Flowersuse code "Lisa" at checkout for free domestic (US) shipping!
Amelia talks pricing on the Flower Podcast
The Gardener's Workshop Blog: All About Seed Starting
On-Demand Mini-Workshop: Collectives 101 with Amelia Ihlo
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Today’s episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, normally called Ask a Flower Farmer. In this episode we instead did an Ask a Florist session with guest host Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers in Baltimore, MD. Ellen is not a flower farmer, but a designer who creates exclusively with flowers and foliage purchased from local growers. She is also one of our course instructors here at The Gardener’s Workshop. In this Q&A Ellen fielded many questions from flower farmers about the details of selling to florists, which is also the topic of her on-demand mini-workshop, link below.
Mentions:
Website: Local Color Flowers
Instagram: Local Color Flowers
Instagram: Florists Buying Local
On-Demand Mini-Workshop: Preparing to Sell to Florists with Ellen Frost
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG)
Boston Terminal Ornamentals Wholesale Pricing
The Floral Coach®
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Today I have BIG NEWS to share! For the first time EVER, my flower farming course is now available ON-DEMAND!Course: Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!Who Is This Online School For?• Flower Gardeners who want to level up their game• Flower Farmers (Beginner To Advanced)Course Info: • Comprehensive Step-By-Step Guidance for growing, harvesting, marketing, and selling cut flowers!• 54 Video Sessions• 40 Printable Handouts• Keyword Search inside the course to find what you need, WHEN you need it!• Online Learning at Your Own Pace• Receive the ENTIRE course immediately, watch at YOUR Convenience• Lifetime Unlimited Access• Private Online Student CommunityCourse Includes: • Class 1 - Starting and Sustaining a Business• Class 2 - Building and Managing the Working Garden• Class 3 - Selling What You Grow• Class 4 - What to Grow• Class 5 - Starting Seeds• Class 6 - Harvesting and Conditioning Cut Flowers • BONUS 1: “Cool Flowers” Field Grower’s Report • BONUS 2: Exclusive 1,700+ Member Facebook Community• BONUS 3: Access to Our Gallery of 200+ Flower Images • BONUS 4: 34 Bonus Training Videos⏰ OFFER ENDS SOON! ⏰• LIMITED TIME - GIFT 1: Cool Flowers, Beyond the Book Online Mini-Workshop• LIMITED TIME - GIFT 2: Preparing to Sell to Florists Online Mini-Workshop with Ellen FrostI'm so happy that we could make this course more accessible and help more people move SUCCESSFULLY and PROFITABLY along their flower farming journey. I hope you join us!Your Friend, Lisa Z.Click Here to Learn More
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
I question everything this time of the season just before the farm bursts into bloom. Will it survive? What is eating that? Why this year? I must remind myself to step back and allow my mind to overrule my impulsive heart's reaction!
Hope this brings you relief,
Lisa
Mentions
Lisa's book: Cool Flowers
Seed Starting Saturdays on YouTube
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG)
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Think you can't grow tulips in your climate? Struggling with really short tulips? Have great tulips, but wish you had them earlier in the season? Gretel and I cover all this and more! Join me as I chat with Gretel Adams of Sunny Meadows Flower Farm in Columbus, Ohio. In this episode, we cover the timely topic of pre-chilled tulips, an option that might just be the solution for you! Included is a great companion resource supplied by Gretel, so be sure to check out the links below! Topics covered:
1) What are pre-chilled tulips?
2) Who can benefit from planting pre-chillled tulips?
3) Where to get pre-chilled tulips, and the different types (5C vs 9C)
5) What problems can arise when planting these tulips?
6) Do you save tulip bulbs?
7) At what stage do you harvest tulips?
Download the FREE PDF featuring the Sunny Meadows info sheet about Pre-Chilled Tulips! Link below.
Mentions:
Request Gretel's free guide: Pre-Chilled Tulips
Learn more about and connect with Steve & Gretel Adams and their business, Sunny Meadows Flower Farm. Check out their tulip videos on Instagram!
Learn more about the course: Flower Farming School Online: Growing Cut-Flowers in Hoops and Greenhouses
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Today’s episode features a takeover of our popular “Ask a Flower Farmer” live Q&A session on Instagram, hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink. Dave is also a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies and More. Dave has such a wealth of knowledge to share! Here, he answers questions on a broad range of flowers, including lilies, freesia, tuberose, snapdragons, lilacs, hydrangea, stock, peonies, tulips, ranunculus, and more!
Mentions
Learn more about Dave's course, Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Ball/Colorlink: Wholesale Plant, Bulb, & Seed Supplier
UMass Lily Leaf Beetle Fact Sheet
The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
On episode 28 of The No-Till Flowers Podcast, Lisa Mason Ziegler joined host Jennie Love to discuss all things seed starting! Jennie's focus is on regenerative farming. She invited Lisa on the show to compare seed starting techniques and discuss methods that support superior seed germination and seedling growth sustainably and regeneratively. Both Lisa and Jennie share lots of great resources for additional research and learning, see below for some of those links.
Podcast excerpts are published with permission.
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Link to the original No-Till Flowers episode on Apple Podcasts
Lisa's Book: Cool Flowers
Eliot Coleman's Book: The New Organic Grower (affiliate link)
Dr. Deno's Book: Seed Germination Theory & Practice(free PDF)
Jeff Lowenfel's Book: Teaming With Bacteria (affiliate link)
Podcast Series: Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
It is so easy to feel overwhelmed! I know because it is my natural reaction to a challenge or problem. I tend to tackle problems head-on, and then realize how I need to slow down for the many speed bumps so that I can get over them to reach the goal. Overwhelming.
Looking in the rearview mirror, I see that not only have I come a long way, but that overwhelm was a necessary piece for me to succeed. I have wounds and scars, but they are what have paved the way for my business. Take heart friends, overwhelm is the pathway to success!
Stay tuned until the end for a special note from listener & student Jessica!
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Learn more about Dyslexia at dyslexiaida.org
Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne: See recent podcast episodes
Online Courses from The Gardner's Workshop
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Take a glimpse behind the scenes! Join Lisa, Rhonda, Anne, and Layne for a fun conversation about how each of them became part of The Gardner's Workshop customer service team. As our TGW community grows we continue to focus on providing the very best experience for our customers, and these women are the backbone of that effort. Listen to some fun stories and fond memories, and know these ladies are here for you!
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Want to know more? Meet the TGW Crew
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Happy Valentine's Day, friend! Through all the ups and downs, I owe my success to the love and care of my husband Steve and my family. Here I take a moment to share our story and my gratitude. I hope that everyone finds love in their lives that is supportive and caring, and that we all will strive to give supporting love and care to others.
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Blog: A Garden Love Story: Lisa & Steve Ziegler
Blog: Love in Lisa's Garden
Lisa's Book: Cool Flowers
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
What is your point in growing cut flowers? Do you love gardening and sharing flowers? Or is your point to create income? Answering this question and drawing a line in the sand and doing it is liberating. The only wrong answer is not answering this question.
Once you know where you want to head it is so much easier to get there. I hope this chat will provoke some thinking, "What is my point?"
Please consider reviewing my podcast to help us reach more listeners, your review counts!
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Book: A Complaint is a Gift(affiliate link)
Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Today's episode features an excerpt from Lisa’s show called Seed Starting Saturdays, a live video series born out of necessity during the pandemic. This show provided a way for Lisa to make an appointment to get her weekly sunflower planting done, while also creating an opportunity to interact with her followers live and answer questions. This episode from last summer covered a broad range of topics, including sunflower succession planting, cool flowers fall preparations, and post-harvest cut-flower care and conditioning.
The Seed Starting Saturdays series is being retired this month, but all of Lisa’s prior shows have been archived and a playlist created for them on our YouTube Channel, see link below. Watching these videos is a great way to gain knowledge and can be a fun companion while you do your own seed starting!
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YouTube Playlist: Seed Starting Saturdays
TGW Shopping Show - Download our phone app!
Our Sunflower Seed Collection, Seedling Heat Mat, Complete Organic Fertilizer, Seed "Love-in-a-Puff", 128 Cell Plug Trays, Sweet William "Electron", Quick Dip, our Cosmos Seed Collection,
Blog & Vlog: Cool Season Flower Chronicles
Podcast #160: Cool-Season Flower Checklist
Lisa's Book: Vegetables Love Flowers
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Some of the most successful businesses have a simple foundational offering. Don't feel pressured to add more and more--find your market and grow what sells over and over!
P.S. Listen through to the end for a special note from Julia!
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We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Arnosky Family Farms on Instagram
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Catching up on her farmer-florist business, in-person workshops, and the Philadelphia Floral Guild.
Connect with Jennie: Love 'n Fresh website & Instagram, No-Till Flowers Podcast
Online School: Farmer-Florist School: The Wedding Process with Jennie Love
On-Demand Course: Making Workshops Work for You with Jennie Love
On-Demand Course: Collectives 101 with Amelia Ihlo
Philadelphia Floral Guide on Instagram
Online Flower Selling Platform: Rooted Farmers
Field & Garden Podcast #129: The Future of the Cut-Flower Industry: Flower Collectives
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
If I had the opportunity to restart my business today based on what I have learned since starting in 1998, these are some of the things that would change the course of my business. They seem so simple now, but when I was in the weeds-- I never even thought of these things!
Hope they help! ~Lisa
P.S. Listen through to the very end for an uplifting note from Jennifer!
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We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Today’s episode features a takeover of our popular “Ask a Flower Farmer” live Q&A session on Instagram, which was hosted this time by Daniel Schavey of Petal Pickers Flower Co. in Greenville, SC. Daniel is a highly-successful 6th-year flower farmer growing in zone 8a and an alumnus of many of The Gardener’s Workshop’s online courses. Here, Daniel answers a broad range of questions on topics such as soil blocking, high tunnel growing, seasonal growing, succession planting, ranunculus tips, and popular trends in the flower world.
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The Gardener's Workshop on Instagram
Daniel's source for High Tunnels: Farmers Friend LLC
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG)
Book: Cool Flowers by Lisa Mason Ziegler
The Nested Fig Garden on Instagram
Petalpickers.com: fresh flowers shipped nationwide, dahlia tuber and fall bulb sales
Blocking Mix Recipe & Tips from The Gardener's Workshop
Online Course: Growing Cut-Flower Crops in Hoop & Greenhouses
Scented Geranium Cuttings/Plugs from Clara Joyce Flowers
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) High Tunnel Grant Info
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Don't let the off-season slip away. Make the most of the non-harvesting season by getting jobs done that help lighten the workload in the season.
- Restore
- Get those pebbles off your shoulders
- Get key steps on the calendar
- In-season meals
- Get smart: conferences, read books
- Find more customers
- Upgrade business practices
Don't be afraid of: "You are only as solvent as your last sale". Keep up the hustle and make it easier to succeed. ~Lisa Z
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We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Seed Starting Saturdays on YouTube: Replay from 1/07/23
Get "the BIG calendar" (affiliate link)
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
In this special episode, Lisa speaks with Jonathan Leiss of Spring Forth Farm about three pitfalls related to cover cropping on the no-till farm:
1) planting cover crops without a plan to terminate them,
2) underestimating the amount of time needed to tarp a cover crop, and this not having beds ready when needed,
3) inadequate seed-to-soil contact when seeding.
Lisa and Jonathan commiserate about these common issues and offer strategies to avoid and overcome these challenges.
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SALE $129 (Reg $159) On-Demand Online Course: The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm
Course includes:
- 4 hours of video instruction, broken into short easy-to-digest segments
- access to a private student Facebook Group for ongoing instructor support
- a LIVE Q&A with Jonathan & Megan Leiss (via Zoom) on Feb 20th, 2023 at 8pm Eastern!
USDA Cover Crop Chart
Book: Managing Cover Crops Profitably by SARE Outreach (Amazon affiliate link)
Cover Crop Seed & Supplies from The Gardener's Workshop
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
At the root of my flower farm's success is simplicity. I grew more volume of fewer types of flowers to experience higher profits with less loss. Volume and doing it over and over through the years led us to get better at it with fewer mistakes and mishaps. All good for the bottom line.
I never got bored growing more of a variety of flower with fewer varieties because I wasn't relying on the flowers for my satisfaction, it was experiencing a profitable business and the journey that lit me up.
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We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
TheGardenersWorkshop.com
Sister Podcast: Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne
Seeds: Prairie Sun Rudbeckia
Live Shopping Show: Get the App Here
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Part of our "Best of 2022" replay series, listen again as Lisa offers some great tips for building a successful, profitable business!
In this episode, I'm sharing the reminders I wish someone would have tapped me on the shoulder to say "Remember this!" If you are an avid gardener or as I was in the beginning, a gardener gone wild-- you can disregard this list. These reminders are for those that want to build a successful, profitable business:
- Remember the point: to spend less money than you bring in, better known as profit.
- Flowers do not sell themselves.
- You must get up every day and keep doing it.
- Prevent weeds: paramount. (takes down many potential growers)
- Grow what sells.
- Stop comparing yourself.
- Be a professional no matter what.
- Every failure is a potential lesson.
- You can do hard things.
- Pick up where you are. STOP looking back.
I hope this reminds and helps you. -Lisa
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Lisa Mason Ziegler's Online Course: Join the Waitlist
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Use January to make the whole flower farming year better. Order the giant calendar and while you wait, fill your freezer with a few key meals to make farming a little easier once the harvesting starts.
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We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Jumbo Wall Calendar (affiliate link)
Flower Farming School Online: The Basics
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Part of our "Best of 2022" replay series, listen again as Lisa speaks with Dave Dowling about some of the challenges they overcame on their way to becoming flower farmers!
Common challenges mentioned: Lack of Experience, No Cooler, No Acreage, No Greenhouse or Hoophouse, No Money, No Delivery Vehicle, No Tractor, Nowhere to sell flowers nearby, No Hired Help, Too Old, Single Parent, etc. Lisa & Dave explain how we can overcome these challenges to achieve our flower farming dreams!
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Lisa Ziegler's Online Course: Join the Waitlist
Dave Dowling's Online Course: Join the Waitlist
Available Now: On-Demand Online Workshops
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
I am pretty quick to see all my mistakes and failures and let the wins sail off into the sunset never to be seen again. Making a list of where I started and where I am now is a beneficial way to know that I have come a long way, even though some days I feel like I am at square one.
Make a list and save it for the hard days. ~Lisa
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We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
The Gardener's Workshop: Free Resources, Online Courses and Garden Shop for gardeners and flower farmers!
Books I love that we used to offer in our online garden shop: Good Bug, Bad Bug, The New Organic Grower, The Flower Farmer
Book: Cool Flowers
Book: Vegetables Love Flowers
Blog: Field & Garden
Podcasts: Field & Garden and Seed Talk
Video Podcast: Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Part of our "Best of 2022" replay series, listen again as Lisa speaks with Dave Dowling about growing snapdragons!
I've been growing snapdragons for over two decades and thought I had a handle on it---but NOT after this discussion with Dave Dowling! In this episode, we are talking about extending the harvest season, how to do that but variety selection, harvesting, conditioning, and more! This is but a small sampling of what it is like to learn from Dave. I am so pleased to have Dave as one of our online course instructors.
Learn more about his course and get on the waitlist for his June enrollment for Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Connect with Dave on Instagram & Facebook
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
As I look forward to next season, I am reminding myself of the roots of a cutting garden. Sometimes a refresher is all it takes to be inspired. Could you use some inspiration too? Listen in.
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We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Book: Vegetables Love Flowers
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Part of our "Best of 2022" replay series, listen again as Lisa speaks with Jonathan Leiss of Spring Forth Farm about growing sunflowers!
Talking about one of my favorite subjects with Jonathan Leiss of Spring Forth Farm located in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina: sunflowers. We both agree that sunflowers can be major contributors to the bottom line of most flower-growing operations. Jonathan's go-to sunflower is Vincent's Choice with a new addition this year of Premier for its short seed-to-bloom time and shorter height.
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Connect with Jonathan & Megan: Instagram Facebook Website
Jonathan & Megan's online course:The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
When is very early spring? Who should plant in very early spring? How to plant in very early spring? These and other questions are on so many minds as we are heading out of the fall planting season. Very early spring is when everyone can plant cool-season hardy annuals and here is the 411 on doing it.
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We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Book: Cool Flowers
Blog: The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles
Bio360 Biodegradable mulch film
Podcast: Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
For this edition of "Bug Talk" Lisa and Rhonda are joined by master naturalist Nancy Lawson of The Humane Gardener. Nancy talks about how the native plantings in her suburban yard have become ambassadors for introducing her community to native birds and insects. Did you know that brambles are a great feature to have for native creature habitats? Nancy teaches that plants are the solution to many of the common gardening problems that we face. She talks about how to start small in your efforts to incorporate native plants into your landscape, then gradually expand from there.
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Website & Blog: The Humane Gardener, Facebook
Nancy's Book: The Humane Gardener
Nancy's Book: Wildscape
Firefly.org - Firefly Conservation & Research
Humane Society: Wildlife Management Solutions
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
At the end of the growing season, we are tired and sometimes, a little desperate. Making value-added products, particularly around the holidays, can seem like a great option. But in our efforts to create more cash flow, sometimes we end up spending even more time and money. It can rob us of time, morale, and the opportunities we need to attend to the unsung pieces of life and business: relationships, self-care, business planning, and building our knowledge base. Let's think about and evaluate what else we could or should be doing during this time.
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We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Book: The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski
Ellen Frost, Local Color Flowers: (Instagram) Local Color Flowers, (Instagram) Florists Buying Local, Ellen's Blog: Vicarious Florist
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Why grow flowers? What do flowers do for us, other than create a beautiful bouquet or table? In this Clubhouse chat, Lisa shares stories of the benefits of growing flowers that you might not have thought about: nurturing your body, mind, and soul. A listener joins in to share her sweet stories as well. We hope this episode offers you encouragement and helps you recognize the good that you do for yourself and your community when you choose to grow flowers.
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Book: Vegetables Love Flowers
More about Fields of Grace Flower Farm and their mission: Instagram, Facebook, Website
TGW PHONE APP Get our Live Shopping Show App
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Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats! We're temporarily on hiatus from recording there, but you can listen to our prior chat replays anytime inside the app.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Cool Flowers seems so familiar to me that I have to remind myself that it is still a little-known planting concept. Because of this, it is new territory for even seasoned gardeners. In this episode, I review the steps I follow to care for my Cool Flower plantings and some of the common causes of plant loss.
Mentions
We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Podcast: Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne
Book: Cool Flowers
Blog & Videos: The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles
Products: Garden Hoe and Razor Hoe, Row cover kit, Dry fertilizer, Liquid fertilizer, Bio360, Flower support netting
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
In this episode of Bug Talk, Lisa and Rhonda cover a fascinating topic: "What happens to bugs in the wintertime?" As self-proclaimed "bug-huggers," these ladies chat about the different ways that bugs cope with the changing seasons, and what you can do in your garden, landscape, or field to support them along the way.
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Book: Good Bug Bad Bug by Jessica Walliser
Book: Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden by Jessica Walliser
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. WatchLisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Starting and being in business means you must continually expand your horizons to not just grow and keep your biz BUT you must know rules and requirements, laws and ordinances, keep up with new technology, opportunities, and just time to be creative!
I use the least demanding season of the year to do this: winter. Invest in yourself and your business, and learn some lessons.
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We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Country Folks Grower magazine
Flower Farming School Online: Growing Cut-Flower Crops in Hoop & Greenhouses
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
In this episode, Lisa speaks with Gretel Adams of Sunny Meadows Flower Farm about their very popular annual dahlia tuber sale. Dahlias are the top cut-flower crop at their farm, and dahlia tubers are a major part of their fall/winter season sales. Here, Gretel walks us through all the steps from predicting supply, to digging/harvesting, dividing, storing, and prepping for the sale. This year their dahlia tuber sale starts on November 18th, 2022.
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Flower Farming School Online: Growing Cut-Flower Crops in Hoop & Greenhouses
Connect with Sunny Meadows Flower Farm: Website, Facebook, Instagram
Oregon State University research on crown gall disease
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
There are so many possibilities and opportunities in growing cut flowers, sometimes we just don’t have time to consider and explore. In this episode I’m exploring some of the questions I wish someone would have asked me.
Mentions
We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
More about "the big calendar": Easier Next Time. Purchase a big calendar here.
Ellen's Recent Podcast Episode on Seed Talk: #9 - Dried Flowers - Grow, Harvest, Dry, Arrange & Store with Ellen Frost
Request the Webinar Replay: Dried Wreath Making Tips
On-Demand Workshop by Jonathan & Megan Leiss: The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm
Flower Farming School Online: Growing Cut-Flower Crops in Hoop & Greenhouses
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
In this episode, Lisa speaks with Gretel Adams of Sunny Meadows Flower Farm about their progression of offering on-farm shopping events and post-fresh flower season merchandise. Here Gretel offers some great tips about what to offer, shares some challenges they've overcome related to these events, and what to consider about yourself and your property before you decide to offer events on your own farm.
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Flower Farming School Online: Growing Cut-Flower Crops in Hoop & Greenhouses
Connect with Sunny Meadows Flower Farm: Website, Facebook, Instagram
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
While it may sound simple, the lesson of resisting shiny objects is anything but simple. I’ve learned that part of my success is rooted in my ability to resist distractions and new opportunities. Getting up and saying no over and over has been my long-haul success story.
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We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
New Podcast: Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Learn what happens after "Frostmas" and during winter for a local sourcing design studio that is open year-round. Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers is a veteran in this industry of seeking out, developing, and nurturing local growers to supply her business.
Connect:
Instagram: Local Color Flowers
Instagram: Florists Buying Local
Ellen's Blog: Vicarious Florist
Courses:
Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Locally Sourced Flowers
On-Demand Workshop: Preparing to Sell to Florists
Other Field & Garden podcast episodes featuring Ellen:
195: An Insider Look from Florist Ellen Frost
151: Florist Sales
130: A Design Studio's Year Month-by-Month
124: How Local Color Flowers is Evolving
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Big-picture thinking in 5-year bites helps to lead me through the weeds of business. Forget the details and think about what you want your business to look like in 5 years, and then go to work to make it so.
Mentions
We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Live Shopping Show - Get the App!
Book: Vegetables Love Flowers
New Podcast: Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
An insider's look at why and how Ellen Frost is reducing her wedding work and reaching into other types of work. Halfway through the 2nd decade of Local Color Flowers, her year-round design studio that only uses flowers grown within 100 miles of her Baltimore studio, Ellen is sharing her strategy.
Connect:
Instagram: Local Color Flowers
Instagram: Florists Buying Local
Ellen's Blog: Vicarious Florist
Courses:
Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Locally Sourced Flowers
On-Demand Workshop: Preparing to Sell to Florists
Other Field & Garden podcast episodes featuring Ellen:
151: Florist Sales
130: A Design Studio's Year Month-by-Month
124: How Local Color Flowers is Evolving
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Leaves are a key piece of how I continued the story of building and feeding our soil and the weed prevention I practice. Plus they make for a beautiful garden!
I hope my tips liberate you to bring home tons of leaves. ~Lisa
Mentions
We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Shop: Bio360 Biodegradable Mulch Film, Hoop & Row Cover Kit, Sod & Harvest Knife
Book: Vegetables Love Flowers
Podcast Episode #76: Leaves, Mulch, and Compost
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Do you know Bobo? You may have heard Lisa talk about Bobo Smith - a friend and long-term employee at the farm. In this episode, Bobo joins Lisa for a chat! Listen as they reminisce and tell great stories about the early days of The Gardener's Workshop.
Mentions
Employee Spotlight: Bobo Smith
TGW Photo Gallery
TGW Online Shop
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Exciting Announcement: "Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne" is now its own podcast, and our first standalone episode has just been released! Our show trailer and the episodes previously published through the "Field & Garden" podcast are available now, as well as the episode released today, which is all about Cool Flowers overwintering and row covers. Search for "Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne" in your podcast app of choice, and make sure to subscribe to catch all our upcoming episodes. See you there!
Mentions:
"Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne" Homepage
"Seed Talk" YouTube Playlist
“Seed Talk” Topic Suggestion Form
TGW iPhone App (iOS App Store)
TGW Android App (Google Play)
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Today we have a replay of a webinar that Lisa & Jennie Love recently did called “How Weddings & Events Can Increase Your Flower Farm Profits.” Jennie & Lisa put this one together to help people become more familiar with Jennie’s story and with her online course, which is packed full of valuable lessons for people with all types of flower businesses. Let’s listen in!
Mentions
We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers
About the Dave Dowling Scholarship
Longwood Gardens
Jennie's Online Course: Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process
Connect with Jennie: Love n’ Fresh Flowers WebsiteInstagramPinterest
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Please enjoy this replay of a webinar that Lisa did with Jennie Love called “Top 5 Mistakes New Farmer-Florists Make.” Jennie & Lisa put this one together with the hope of helping new farmer-florists avoid some common pitfalls - all mistakes that Jennie admits to making herself when she was first starting out. There are some great tips here!
Mentions:
Jennie's Free PDF: Favorite Suppliers of Vases & Other Floral Design Hard Goods
Jennie's Course: Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process
Jennie's On-demand Online Workshop: Making Workshops Work for You
Connect with Jennie: Love n’ Fresh Flowers Website Instagram Pinterest
Cool Bot for your floral cooler
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Exciting Announcement: "Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne" is now its own podcast! Our show trailer as well as the episodes previously published through the "Field & Garden" podcast are available now, and our first new episode will be released next Thursday (October 20th). Search for "Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne" in your podcast app of choice, and make sure to subscribe to catch all our upcoming episodes. See you there!
Mentions:
"Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne" Homepage
"Seed Talk" YouTube Playlist
“Seed Talk” Topic Suggestion Form
TGW iPhone App (iOS App Store)
TGW Android App (Google Play)
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Catch the Replay! Listen as Jennie Love of Love n’ Fresh Flowers in Philly and I discuss the evolution of her flower farm and business. From starting a cutting garden in a community plot to blazing the way as a pioneer in the farmer-florist industry. Named by Martha Stewart as one of the top 10 Farmer-Florist.
Jennie shares the changes to the way she farms and to her business — all-natural evolution to staying relevant and successful. Join us for this candid and heartfelt chat.
Mentions:
We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Jennie's Course: Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process
Jennie's On-demand Workshop: Making Workshops Work for You
Connect with Jennie: Love n’ Fresh Flowers Website Instagram Pinterest
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Valerie Schirmer is the owner of Lexington-area Three Toads Flower Farm and the current President of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. In this fun chat with Lisa, Val shares that her business has become roughly 70% selling amaryllis and paperwhites, and all within a 6-week period in fall and winter. Seeing the tremendous growth in demand for these items over the course of the last few years, Val has begun to focus more and more on her “shoulder season” offering as her business continues to evolve.
Mentions
Val’s On-Demand Online Workshop: Forcing Glorious Blooms for the Holidays and Beyond
Three Toads Farm Online Shop (for ordering bulbs & dish gardens)
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers
Connect with Val Schirmer and Three Toads Farm: Val’s Instagram, Three Toads Farm Instagram, Val’s Facebook, Three Toads Farm Facebook, Three Toads Farm Website
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
In this Clubhouse chat, Lisa talks about flower harvesting, covering common mistakes and questions such as:
- Best placement for a cutting garden
- Bucket selection and washing
- Days and times to harvest
- Optimum harvest stage and avoiding the “old milk cycle”
- Post-harvest resting
- Knowing how to store the different flowers you grow
- Tips for harvesting around netting and netting installation tips
We hope you enjoy this chat and find some useful harvesting tips!
Links & Mentions
Book: Vegetables Love Flowers
Get the TGW Live Shopping Show App
Recommended Harvesting & Conditioning Products: Shears, CVBN Tablets, Quick Dip
Join TGW’s Facebook Group: The Flower Farmer Show
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats! Our prior chats are stored there too, as Replays, that you can listen to anytime inside the app.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Growing primarily annuals is an option for flower farming! After working my way through figuring this out over years, I learned that for my business model, it was the best fit. I am a small-space farmer that cannot have a hoop or greenhouse, so growing annuals produced the most with the least amount of investment and risk.
Mentions:
Annual Enrollment is open October 1-5: Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!with Lisa Mason Ziegler
We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Join me as I speak with Andi Thatcher of Rimrock Flower Farm in Montana! Andi is an alum of our online courses and has gone on to do some amazing things! Her ambition and attention to being a professional pushed her to the head of her game, even before she started! Her ‘fake it till you make it’ attitude has served her well!
Mentions:
Rimrock Flower Farm: Website, Facebook, Instagram
Montana Cut Flower Association: Instagram, Website
Annual Enrollment is open October 1-5: Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!with Lisa Mason Ziegler
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Have you ever considered how amazing it is that something as tiny as a seed can alter the course of someone’s life and take them in directions they never thought possible? Join Layne Angelo as she interviews Lisa Mason Ziegler about the various ways seeds changed her life. They discuss Lisa’s first seed starting experience, her entrance into flower farming, how annual crops shaped her business, and priceless advice from her 25 years with seeds. Don’t miss out on the rapid-fire “Lightning Round”, or the “Hypothetical Situations” round, where Layne gets Lisa’s reactions to a variety of fun scenarios (genies and aliens included). Listen to the podcast, and enjoy an entertaining and informative look into Lisa’s life with seeds!
The video version of Lisa and Layne’s conversation featuring a slideshow of the questions discussed will be posted to our YouTube channel. If there is a question or topic you would like to hear discussed on a future episode of “Seed Talk”, please fill out the form linked below. We would love to hear your suggestions!
Mentions:
Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing & More!
"Seed Talk" YouTube Playlist
"Seed Talk" Topic Suggestion Form
TGW iPhone App (iOS App Store) TGW Android App (Google Play)
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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.
Mentions:
We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
TGW Live Shopping iPhone App (iOS App Store)
TGW Live Shopping Android App (Google Play)
Join the waitlist for October enrollment! Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More! with Lisa Mason Ziegler
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Lisa was recently featured on The joegardener® Show podcast, joining host Joe Lamp'l to discuss the Cool Flowers concept and how she got started growing this fantastic group of spring stunners! They covered topics such as:
- How to determine which Cool Flowers you can grow in your region
- When and how to start your Cool Flowers from seed
- The special care requirements of flowers planted in the fall and in very early spring
- What you should do to prepare in the fall even if you don’t plant until very early spring
Mentions:
The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski
The New Organic Grower by Eloit Coleman
Get Cool Flowers - the Kindle Version
Bio360 Biodegradable Mulch Film
Row Cover Hoop Kit
Cool-Season Hardy Annual Seeds
Full The joegardener® Show Episode #274 Podcast & Blog Post Available Here
Request Lisa's Free Resource:Cool Flowers Planting Guide
Joe's New Book: The Vegetable Gardening Book
Join the waitlist for Joe's new online course! Coming Spring 2023: Organic Vegetable Gardening
Watch Growing a Greener World and connect with Joe: Website, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter
TheField and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
In this Clubhouse chat Lisa talks about her new cedar raised beds and how she learned to make them from Joe Lamp’l, host of Growing a Greener World on PBS and The joegardener® Show podcast. Lisa shares the story of how she came to know Joe and introduces the exciting news of their new partnership for his new online course coming in 2023.
Mentions:
Joe's TV Show: Growing a Greener World
The joegardener® Show podcast
Affiliate Link: Join the waitlist for Joe Lamp’l’s Online Course: Organic Vegetable Gardening
Field & Garden #123: Replay of Lisa on The joe gardener Show podcast
Ellen Frost’s On-Demand Online Workshop: Preparing to Sell to Florists
TGW PHONE APP Get our Live Shopping Show App
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats! We're temporarily on hiatus from recording there, but you can listen to our prior chat replays anytime inside the app.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Join me as I interview a very special guest and friend, Joe Lamp'l! It was such a pleasure for us to have the opportunity to talk again after doing a couple of episodes of The joe gardener® Show podcast together over the past year.
In case you're meeting him for the first time, Joe Lamp'l is the joe behind:
- joegardener®
- the host of the Emmy award-winning TV show, Growing a Greener World
- The joe gardener® Show podcast
- Author of the NEW book, The Vegetable Gardening Book
- PLUS Joe's NEW online course Organic Vegetable Gardening coming out in 2023
- And Joe is generally an awesome gardener and teacher!
In this episode we talk about Joe's farm, his current projects, his future projects, AND Joe settles a long-running battle between veggie gardeners and flower gardeners - listen in for all the details!
Mentions:
Request Joe's Free PDF: Fall Garden Edibles Checklist
Joe's New Book: The Vegetable Gardening Book
Join the waitlist for Joe's new online course! Coming Spring 2023: Organic Vegetable Gardening
The joe gardener® Show podcast episodes featuring Lisa:
#231: Vegetables Love Flowers
#274: Growing Cool-Season Annuals for Earlier Color & Hardier Plants
Watch Growing a Greener World and learn more about Joe Lamp'l: Website, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Meet Torrie Anderson of The Flower Farm at Youngs Mill in Newport News, Virginia. Having recently graduated from Lisa's online flower farming course, this year Torrie and her husband took the leap into urban flower farming after being vegetable gardeners for many years. In this interview Lisa and Torrie commiserate about the life of a brand new flower farmer, sharing the excitement, realities, challenges, fails, surprises, and how remembering your "why" can keep you going through that first year.
Mentions
Connect with Torrie on: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Website
More about: Nicole of Flower Hill Farm
Join the waitlist for October enrollment! Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More! with Lisa Mason Ziegler
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
You know which Cool Flowers seeds to sow directly into the garden and when, but what steps should you take to ensure a thick, healthy stand of direct-seeded plants come springtime? Join Lisa Mason Ziegler and Layne Angelo as they share practical tips and tricks for successful outdoor sowing. They discuss proper bed preparation, watering, weed prevention, thinning, sowing poppies and bells of Ireland, and more. Listen to the podcast, grab your hoe, and prepare for direct seeding success!
The video version of Lisa and Layne’s conversation featuring a slideshow of the questions discussed will be posted to our YouTube channel. If there is a question or topic you would like to hear discussed on a future episode of “Seed Talk”, please fill out the form linked below. We would love to hear your suggestions!
Mentions:
Stand-up Garden Hoe
Cool-Season Seed Category
Seed Starting Equipment
"Seed Talk" YouTube Playlist
Book: Cool Flowers
The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles
On-Demand Workshop: Cool Flowers, Beyond the Book for Flower Farming
“Seed Talk” Topic Suggestion Form
YouTube Channel
TGW iPhone App (iOS App Store)
TGW Android App (Google Play)
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
I was forced to learn about seasonal growing. After growing outdoors in a garden with no hoop or greenhouses I learned that embracing the seasons is the best, most cost-effectively, and highest quality way to grow.
Mentions
We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription.
Field & Garden Episode #98: Growing Snapdragons with Dave Dowling
Join the waitlist for October enrollment: Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More! with Lisa Mason Ziegler
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
In this episode we visit with owner Lisa Mason Ziegler and two of her longest-standing employees, who also happen to be her dear family members. From the very beginning when Lisa started an urban cut-flower farm with her husband Steve's support, to the thriving business it is today, Lisa and her family continue to support each other while offering the supplies and educational resources that are fueling a new generation of flower farmers. Listen to some funny stories and learn more about the family behind The Gardener's Workshop.
Book: The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Interested in growing larkspur, bachelor buttons, or bells of Ireland? Did you know that some of spring’s most coveted flowers – including these beauties – actually prefer to be sown directly outdoors rather than started indoors as transplants? Join Lisa Mason Ziegler and Layne Angelo as they cover some of the most frequently asked questions about sowing seeds directly in the garden. They discuss some of the advantages and challenges when direct seeding, tips and tricks for sowing this group of plants in fall and very early spring, succession-planting bupleurum, and more. Listen to the podcast and prepare to sow some of your Cool Flowers seeds directly into the garden!
The video version of Lisa and Layne’s conversation featuring a slideshow of the questions discussed will be posted to our YouTube channel. If there is a question or topic you would like to hear discussed on a future episode of “Seed Talk”, please fill out the form linked below. We would love to hear your suggestions!
Mentions:
Cool-Season Seed Category
Seed Starting Equipment
Book: Cool Flowers
The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles
On-Demand Workshop: Cool Flowers, Beyond the Book for Flower Farming
“Seed Talk” Topic Suggestion Form
YouTube Channel
TGW iPhone App (iOS App Store)
TGW Android App (Google Play)
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Do you only know half of the Cool Flowers concept? Lisa shares that while fall planting is a great option, it's not for everyone. Learn about the often missed cool season hardy annual planting opportunity for those with deep cold and heavy snow winters: very early spring plantings.
Mentions:
We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
Free Resource: The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles
Lisa's Book: Vegetables Love Flowers
Join the waitlist for October enrollment: Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More! with Lisa Mason Ziegler
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
For this edition of "Bug Talk" Lisa and Rhonda are joined by special guest Dr. Barb Abraham, an ecology professor, bee researcher and Chair of the Bee City USA - Hampton steering committee. Today they're talking about native bees. Did you know that you can have an average of 100 different bee species in your yard? And that native bees typically are not aggressive and do not sting? You may have seen some that look like gnats, flies or wasps and not even realized they were actually bees! Learn how you can support your native bee populations by avoiding pesticides, offering a consistent water source, a providing nesting habitat.
Recommended Bee Books: All of these are profusely illustrated with stunning photographs...
Holm, Heather. 2017. Bees. An identification and native plant forage guide. Pollination Press, LLC. Minnesota.
Holm, Heather. 2014. Pollinators of native plants. Pollination Press, LLC. Minnesota
Embry, Paige. 2018. Our native bees. Timber Press. Portland, OR.
Frey, Kate and Gretchen LeBuhn. 2016. The bee-friendly garden. Ten Speed Press. Berkeley.
Wilson, JS and OM Carrill. 2016. The bees in your backyard. Princeton University Press. Princeton and Oxford.
Xerces Society. 2016.100 plants to feed the bees. Storey Publishing. North Adams, MA.
Xerces Society.2011. Attracting native pollinators. Storey Publishing. North Adams, MA.
This one is heavy reading for the avid apiphile, few colored illustrations...
Danforth, BN, Minckley, RL, and JL Neff. The solitary bees. Biology, evolution, conservation. Princeton University Press. Princeton and Oxford.
Other Links & Mentions
Bee City USA - Hampton, VA: Website Facebook
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Your Cool Flowers seeds have sprouted – now what? Join Lisa Mason Ziegler and Layne Angelo as they discuss some of the most frequently asked questions about caring for your Cool Flowers seedlings. They discuss grow lights, ideal air temperatures, transplant size, and more. Listen to the podcast and learn how to give your Cool Flowers seedlings the conditions they need to thrive!
The video version of Lisa and Layne’s conversation featuring a slideshow of the questions discussed will be posted to our YouTube channel. If there is a question or topic you would like to hear discussed on a future episode of “Seed Talk”, please fill out the form linked below. We would love to hear your suggestions!
Mentions:
Seed Starting Equipment
Cool-Season Seed Category
Book: Cool Flowers
The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles
On-Demand Workshop: Cool Flowers, Beyond the Book for Flower Farming
“Seed Talk” Topic Suggestion Form
YouTube Channel
TGW iPhone App (iOS App Store)
TGW Android App (Google Play)
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Warning: lots of flowers, plants, seeds, and dollar bills were lost, injured, and killed in the process of getting here. In fact, success doesn't happen overnight for any business really.
There. True story. Hope this helps,
Lisa
Mentions:
We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
Join the wait list for Flower Farming School Online:The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, & More!
On-Demand Course: The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farmwith Jonathan & Megan Leiss
Biodegradable film for garden beds
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Today Steve & Gretel Adams (of Sunny Meadows Flower Farm) talk with Lisa about this farming lifestyle they have chosen. They share what they enjoy most about it, what it currently looks like for them, as well as a look back at how far they've come.
Download the FREE PDF featuring the Sunny Meadows list of favorite summer field-grown annuals, the bread and butter of bouquet season! Link below.
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Learn more about and connect with Steve & Gretel Adams and their business, Sunny Meadows Flower Farm.
Get Gretel's free guide: Favorite Summer Field-Grown Annuals
Join the Wait List - annual enrollment opens 11/19! Flower Farming School Online: Growing Cut-Flowers in Hoops and Greenhouses
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Ready to start your Cool Flowers seeds but still have some lingering questions? Join Lisa and Layne as they discuss some of the most frequently asked questions about starting cool-season hardy annuals indoors from seed. They discuss heat mats, light requirements, germination troubleshooting, and more. Listen to the podcast and help set yourself up for Cool Flowers seed starting success!
The video version of Lisa and Layne’s conversation featuring a slideshow of the questions discussed will be posted to our YouTube channel. If there is a question or topic you would like to hear discussed on a future episode of “Seed Talk”, please fill out the form linked below. We would love to hear your suggestions!
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Cool-Season Seed Category
Blog: Store Seeds Longer
Seed Starting Equipment Category
Blocking Mix Recipe
Book: Cool Flowers
The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles
On-Demand Workshop: Cool Flowers, Beyond the Book for Flower Farming
“Seed Talk” Topic Suggestion FormYouTube Channel
TGW iPhone App (iOS App Store)
TGW Android App (Google Play)
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Fall is not only for fresh starts in the garden or on the farm, it can also be a great time to rethink your business. Take some time to throw out mistakes and consider the future of your business. Our businesses are constantly evolving; embrace the opportunity for a new beginning that fall brings!
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We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
Flower Farming School Online:The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, & More!
Other Annual Course Offerings
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
In this recent Clubhouse chat Lisa talks about what to do when you have to leave your flower garden or farm during the growing season. Whether you have a scheduled or an unexpected trip coming up, there are a few things you can do before you go that will make your return so much easier. Listen in for some great tips!
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NEW On-Demand Online Courses: Preparing to Sell to Florists, Collectives 101
NEW Get our Live Shopping Show App
joe gardener® Podcast
Jessica Walliser’s Books: Good Bug Bad Bug, Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden
Row Cover & Hoops Kit
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Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats! We're live on Clubhouse Wednesdays at 1pm Eastern, or you can listen to our chat replays anytime inside the app.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
I was recently introduced to the book series via a business mentor friend: "fill in the blank for Dummies". My full-circle journey of why these books have been a long-haul success nailed me on applying to flower farming. Here I share my six basic foundation steps that can lead to success when we stay between the lines. I hope this inspires and encourages you!
~Lisa Z.
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We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
Flower Farming School Online:The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, & More!
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
We are so excited to introduce a new series to the podcast called “Seed Talk”. Meet Layne Angelo, Seed Manager here at The Gardener’s Workshop. Layne is an avid gardener, seed starter, and engineer who loves learning and applying her technical knowledge to all areas of life, including gardening and growing flowers.
As Seed Manager, Layne has a firsthand look at the questions and topics commonly brought up by our customers and students. In this first episode of “Seed Talk”, Lisa and Layne discuss the most frequently asked questions about cool-season hardy annuals, a.k.a. Cool Flowers. Are you ready to learn more about Cool Flowers? Listen to the podcast and get ready for fall planting!
The video version of Lisa and Layne’s conversation featuring a slideshow of the questions covered will be posted to our YouTube channel. If there is a question or topic you would like to hear discussed on a future episode of “Seed Talk”, please fill out the form linked below. We would love to hear your suggestions!
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Book: Cool Flowers
The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles
Cool-Season Seed Category
On-Demand Workshop: Cool Flowers, Beyond the Book for Flower Farming
“Seed Talk” Topic Suggestion Form
YouTube Channel
TGW iPhone App (iOS App Store)
TGW Android App (Google Play)
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
This podcast may be for you, you know who you are. You don't think you are a real farmer because of the growing conditions and resources you find yourself in currently: small growing space, or can't have or afford structures, or, or, or....
You can start and sustain a cut-flower growing operation without hoop or greenhouses and on small spaces. We just develop our skills as growers in a different way. I am the living proof if you need it.
I hope this inspires and encourages you!
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We are so happy about our partnership with theGrowing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
Mary Anne of One HubCap Farm
Develop Your Craft: Flower Farming School Online with Lisa
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Sharing my look back at if only I had known this when I started my flower-growing operation. I could have saved lots of time, money, opportunities, and tears if I had had this advice!
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Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, & More! with Lisa Mason Ziegler
TGW On-Demand Online Workshops
We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
Jasmine Star Blog
Irrigation Suppliers: Dripworks Berry Hill
Must-Have Supplies: Fertilizer Support Netting Clippers Conditioning Supplies
Free Resources from The Gardener's Workshop
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
I learn so much talking to other gardeners and farmers. After my restaurant-owning cousins set up the TGW company picnic here on the farm, we discussed planting flowers. Joy's questions reminded me of the struggle that some folks have figuring out what to plant and when. Between trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals, it can be overwhelming because there is so much to learn. I hope my tips help!
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We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
Get the TGW phone App:In the iOS App Store(Apple)In Google Play(Android)
Q-Daddy's Pitmaster
Seed: Love-In-A-Puff
Lisa's Books: Vegetables Love Flowers & Cool Flowers
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Check out our YouTube channel for excellent tutorials, live shows and more!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Many of us naturally think that cool season gardening is more challenging than warm season gardening. I have found this not to be true.
Join me as I run through my thought process to help make my Cool Flowers garden successful!
Mentions:
We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles
Cool-Season Seed Category
Row Cover Hoop Kit
Book: Cool Flowers
On-Demand Workshop: Cool Flowers, Beyond the Book for Flower Farmers
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
I hope this encourages those facing flat sales. We all walk that path from time to time— but during July and August it is especially discouraging. Take heart flower friends—you can overcome this issue when you recognize it and make changes.
We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
Book: The Flower Farmerby Lynn Byczynski
On-Demand Workshop: The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm with Jonathan & Megan Leiss
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Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats! We're live on Clubhouse Wednesdays at 1pm Eastern, or you can listen to our chat replays anytime inside the app.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 crew ever!
Links & Mentions
On-Demand Workshop: Preparing to Sell to Florists with Ellen Frost
On-Demand Workshop: Collectives 101 with Amelia Ihlo
NEW Live Shopping Show App: In the iOS App Store In Google Play
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The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 garden or cut-flower field.
Links & Mentions
NEW Live Shopping Show App: In the iOS App Store In Google Play
Cosmos Seeds in the TGW Online Store
Post-Harvest Treatment Options: CVBN Tablets, Quick Dip
Join TGW’s Facebook Group: The Flower Farmer Show
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Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats! We're live on Clubhouse Wednesdays at 1pm Eastern, or you can listen to our chat replays anytime inside the app.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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
Podcast: #151: Florist Sales: The Untapped Market
Available NOW Ellen’s on-demand workshop: Preparing to Sell to Florists
Join the waitlist for Ellen’s annual online course: Growing your Business with Local Flower Sourcing
Connect with Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers: Website Facebook Instagram
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Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats! We're live on Clubhouse Wednesdays at 1pm Eastern, or you can listen to our chat replays anytime inside the app.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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, budding or seasoned flower farmer, make some sweet stories to share and inspire you and others." Flower friends, this one is definitely worth another listen!
Links & Mentions
We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 and Jessica encourage you to be an observer in your growing space, appreciate the value that these creatures bring to your world, and strive to manage your space in a way that provides habitat for them. Jessica’s books provide the roadmap for learning to identify insects and learning what to grow to bring them into your garden.
Links & Mentions
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
Book: Good Bug, Bad Bug
Book: Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden
More at: Savvygardening.com
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 Farmerby Lynn Byczynski
TGW Blog: Basil for the Big Win
Lisa’s All-Time Favorite: Mrs Burns Lemon Basil
Post-Harvest Treatment Options: CVBN Tablets, Quick Dip
Join TGW’s Facebook Groups: The Flower Farmer Show Florist-Farmer Connection
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats! We're live on Clubhouse Wednesdays at 1pm Eastern, or you can listen to our chat replays anytime inside the app.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 & Mentions
We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
New On-Demand Workshops from The Gardener's Workshop:
Preparing to Sell to Florists with Ellen Frost
Collectives 101 with Amelia Ihlo
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 farmers, one that provides a roadmap to getting that first florist connection and sale. If you have been thinking about offering your flowers to florists, you should check it out!
Links & Mentions
Connect with Ellen on Instagram: Local Color Flowers Florist Buying Local Flowers
Check out Ellen's NEW on-demand workshop: Preparing to Sell to Florists
Learn about Ellen’s annual 6-week Online School: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 & Mentions
Want to know more about selling flowers through Collectives? Check out our on-demand course: Collectives 101
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming,to be notified when she schedules new chats! We're live on Clubhouse on Wednesdays at 1pm Eastern, or you can listen to our chat replays anytime inside the app.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 suffering.
Try my suggestion of taking some quiet hours alone and imagine what you truly want your business to be in 5 years. Then start running it and making decisions as if it is already so.
I hope this helps—
Lisa
Links & Mentions:
Excited about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
Want to try our new Live Shopping app? Check it out here! iOS App. Android App
Check out our on-demand online courses (including Collectives and No-Till, both mentioned in this episode)
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 More, has its annual enrollment window open right now in 2022, June 9th-13th. Click here for more details and to register for the course! Click here to watch our other recent live discussions!
Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats! We're live on Clubhouse on Wednesdays at 1pm Eastern, or you can listen to our chat replays anytime inside the app.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Request Dave’s Webinar Replay: Peony Planting, Harvesting & Selling
Podcast: Everything Tulips with Dave Dowling & Jennie Love
Purchase Wholesale from Ball/Colorlink
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 her business, and what the future may hold for Flower Hill Farm. Nicole’s story demonstrates how investing in education and applying it to your business’s needs as it grows can be the foundation of success.
Links & Mentions
Flower Hill Farm: Website YouTube Facebook Instagram
Dave's online course, published by The Gardener's Workshop: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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, when and how to harvest, and conditioning tips.
Links & Mentions
Dave's online course, published by The Gardener's Workshop: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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 the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats!
TheField and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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:
Excited about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!
Jillonmoney.com
Book: Fail-Proof Your Business by Paul Adams
Book: The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski
Book: The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 his partner, Heidi. Shared philosophies emerge, including the importance of consistency and committing to a goal in business and in life, plus the importance of knowing where our food comes from and playing an active role in producing our own food.
Links & Mentions
The Urban Farm: Website Facebook Instagram Twitter
The Urban Farm Podcast
John Lee Dumas, Entrepreneurs on Fire
In Season Cut-Flower Farm on: Facebook Instagram
Rainlog.org - crowdsourced rainfall tracking site from the University of Arizona
Yoga with Heidi: Heidi@urbanfarm.org
TheField and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 weather fluctuations in cooler regions. The live interview was originally streamed on Facebook and YouTube, and Tim had prepared some slides of photos that you’ll hear him referencing during the chat. A link to the original interview video that includes the photo slide show is listed below.
Links & Mentions
Running Hills Farm: Website Instagram
Dave Dowling's online course, published by The Gardener's Workshop:Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Purchase from Dave at Ball/Colorlink:wholesale perennials for cut-flower production
Join our networking Facebook Group: Florist-Farmer Connection
View the original interview (with slide show)
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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:
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Not having weed management practices in place. You can't use chemical treatments on perennial beds, you'll need physical methods of weed prevention that match the growth habit of the plant (clump-forming vs. spreading).
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Planting a perennial in the wrong place. Pay attention to the particular sun and water needs of each plant and place them in an environment where they'll thrive. Recognize that there are some perennials that you will not be able to grow on your property due to environmental conditions.
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Planting the wrong variety. Did you know that there are different varieties of perennials produced specifically for cut flowers? Make sure you're purchasing the correct varieties that grow tall for cut flower production, not the dwarf varieties that are grown as bedding plants.
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Not having a watering plan for your perennials. While most perennials, once established, may survive a drier season, they probably won't thrive and may not flower at all. Perennials need regular irrigation to achieve maximum flower production.
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Assuming that perennials are less work than growing annuals. Perennials have their own maintenance requirements, including weeding, watering, and fall cleanup. Some perennials need to be dug up and divided every few years. Some are short-lived and need to be replanted every few years.
PRO TIP For a decent volume of cut-flower production, Dave recommends planting at least 25 plants of each variety of perennial that you want to grow. If space is limited, planting a handful of perennial varieties in larger volumes is better than planting just a few plants of more varieties, which won't yield enough of any one thing to sell.
Links & Mentions
Dave's online course, published by The Gardener's Workshop: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Published by the ASCFG: Postharvest Handling of Cut Flowers and Greens
Purchase from Dave at Ball Colorlink: wholesale perennials for cut-flower production
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 future of her business. We talk about her feature in the book Black Flora, and her involvement in a new group called the Tidewater Flower Collective. I’m so excited for Dee and all that is yet to come for her! Links & Mentions:
Mermaid City Flowers: Website Facebook Instagram
Slow Flowers Society
Book: Black Flora
Tidewater Flower Collective: Facebook Instagram
On-Demand Course:Collectives 101
Rooted Farmers
TheField and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 seasoned peony growers - something for everyone! Links & Mentions:
Fox Hollow Peonies: Website Facebook Instagram YouTube
Learn more about peonies in Flower School! Join the waitlist now for annual enrollment in June.
Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies & More! With Dave Dowling
More about Dr. Patricia Holloway of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) School of Natural Resources and Extension
Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when we schedule new chats!
TheField and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 that both commercial growers and home gardeners should strive to follow to maximize vase life:
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Harvest flowers at the proper stage. Each flower has its own ideal cutting stage. Some flowers continue to develop after you cut them (Sunflowers, Snapdragons), but some don't (Zinnias, Cockscomb). Do not harvest wet flowers.
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After cutting, allow flowers to rest and rehydrate before arranging. Learn the ideal temperature for resting (conditioning) each type of flower.
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Treatments can be added to the water that freshly-cut flowers are conditioned in to improve water uptake, hold color, and improve vase life.
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Harvest buckets and vases should be washed and sanitized between uses, otherwise bacteria grows in them that will diminish flower vase life. My saying is that if you wouldn't be willing to drink out of your harvest buckets and vases then they're not clean enough!
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Harvest at the ideal time of day (when flowers are more hydrated) to prevent wilting problems - typically early morning after the dew dries.
Amy Stewart’s Book Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful
Products Mentioned: CVBN Tabs, Holding Solution T Bags, Fresh Cut-Flower Food, Bulb Cut-Flower Food
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 as we talk about the fears, the wins, the failures, and how to get through it all.
Connect :
Farmshenanigans Instagram
Petal Pickers Instagram
The Nested Fig Instagram
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 your own particular zone and climate, wherever you are. There’s something in this chat for everyone!
Links & Mentions:
Harris Flower Farm: Website Facebook Instagram
Harris Farm Tour (August 15, 2022) open to ASCFG members only
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers
American Horticultural Society: How to find your local garden clubs and plant societies
Are you a flower farmer or aspiring to become one? Join our private Facebook Group: The Flower Farmer Show
Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats!
TheField and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
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 Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers
Sunny Meadows Flower Farm: WebsiteInstagramTikTok
Bio360 Product Page with Install Videos
Dave Dowling’s 6-week course, Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies and More! Enrollment begins June 9th, 2022, More Info & Join the waitlist
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Steve and Gretel Adams have become very well-known in the cut flower growing world. They went from homesteading market gardeners on a quarter-acre plot to “rock star” cut-flower producers with over 17 greenhouses and 20 employees! Have you ever wondered how they got their start? How Sunny Meadows Flower Farm came to be? In this interview they talk through the progression of their business, including:
- Specializing in certain crops
- The fear of hiring and managing employees
- Scaling up over time
- Quality of life investments & finding balance
- The future of Sunny Meadows Flower Farm
This episode is packed with great business and general life advice!
Links & Mentions:
Book: The Organic Farmer’s Business Handbook
Flower Farming School Online: Growing Cut-Flower Crops in Hoops & Greenhouses
More from Sunny Meadows Flower Farm: WebsiteInstagramTikTok
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Today I have more "keeper clips" from Clubhouse for you! Lisa hosts a chat called The Flower Farmer Show on the Clubhouse app each Wednesday to cover various flower farming and flower business topics. In today’s episode, I'm sharing clips of Lisa covering the topics of Succession Planting and the 411 on Zinnias! She offers some great tips here that can make a BIG difference for your farm or garden, so I hope you enjoy!
Succession Planting for Consistent Supply: Succession planting annual plants is how we plan for a consistent supply of high-quality flowers, herbs, and vegetables throughout the season. This method of planting also helps you manage common problems like severe weather events and pest or disease outbreaks.
Let’s Talk Zinnias!: Here’s the 411 on Zinnias! Lisa runs through her method of growing them from start to finish, including harvesting and post-harvest care, plus descriptions of the varieties that she grows.
Sign up: TGW Free Weekly Farm E-Newsletter
Blog: Zinnia Talk
Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Ants on peonies…did you know they are beneficial? Ants patrol the blooms for the sweet nectar and inadvertently protect the nectar and the blooms from pests in their greediness!
Why do we find ants on peonies? Because of all the sweet nectar they produce! Peonies have extrafloral nectaries (EFN) - they exude nectar from other parts of the plant beyond the inside of the flower. Ants feed on this nectar, which becomes more plentiful closer to blooming.
Ants are not garden pests, they are hard workers with lots of garden duties! Ants are predators of garden pests, they aerate the soil, and perform cleanup of decomposing debris. Rhonda encourages you to observe ants in your garden to see what they’re doing, as different types of ants have different jobs. Lisa and Rhonda briefly discuss the differences between native and non-native insects, and how humans affect the spread of non-natives.
Lisa talks about peony harvesting on her farm and shares some great peony tips from Dave Dowling:
- Peony buds can be held in a cooler at 34 degrees for at least a couple of weeks. To store them in water in a cooler, harvest blooms at the “marshmallow stage.”
- Quality and quantity of blooms for next year depend on water intake in July/August of this year, so make sure your peonies get enough water in summer, irrigating if needed.
- Leave as much stem and foliage on the plants as possible so that plants continue to gather energy through the season. Lisa only cuts up to 24” stems no matter how tall her peonies are.
Links & Mentions:
The Gardener’s Workshop Free Resources Library
Dave Dowling’s 6-week course, Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies and More! More Info & Join the waitlist
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
My fascination with Ellen Frost’s local flower sourcing design studio model, Local Color Flowers, began years ago when we first met. Every flower farmer needs an Ellen on their customer list!
Local Color Flowers is located in Baltimore, Maryland. She buys all her flowers from growers within 100 miles of the shop, and she does it year-round. Let’s walk through a year, month-by-month of what is going on in Ellen’s studio plus what they are buying. Please see the PDF link below for the full outline.
Links & Mentions
PDF: A Designer's Month-to-Month (What they buy)
Request Ellen’s Dried Wreath Webinar
Connect with Ellen on Instagram: Local Color Flowers Florist Buying Local Flowers
Learn about Ellen’s Course Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Are floral collectives the key to the future for domestic cut flower growers? This episode features a recent panel discussion about our new on-demand online course, Collectives 101: A guide for joining and selling through regional wholesale hubs, with Amelia Ihlo. Lisa is joined by Amanda Montgomery of River City Flower Exchange and Jonathan Leiss of Spring Forth Farm to gain insight into the world of floral collectives and to hear first-hand the potential value of this new course for flower farmers. Amanda and Jonathan share their experiences with this selling model and offer helpful information for those curious about the opportunity to either start a collective or join an existing one.
Links & Mentions
Hummingbird Flower Co: Website Facebook
River City Flower Exchange: Website Instagram
Spring Forth Farm: Website Facebook Instagram
Piedmont Wholesale Flowers: Website Facebook Instagram
Stemz: Website Facebook Instagram
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers Localflowers.org
Rooted Farmers: Website Instagram
On-Demand Course: Collectives 101
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Let’s remember and keep in focus the big picture of what we are doing, how we are doing it, and why we are doing it. It’s so easy to fall into rabbit holes and to become completely derailed from our “why” we are doing this in the first place! My big picture garden considerations are: How will I tear this down? How will I maintain it day to day? Will it sell easily? On the business side of things, pausing to remember “why” I am doing all this and am I getting there helps to keep me on track.
Links & Mentions:
Excited about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
"Bug Talk" podcasts with Lisa & Rhonda: Field & Garden episode #112, episode #121
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
An introduction to these showy greenhouse-grown spring blooms from Steve & Gretel Adams of Sunny Meadows Flower Farm. They cover lots of important topics, including:
- When to order corms for best selection
- Building relationships with your vendors
- When to plant (and successions)
- Best varieties for beginners
- Basic growing & harvesting tips
Links & Mentions:
Request the PDF: Favorite Ranunculus & Sources
Request the PDF: Favorite Anenomes & Growing Tips
Request the PDF: Ranunculus Stages of Harvest
Flower Farming School Online: Growing Cut-Flower Crops in Hoops & Greenhouses
More from Sunny Meadows Flower Farm: Website Instagram TikTok
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
In this episode, we're revisiting an interview that Lisa did in October 2020 on The Flower Podcast, with host Scott Shepherd. Scott and Lisa covered a broad range of topics, including:
- Where Cool Flowers can be grown and how they can increase your farm's production dramatically
- Marketing: finding your niche in "outside the box" selling opportunities
- Understanding how learning via courses saves time and money
- Creating a business model that suits your lifestyle
- Lisa's Top 5 Warm-Season Annuals
Links & Mentions:
The full-length episode on The Flower Podcast
Online Courses & Schools offered by The Gardener's Workshop
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
In this episode I am sharing the bottom line friends: you are the only one that can change the way things are going for you and your flower farming business.
If we think back to why we started our own business:
- To be in control
- To do things the way we think is best
- To make the choices
- To guide the way
- To do what we want to do, when we want to do it
Now we have to exercise the muscle that can help us get there: the choices we make and how we respond to failures.
The difference between success and failure can be this simple.
Hope this gives some food for thought!
Links & Mentions:
Course: Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing and More!
Book: Vegetables Love Flowers
Podcast: Jennie Love & Dave Dowling discuss Tulips
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Ellen Frost joins Lisa to discuss the unique business model of her floral design studio, Local Color Flowers, and how it has continued to evolve over time. Topics include: supporting local flower farmers, community building through regular studio events, and ramping up subscriptions.
Links & Mentions:
Ellen’s Design Studio, Local Color Flowers: Website Instagram Facebook
Florists Buying Local: Facebook Instagram and #floristsbuyinglocal
Course: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
In October 2021 Lisa was featured on the Joe Gardener podcast. She joined host Joe Lamp'l to discuss how nature can balance itself when you incorporate flowers and native plants in and around your garden space, attracting beneficial insects and providing them with a consistent habitat. They covered topics such as:
- Succession plantings of flower “recipes” to overcome common pests, weeds, and diseases
- Variety selections for cut flowers, supporting taller flowers, and harvesting tips
- The importance of providing habitat (both food & shelter) for beneficial creatures in spring, summer & fall
Links & Mentions:
Full Joe Gardener Episode #231 Blog Post Available Here
Request Lisa's Free Resource: 6 Steps to a 3-Season Cut-Flower Garden
Online Courses published by The Gardener’s Workshop
TheField and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author ofVegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner ofThe Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
In this episode, Lisa Z and Collectives 101 instructor Amelia Ihlo discuss what it takes as a flower farmer to be ready to join or start a floral collective. They touch on common indicators for success, such as knowing your market & your customer’s needs, examining your grower network & relationships, thinking about short and long-term plans, and building resources.
Links & Mentions:
Collectives 101 On-Demand Online Workshop AVAILABLE NOW****
Considering using Rooted Farmers for your collective? More info Here
Book: A Complaint Is a Gift
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Today, Rhonda Graves returns to join Lisa for another “Bug Talk.” And beneficial creatures too! They all have a purpose in a balanced ecosystem. Rhonda & Lisa discuss how to invite and maintain these beneficial creatures in your garden or on your farm, including pollinator garden plots, native tree and shrub plantings, “Beetle Banks” and “Habitat Islands.” Together they share the joy of getting to know the beneficial creatures in your garden and how to create a year-round habitat to keep them nearby.
Mentions:
Bugguide.net
iNaturalist app
Book: Attracting Beneficial Bugs To Your Garden by Jessica Walliser
Book: Wasps by Heather Holm
Book: Grow Organic by Doug Oster & Jessica Walliser
Lisa's book: Vegetables Love Flowers
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Today I have more "keeper clips" from Clubhouse for you! Lisa hosts a chat on Clubhouse each Wednesday to cover various flower farming and flower business topics as well as answer listener questions. This episode has some great clips covering the topics of Early-Season Sunflower Growing and Prepping your Beds for Weed Prevention. Lisa offers some great tips here that can make a BIG difference for your farm or garden. So here you go!
Links & Mentions:
Sunflower Seeds in our Online Shop
Bio360 Install Video
Video: Weeding with a garden hoe
Blog: Weed-Free Direct Seeded Beds
Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats!
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
In this episode, I am exploring the question: "What is a floral Collective, and how is it different from a Co-op?" I discussed this and so much more with Amelia Ihlo of Rooted Farmers. Amelia lays out the ins and outs of this flower selling model that I believe is a key piece of the future locally-grown cut-flower industry.
Amelia has plenty of boots-on-the-ground experience with this business model as a flower farmer herself. She was part of starting a collective several years ago to better serve her customers and to work with other growers in the Boston area. She went on to start RootedFarmers.com, an online marketplace connecting flower buyers with flower sellers. Rooted Farmers now works with collectives nationwide.
Today we introduce the launch of Amelia's on-demand workshop published by The Gardener's Workshop, called Collectives 101: A Guide for Joining & Selling through Regional Wholesale Hubs. Read more about Amelia and her new on-demand online workshop here.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Friends, Lynn Byczynski's book, The Flower Farmer is what redirected my life path. While Lynn and I have come to be friends through the years, it was a surreal moment to chat with her about the book that changed everything for me.
I also loved hearing about her other major contribution to the farming world, founding Growing For Market over 30 years ago. It is a magazine for farmers by farmers and also played a key role in forming me as a flower farmer. One of Lynn's longtime passions has been growing delicious food. It wasn't surprising to learn that Lynn's family's business has become the USA distributor of the Seeds From Italy line of seeds.
Mentions:
Seeds From Italy, include Lynn's Blog, vegetable and flower seeds, tools, and books. Connect: Instagram
Dee Hall of Mermaid City Flowers: Instagram, Website, and the group Black Flower Farmers
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Hello and welcome to the Field & Garden podcast! I'm Jessi Graven with The Gardener's Workshop. Today I’d like to share some clips from an interview that Lisa recently did on The Urban Farm Podcast with host Greg Peterson. Here they discussed Lisa’s book Vegetables Love Flowers and also covered topics such as beneficial insects & creatures, the importance of native plants, succession planting, and starting a 3-season cut-flower garden in your vegetable patch. I hope you enjoy!
Mentions & Links:
The Urban Farm Podcast with Host Greg Peterson
Lisa Mason Ziegler’s book, Vegetables Love Flowers
Jessica Walliser’s book, Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden
Doug Tallamy’s book, Bringing Nature Home
Online Courses from The Gardener's Workshop
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
We are so hard on ourselves when we hit a wall or fail. I've found that the reality so often for me is that my expectations weren't based on any facts or experiences, just hopes, and dreams. No wonder it didn't work out!
Stepping back and rethinking the process can change it all.
Hopes + Dreams + Experience + Knowledge = a smoother and straighter road to success.
I hope this episode meets you where you are, encourages you, lets you know you are not alone, and sows the seeds of hope that there is another way.
Mentions:
Request the webinar: What It Takes To Be A Flower Farmer
Sunny Meadows Flower Farm: Instagram Website
Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More with Lisa Mason Ziegler
Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More with Dave Dowling
I hope you enjoy this episode.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Listen as Jennie Love of Love n' Fresh Flowers in Philly and I discuss the evolution of her flower farm and business. From starting a cutting garden in a community plot to blazing the way as a pioneer in the farmer-florist industry. Named by Martha Stewart as one of the top 10 Farmer-Florist.
Jennie shares the changes to the way she farms and to her business -- all-natural evolution to staying relevant and successful. Join us for a candid chat.
Mentions:
Connect with Jennie: Love n' Fresh Flowers Website Instagram Pinterest No-Till Flowers Podcast
Jennie's courses: Making Workshops Work for You Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process
I hope you enjoy this episode.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Hello and welcome to the Field & Garden podcast! I’m Jessi Graven from The Gardener’s Workshop. Today I’d like to share a chat between Jennie Love of Love 'n Fresh Flowers & Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers, in which they discuss their top books for flower farming, floristry, and business. As you may know, both Jennie & Ellen are online course instructors for The Gardener’s Workshop, but they’re also good friends on top of that. In 2020 Jennie hosted this chat with Ellen on Instagram Live and then shared it with us, so we hope you enjoy!
Jennie's Full Book List
Read more about Jennie Love, Love 'n Fresh Flowers and her online course here.
Ellen's Full Book List
Read more about Ellen Frost, Local Color Flowers, and her online course here.
Thank you everyone for joining me here on The Field & Garden Podcast, I’m Jessi Graven with The Gardener’s Workshop and I hope you have a great day!
Friends, I don't know if anyone has noticed it yet, but I have been trying to bring to the forefront that farming is the root of many good things. This episode with Andrew Mefford of Growing For Market is another example of the many opportunities that farming affords us. There are many roads less traveled from the farming world that may be a fit for you too.
I came to know Andrew after reading his book, The Organic No-Till Farming Revolution, and through his taking over Growing For Market magazine.
Take a listen to see how being a plant nerd led Andrew to farming and with journalism in his past, Andrew, in his words, now has a hand in advancing the state of local farming.
Mentions:
Request a free digital or print copy from the Growing For Market magazine.
Subscribe with a 25% discount code: Workshop
Find Andrew's books HERE.
I hope you enjoy this episode.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Warning friends, this is an episode that may change the way you garden, farm, and view it all.
Meet Rhonda Graves the warehouse manager here at The Gardener's Workshop. But more importantly, Rhonda has a passion (truthfully an obsession) for all that is happening out in the garden, and friends you won't believe what is going on out there. Rhonda is a lifelong gardener, an active master gardener, and a master naturalist.
Did you know that the good beneficial bugs in the world outnumber the bad pest bugs by a longshot?
Rhonda and I are sharing our experiences encouraging the good bugs to combat the bad pest bugs. When invited to the garden and kept happy, beneficial insects will do the heavy lifting on pest control.
We want to whet your appetite, share some of the resources we use with the hope that it will inspire you to step away from pesticides. Join us to give a hand to what is going on just outside your backdoor.
Mentions:
Jessica Walliser's books: Attracting Beneficial Bugs To Your Garden and Good Bug Bad Bug
Doug Tallemy's book: Bringing Nature Home
Mary Gardiner's book: Good Garden Bugs
Xerces Resources
Xerces book: Farming For Beneficial Insects
Lisa's book: Vegetables Love Flowers
We hope this episode helps you.
Lisa & Rhonda
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Hello and welcome to the Field & Garden podcast! I’m Jessi Graven from The Gardener’s Workshop. Today I’d like to present a conversation between Lisa Mason Ziegler and Dave Dowling from 2019 in which they tackle some of the most common challenges that people face while working to become a flower farmer. There are also some great stories in here about when Lisa and Dave were first starting their flower farming journeys, so I hope you enjoy!
Challenges mentioned: Lack of Experience, No Cooler, No Acreage, No Greenhouse or Hoophouse, No Money, No Delivery Vehicle, No Tractor, Nowhere to sell flowers nearby, No Hired Help, Too Old, Single Parent
Lisa & Dave explain how we can overcome these challenges to achieve our flower farming dreams!
Mentions:
Lisa Ziegler's Online Course: Join the Waitlist
Dave Dowling's Online Course: Join the Waitlist
Available Now: On-Demand Online Workshops
Connect with Lisa on Social Media
Thank you for joining me here The Field & Garden Podcast, I’m Jessi Graven with The Gardener’s Workshop and I hope you have a great day!
A part of building a successful long-haul business is not putting all your eggs into one basket. Adding workshops and experiences to your business may be the perfect profitable next step.
Listen as Jennie Love of Love n' Fresh Flowers in Philly and I discuss the ups and downs, the how-to and how-not-to add workshops to your businesses lineup. Jennie has years of workshop experience on her farm and taking her workshops on the road.
Mentions:
Connect with Jennie: Love n' Fresh Flowers Website Instagram Pinterest No-Till Flowers Podcast
Jennie's courses: Making Workshops Work for You Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process
Your host Lisa Mason Ziegler
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Friends, I hope this episode inspires and encourages you! Seed starting is a challenge and our first tries don’t always work out. My experience sure didn’t.
I hope this reminds and helps you.
Lisa
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Welcome to the Field & Garden podcast, I’m Jessi Graven from The Gardener’s Workshop. Today I have for you some excerpts from Lisa’s recent Clubhouse chat with Jonathan & Megan Leiss of Spring Forth Farm. During this conversation, Jonathan & Megan discuss their recent business changes, farming with young children, answer audience questions, and offer a brief description of their on-demand online workshop, The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm. For more details and to purchase the course, visit their course page.
Discover Spring Forth Farm: Facebook, Instagram, Website
Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming,to be notified when she schedules new chats!
Thank you for joining me here on another episode of The Field & Garden Podcast, I’m Jessi Graven withThe Gardener’s Workshopand I hope you have a great day!
In this episode, I'm sharing the reminders I wish someone would have tapped me on the shoulder to say: remember this!
If you are an avid gardener or as I was in the beginning, a gardener gone wild-- you can disregard this list.
These reminders are for those that want to build a successful, profitable business:
- Remember the point: to spend less money than you bring in, better known as profit.
- Flowers do not sell themselves.
- You must get up every day and keep doing it.
- Prevent weeds: paramount. (takes down many potential growers)
- Grow what sells.
- Stop comparing yourself.
- Be a professional no matter what.
- Every failure is a potential lesson.
- You can do hard things.
- Pick up where you are. STOP looking back.
I hope this reminds and helps you.
Lisa
P.S. I can't wait to meet you at school! Get on my waitlist HERE.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
In this episode, I am sharing my journey of how I came to grow sunflowers and then how I pushed the envelope to get them even earlier in the season.
Mentions in this episode:
Amy's Garden Instagram
Request my webinar: Sunflowers For the Win!
ProCut & Sunfill Sunflower seeds
Hydrator: Quick Dip
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Hey Everyone! Welcome to the Field & Garden podcast, I’m Jessi Graven from The Gardener’s Workshop. Today I’ve pulled together some clips of Lisa speaking over on the Clubhouse app for your enjoyment. If you’re not familiar with Clubhouse, it’s an audio-only social media app, sort of like a group phone call but with more features. Lisa and I go on there once a week on Wednesdays to cover various flower farming and flower business topics as well as answer listener questions. Today I have for you a couple of great clips from our February chats, covering topics including Lisa’s cool flower successes and failures, a debate about row cover usage, and a rundown of what is currently sprouting in Lisa’s grow room.
On Clubhouse each week we include a link to more information on the topic we're covering, such as links to blog posts and webinar replays. Here are the ones that we included in these chats:
Webinar Replay Request: Cool Flowers Refresher
Blog: Seed Starting Schedule for Summer Flowers
Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats!
Thank you for joining me here on another episode of The Field & Garden Podcast, I’m Jessi Graven with The Gardener’s Workshop and I hope you have a great day!
In this episode, I'm walking down memory lane of how I came to be such an avid soil blocker seed starter.
I'm sharing how I learned about this method that the Dutch and English have used for decades to start seeds and the journey of tweaking it into a tabletop seed starting method.
Mentions in this episode:
- The book The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski
- The book The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman
- Soil blocking and seed starting equipment
Why I use soil blocking:
- Super easy to use inside of a home
- No transplant shock
- High rate of germination
- Grow a lot of transplants in a small space
- Transplants grow fast
- Plant and handle earlier
- No thinning or potting up
- Once equipped with the tools just add blocking mix and seeds each season.
The discovery and pursuit of soil blocking allowed me to launch my cut-flower farm. Sharing this revolutionary in-home easy seed starting method with soil blocking surely changed the course of my life.
Thanks for letting me walk down memory lane!
Lisa
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
In this episode, I'm sharing what I'm doing and thinking about with my Cool Flowers garden in very early spring. Remembering to make simple notes on the calendar is so helpful the next time around to refer back to.
Fall Planting Checkin
- What made it?
- When to remove covers?
- Weeding, support, and feeding
Very Early Spring Planting
- Deciding factors on what to plant in VES?
- Why I don't direct seed in VES.
- Later blooms, support and feeding
When the Blooms Start
- Make notes on first blooms!
- Having a cooler or at least a cellar or AC room is beneficial
Learn more about growing Cool Flowers.
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Hello and welcome to another special episode of the Field & Garden podcast! I’m Jessi Graven from The Gardener’s Workshop. I’m here today to continue what we started last week, the recap of the panel discussion and review of The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm online workshop. If you missed last week’s podcast that featured Jennie Love’s review of the workshop, you can find that on our website or wherever you listen to podcasts, it’s episode #100.
So as you may know, we offer an On-Demand Workshop called The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm with Jonathan & Megan Leiss of Spring Forth Farm. Jonathan & Megan’s workshop offers over 4.5 hours of instruction on their no-till practices and micro-scale farming techniques. When the course first launched, Lisa Ziegler invited industry professionals to review the course and attend an online panel discussion.
Today I have for you an excerpt from that discussion featuring Andrew Mefferd. Andrew is the editor and publisher of Growing for Market magazine as well as the author of the book The Organic No-Till Farming Revolution. Andrew has spent over 15 years working on farms, including a year working on a no-till research farm, and seven years in the research department at Johnny's Selected Seeds. We loved hearing his insights about this workshop, and I hope you will too.
Special Announcement Jonathan & Megan Leiss are hosting a LIVE Q&A session on Earth Day! (Friday, April 22, 2022) ALL students of their workshop are invited to attend, and we hope to see you there! Details will be emailed beforehand to everyone who has purchased the workshop. NOW is a great time to purchase the workshop if you haven’t already, dive into the material, and get your questions ready for the LIVE Q&A.
More info is available on our website: About the No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm On-Demand Workshop
To learn more about Spring Forth Farm: Instagram, Facebook, Website, View the full-length panel discussion
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
Enjoy this short podcast to get relieved of the pressure to start seeds now—
In the episode, I share the reality that this rush and pressure we feel to start seeds in early spring is a result of marketing--it is not the only time to start seeds! Many of us could really start seeds 12 months of the year.
Hope this gives you the nudge to jump on where you are and not feel behind.
Hosted with Lisa Mason Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
In this episode, Jonathan Leiss of Spring Forth Farm and I discuss how his focus on flower colors is directly connected to what his customers want and need. His specialized business model is harvesting and selling flowers in early spring to early summer when demand and profits are high. This model allows them to fully embrace their homesteading lifestyle and pursue a business that fits their family.
To learn more about Spring Forth Farm:
Instagram Facebook Website
Jonathan and Megan's online course: The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm
Flowers mentioned in our discussion:
Here's a list of the white flowers we grow:
- Ammi majus
- Anemones Galilee White -- most profitable crop on our farm
- Campanula Champion White
- Dianthus Bodestolz White
- Digitalis Camelot White or Cream
- Larkspur -- any series they all seem similar to us
- Oralya
- Peonies -- varieties appropriate for your climate
- Ranunculus -- Amandine White, Half-Clone Iceberg
- Saponaria White -- favorite filler of all time
- Snapdragons Chantilly White, Madame Butterfly Ivory
- Stock Noble White, Cheerful White, Cheerful Midseason White (all high double -- we found the HD Katz White to have weak necks)
We no longer grow:
- White Yarrow (the regular millefolium white -- heads not large enough for our market)
- Agrostemma -- pain in the butt to harvest
- Lisianthus -- amazing white varieties available, but don't fit into our season. We grew ABC but there are lots of new options
- Godetia White -- we grow other colors. The white was a little boring and didn't sell well
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
Welcome to a special episode of the Field & Garden podcast! I’m Jessi Graven from The Gardener’s Workshop, and I’m here to bring you something a little different today. As you may know, we offer an On-Demand Workshop called The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm with Jonathan & Megan Leiss of Spring Forth Farm. Jonathan & Megan’s workshop offers over 4.5 hours of instruction on their no-till practices and micro-scale farming techniques.
When the course first launched, Lisa Ziegler, invited industry professionals to review the course and attend an online panel discussion. Today I have for you an excerpt from that discussion featuring Jennie Love of Love n’ Fresh Flowers. Jennie is an industry-leading farmer-florist, a flower farmer with a strong interest in regenerative agriculture, a past president of the ASCFG, and a fellow TGW course instructor. We loved hearing her thoughts about this workshop, and I hope you will too.
Special Announcement Jonathan & Megan Leiss are hosting a LIVE Q&A session on Earth Day! (Friday, April 22, 2022) ALL students of their workshop are invited to attend, and we hope to see you there! Details will be emailed beforehand to everyone who has purchased the workshop. NOW is a great time to purchase the workshop if you haven’t already, dive into the material, and get your questions ready for the LIVE Q&A.
More info is available on our website: About the No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm On-Demand Workshop
To learn more about Spring Forth Farm: Instagram, Facebook, Website, View the full-length panel discussion
The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social!
In this episode with Dave Dowling we are discussing Lisianthus. From favorite varieties to treatment to prevent root rot to netting.
Dave's comments are loaded with good information. This episode along with episode #97 is a great taste of Dave's teaching style!
Learn about Dave's online course and get on his waitlist: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Hosted with Lisa Mason Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
I've been growing snapdragons for over two decades and thought I had a handle on it---but NOT after this discussion with Dave Dowling!
In this episode, we are talking about extending the harvest season, how to do that but variety selection, harvesting, conditioning, and more!
This is but a small sampling of what it is like to learn from Dave. I am so pleased to have Dave as one of our online course instructors.
Learn more about his course and get on the waitlist for his June enrollment for Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!
Connect with Dave on Instagram & Facebook
Hosted with Lisa Mason Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
Talking one of my favorite subjects with Jonathan Leiss of Spring Forth Farm located in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina: sunflowers. We both agree that sunflowers can be major contributors to the bottom line of most flower-growing operations. Jonathan's go-to sunflower is VIncent's Choice with a new addition this year of Premier for its short seed to bloom and shorter height. Connect with Jonathan and Megan and learn more about their unique business model in their online course: Instagram Facebook Website Jonathan and Megan's online course: The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
In this episode with Val Schirmer of Three Toads Farm, Val paints the picture of the possibilities of growing lilies to grow your business. She shares how she built her business by using big bulbs to grow big beautiful flowers that stopped people in their tracks. See Val's favorites below.
Connect with Val:
Instagram Facebook
Val's online course: Forcing Glorious Bulbs for the Holidays and Beyond!
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers
Have a look at Val's favorite lily list on the HOME of the Field & Garden Podcast.
Enjoy!
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
Loved chatting with Val Schirmer of Three Toads Farm. Val has been a friend for years and getting to know more about her journey of becoming a flower farmer was great. Connect with Val: Instagram Facebook Val's online course: Forcing Glorious Bulbs for the Holidays and Beyond! Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers Enjoy! Hosted by Lisa Ziegler The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
In this episode, I am doing a run-through of the things I consider and do when starting a specific seed. Hope it helps!
- Is it a cool or warm-season annual seed?
- When should be planting cool or warm-season transplants?
- What is this seed's preferred method to start?
- Based on 1-3 answers, when should I start the seed it?
- With soil blocking, remembering to shave off 1/3 of the time recommended to sprout and grow into a transplant as with conventional methods.
My process of seed starting to grow awesome quick transplants with soil blocks:
- Place the trays of just sown soil blocks on a seedling heat mat.
- I aim for air temperature in the growing area to be: 65-70 degrees for cool-season annuals and 70-85 degrees for warm-season.
- Move from seedling heat mats to grow lights when 50% of seeds show signs of life.
- Provide 16 hours of intense bright light daily with grow lights.
- Water all soil blocks (on mats and under lights) each morning. Blocks should be dry or close to it each morning. If still moist in the morning adjust your air temperature to warmer.
- Once a week I include in my watering can for morning watering chores: Monday--Seaweed Fish fertilizer according to directions (grow light only trays), Wednesday--Gnatrol according to directions for fungus gnat control (all trays lights and mats).
Seed Starting Made Easy online course
My Learning Center
Field & Garden Blog
My YouTube Channel
Seed Starting Equipment
All Things Soil Blocking
Enjoy!
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
Wondering when and how to plant cool-season hardy annuals in very early spring? You are not alone my friend, I am getting lots of questions and this episode is addressing some of the most commonly heard.
Mentions:
The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles This page has the 5-video series plus many other resources you can request.
The book: Cool Flowers
The Course: Cool Flowers Beyond the Book for Flower Farmers
So enjoy this journey from yesteryear that I have dug up and dusted off!
Field & Garden Blog
My YouTube Channel
Enjoy!
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
In this episode, I am continuing to revisit a project I did 4 years ago called Seed Starting Saturdays. My initial intention was to listen to it to redo it for today--- but guess what? After listening I realized it's great information that is the same today, yesterday, and tomorrow for seed starting.
Week 2 includes my planning and gathering tips. So enjoy this journey from yesteryear that I have dug up and dusted off!
So enjoy this journey from yesteryear that I have dug up and dusted off!
Field & Garden Blog
My YouTube Channel
Seed Starting Equipment
All Things Soil Blocking
Jumbo Calendar (this is not an affiliate link)
Enjoy!
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
We all may start growing flowers for different reasons, but the end can be the same: to beautify our yards and farms, restore nature, have fresh flowers on the table, and restore our souls. My book Vegetables Love Flowers is about a 3-season cutting garden and all the goodness it can bring to the vegetable patch. In the episode, I invite you to consider the big picture of what flowers can do for you.
I'd love to sign a book for you!
Get the book: Vegetables Love Flowers
Grab the free companion video Book Study no matter where you purchased the book.
Enjoy!
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
In this episode, I revisited a project I did 4 years ago called Seed Starting Saturdays. My initial intention was to listen to it to redo it for today--- but guess what? After listening I realized it's great information that is the same today, yesterday, and tomorrow for seed starting.
Week 1 includes what you should do or at least consider before you start seeds.
So enjoy this journey from yesteryear that I have dug up and dusted off!
Field & Garden Blog
My YouTube Channel
Seed Starting Equipment
All Things Soil Blocking
Jumbo Calendar (this is not an affiliate link)
Enjoy!
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
My love of rudbeckias has turned into a bit of an obsession. They are, after all, a pretty easy family to fall in love with.
Some of the reasons I love them:
- Easy to start (most are anyway)
- Need little tending other than full sun and a little water to get started after transplanting
- The abundance of stems to harvest will wear you out,
- Long-lasting in the vase
- The variety of native bees you meet there is fascinating
- The occasional aphid outbreak is a treat for my beneficial insects just waiting to eat them
- The cleanup crew (goldfinches) swoop in and eat the seeds developing on old flowers
- If you play your cards right—they will reseed in the garden.
The cut stems are major contributors to my flower farming business and a key ingredient that makes my farm attractive to so many native bees.
Bonus: they are winter hardy to zone 5 which means they can be fall planted for earlier blooms in zones 5,6,7,8,9 for taller stems, and more abundance. Early spring plantings can extend the season but won’t deliver as tall stems or abundance in my experience.
Frankly, I never knew there were so many varieties until I started farming. Most are excellent long-lasting cut flowers plus there are always extra blooms for the pollinators and hungry birds.
I am growing several new to me this season: Sahara, Cherokee Sunset, Denver Daisy, and Cherry Brandy.
Find all my favorite rudbeckia seeds here: Indian Summer. Prairie Sun, Goldilocks, and Double Daisy.
Honorable mentions but not in the R. Hirta family: R. triloba and R. maxima
I’m interested in the coloring which is so difficult to see true in images and if these will invite any new visitors to my garden.
I love what this family offers as cut flowers and beneficial creatures. The fourth section in my book Vegetables Love Flowers is titled "Heros of the Garden" and features the image I love of a goldfinch sitting on my rudbeckia-- iconic!
Enjoy!
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
Lots of folks reaching out because of fears they are experiencing about their Cool Flowers facing cold weather. I understand and suffer from the same thing from time to time. It's natural, but we need to do all we can to meet their needs to maximize success.
I'm sharing the replay from a Clubhouse chat I hosted that includes encouragement and some steps to follow to stack the cards in favor of your cool-season hardy annuals.
Mentions:
The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles includes 5 videos and the doorway to other resources.
The Secret Sauce Cool Flowers article
Enjoy!
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
Overspending is a common struggle we face in life, being in business is no different.
The point of going into business is to make a profit. Many businesses never make it because of habitual business overspending. It is challenging enough to only spend on what is really needed to succeed — throw in overspending and it’s easy to see how so many fail. Many fall for spending unnecessarily before it's even known if it is needed yet.
Start small and grow slowly, keep it simple, learn how to flower farm efficiently to turn a profit, and step away from the catalogs!
Excited about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription.
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
Do you make more to-do lists than you can ever get to? I do. This year I decided to make a new list, what I have done, and friends, it made me feel a whole lot better! In this episode, I am sharing how I got to the place I am today. The piece that I believe is key to how I was able to succeed and more.
For more on my gardening love story of marrying Steve read my book, Cool Flowers. Learn about going from a novice gardener to starting a flower farm in my book Vegetables Love Flowers.
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
I didn't love it when I was told I had to clear my mind and rest, BUT it did prove to be essential for my business's success. Honestly, I thought it was a waste of time, but the advice was dead right. Enjoy this replay of a Clubhouse chat sharing that I've learned that taking a few deliberate steps to benefit my business in the dead of winter---helps to get me through the heat of summer. Enjoy! Hosted by Lisa Ziegler The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out. It can happen to anyone and I hear from lots of folks struggling with it.
Sometimes we just feel like we’ve missed the right timing or aren’t getting the results we see others getting that can lead to: FOMO, fear of missing out. Resist it y’all!
Learn more about Cool Flowers, get the book and the related resources.
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
I can feel the pain in the messages I receive about the worries folks have about their Cool Flowers facing the cold. Should I cover? What about snow? And then there are the calls asking us to rush their row cover orders cause cold is coming! I get it because I've been there and still revisit those fears occasionally.
In this episode, I am sharing what is this cool-season gardening concept and even a few tidbits to help ease fears. It all comes down to planting timing, knowing your winter hardiness zone, and the winter hardiness zone of the plant you are planting.
To learn more about growing cool-season flowers:
Check out my book Cool Flowers and the free video series The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles and related free resources.
Connect with my good friend and cool-season vegetable garden expert: Niki Jabbour Instagram Facebook.
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
Designers and florists if you are looking for a good "business" reason to take your staff on a field trip that will inspire their design work and creativity (not to mention yours) plus boost morale: flower farm tours are the ticket.
In this episode, Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers shares why she closed her shop for a day and took her team on an ASCFG member tour. A great idea to kick off this time of high demand, low import supply that is going to continue for sure into 2022. This is good team builder stuff!
Connect with Ellen: Local Color Flowers Instagram
Florist-Farmer Connection private Facebook Group
Florist Buying Local: Instagram Facebook
Ellen’s course: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business With Local Flower Sourcing
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
In this episode, I am sharing the What, When, Why, and How I use lightweight floating row covers. I know that I totally underestimated the power of lightweight covers and the many uses they lend themselves to including preventing wind and pest damage.
Floating row covers
Hoops
Weight bags
Kit with all above
My favorite gloves that help push hoops into the ground
Facebook Live video demonstrating installing the cover. The demo starts at minute 27:00.
My book: Vegetables Love Flowers
– Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
I think that the quiet days of winter make some of the best times to do a few of the steps we can take to learn and grow a great garden. In this episode, I am giving 5 tips that can lead to a great gardening experience come spring. -Start small. -Determine your sun conditions. -Prepare the area and prevent winter weeds. -Map seed starting dates and when your should plant warm and cool-season plants. -Be patient and strong.
To learn more about succession planting and growing a cutting garden, check out my book Vegetables Love Flowers. Visit our Learning Center. – Lisa Ziegler The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
Learn from Megan and Jonathan Leiss what is included in their on-demand course, The No-Till Micro-Scale Flower Farm. This course is not just about farming on a small space and doing it no-till, it's about goals, business models and so much more that plays a key role in business success. Connect: Spring Forth Farm Instagram Facebook The No-Till Micro-Sacel Flower Farm
In this episode, I'm sharing a chat about how I use leaves, other mulches, and compost in my garden. I believe the use of mulches and the benefits of leaf litter are grossly overlooked in the gardening and farming worlds.
Join me on Wednesdays at 1 pm on Clubhouse to join the live conversation. Download the phone app, join Clubhouse and join my Flower Farming Club.
– Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
I am often asked: why do I grow so many annuals in place of growing more perennials? This episode explains.
The bottom line for me is I get more bloom bang for my square footage, I never run out of space, I am able to always try new finds, and I get to feed my love of tending a garden.
It seems to me that I was missing out on the "gardening" part of gardening when I first started decades ago. I was busy filling up all available space with perennials and other permanent plantings to soon be dismayed that I had run out of space. There was nowhere left to plant the seeds I wanted to start, plant, and tend.
I hope this gives you a new understanding of the world of annuals and how embracing the succession planting's of both families: cool-season hardy annuals and warm-season tender annuals can change your gardening life.
My book Vegetables Love Flowers is about a 3-season cutting garden and how flowers benefit the vegetable patch. It offers my method of succession planting, my go-to annuals, setting up and maintaining a cutting garden all-naturally, and even harvesting tips. It includes diagrams in the back of the book of how succession plantings in a garden can happen.
To learn more about cool-season hardy annual flowers, my book Cool Flowers shares the rekindled concept of days gone by with this amazing family of flowers like Bells of Ireland, Sweet Peas, Snapdragons, and many others.
My on-demand online course Seed Starting Made Easy can help you master starting seeds indoors with soil blocking and how to start seeds out in the garden--- PLUS how to know which way you should start them!
Fondly,
Lisa
Lisa Mason Ziegler
Founder of The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers shares when it may be a good idea to say no to a client. How to do it and to even get comfortable doing it. A great topic in this year of high demand that is going to continue for sure into 2022-- great lessons.
Connect with Ellen: Local Color Flowers Instagram
Ellen’s course: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business With Local Flower Sourcing
Florist Buying Local: Instagram Facebook
Hosted by Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
Loved catching up with Megan and Jonathan Leiss of Spring Forth Farm in Hurdle Mills, NC. I know you are going to find their business model inspiring and perhaps even a goal!
As I have come to know these two better, I found that it wasn't just their farming systems and model that were so extraordinary, it was the farmers behind this farm that set this place apart and how it works.
Enjoy!
Mentions:
Spring Forth Farm Instagram Facebook
The No-Till Micro-Sacel Flower Farm
– Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
It all started for me soon after I married this biker dude that came with a heart of gold and a big vegetable garden. Adding a row of zinnias to the veggie patch to cut a few to take to my grandma in the nursing home literally opened the door to my love of a cutting garden. Whether you are a home gardener, budding or seasoned flower farmer, make some sweet stories to share and inspire you and others.
In this episode, we have combined two interviews of some pretty fabulous flower entrepreneurs: Amy Cordy of Drive By Flowers and Sue Dykstra of Creekside Growers. I came to meet these ladies by way of that they are students of our online courses. I loved learning more about their businesses and how they shared the benefits of Ellen Frost's course Florist School Online: Growing Your Business With Local Flower Sourcing. Be sure to visit both of their websites. Amy's sells her flowers online for delivery and Sue's includes workshops and more. Connect: Amy Cordy of Drive By Flowers Instagram Facebook Website Sue Dykstra of Creekside Growers Instagram Facebook Website Learn more about Ellen's course Florist School Online: Growing Your Business With Local Flower Sourcing
In this episode, we are chatting about ideas for value-added items to sell at holiday markets. From gatherings from the farm to items to crafts, and plants to grow.
Join me on Wednesdays at 1 pm on Clubhouse to join the conversation. Download the app, join Clubhouse and join my Flower Farming Club. –
– Lisa Ziegler
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
I loved catching up with Wanda of Fox Hollow Peonies and Jonalyn of Blossom Lane Farm. I came to know both of these ladies because they are students of our courses. They became standouts and kept showing up on my radar because of how they were pursuing their businesses. Learn more about our courses mentioned: The Gardener's Workshop Connect with these two gals: Fox Hollow Peonies Instagram Facebook Blossom Lane Farm Instagram Facebook I hope you are inspired by their stories! – Lisa Ziegler The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
I love stories of people returning home to the family business. Even though, in this case, it may be a new twist on the business. Doing it with family is just the best. I enjoyed chatting with Dani WInters of Winters Farm Florals to learn about her family's farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and how she has taken a little piece of it to start her cut-flower growing business. Dani grows on 1 acre and sells to florists and designers. She shares how the course Growing Cut Flower Crops in Hoop and Greenhouses is helping her to grow. Connect with Dani: Instagram Website Learn more about Steve and Gretel Adams course: Growing Cut-Flower Crops in Hoop and Greenhouses – Lisa Ziegler The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
In this episode, we go inside the syllabus/outline of Gretel & Steve Adams course: Growing Cut Flowers in Hoop and Greenhouses. If you have questions on what is included in this course, this deep dive with Gretel and Steve should answer them. The once-a-year enrollment opens in mid-November and school starts in January and runs for 6 weeks. Learn more about the course and get on their waitlist: Growing Cut Flowers in Hoop and Greenhouses Connect with Steve and Gretel: Sunny Meadows Flower Farm website Instagram Facebook – Lisa Ziegler The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
This episode is about the struggle I was up against while I was writing Cool Flowers. When I first saw the surveyors next door it paralyzed me. I wasn't sure how I would focus to write a book, but I did it and came through with a fresh perspective. I hope that sharing this may help others that are facing this type of loss. Read the blog This Side of the Fence. Doug Tallemy's book Bringing Nature Home – Lisa Ziegler Founder of The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
I loved talking to Steve and Gretel about all that's happening on their farm. Boy, they just keep moving forward in the flower farming industry! I highly recommend following them on social media because the posts and videos are inspiring. Sunny Meadows Flower Farm Website Instagram Facebook Learn more about Steve & Gretel's course plus get on their waitlist: Growing Cut-Flowers in Hoop and Greenhouse
In this episode, Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers, a design studio in Baltimore, Maryland, explains how flower subscriptions were one of the first pieces of starting her business over a decade ago. She shares the styles of flowers she offers using locally sourced flowers. She shares marketing tips and how subscriptions evolved to a new model during the pandemic. Ellen answers lots of great questions from farmers and others. Good info!
Connect with Ellen: Local Color Flowers Instagram
Ellen’s course: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business With Local Flower Sourcing
Florist Buying Local: Instagram Facebook
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
In this episode, Ellen (the florist) is chatting with Laura Beth Resnick (the farmer) of Butterbee Farm. Laura Beth is one of Elen's main suppliers for her Baltimore Maryland design studio. Laura Beth is answering questions along with Ellen and Laura Beth shares her journey of building her customer base. Connect with: Florist Buying Local on Instagram, Clubhouse, Facebook Laura Beth Resnick on Instagram, Facebook Ellen Frost on Instagram, Facebook Learn more about Ellen's course: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business With Local Flower Sourcing
What an inspiring conversation! I loved learning about Becca Muller and her flower shop LocaFlora. Her shop is located in Gettysburg, PA, and sources all of the flowers, plants, and gifts locally year-round. Such an inspiring business model and journey. Becca shares her experience as a student of Ellen Frost and her course Growing Your Business With Local Flower Sourcing. Be sure to check out this VIDEO and ARTICLE about LocaFlora. Connect with Becca: www.locafloradesigh.com Instagram Facebook Get on Ellen's course WAITLIST
I was so pleased when Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers agreed to create an online course with us. Her design studio business model was exactly what I saw as a perfect match for my cut-flower growing business. I literally thought, if only my commercial customers could learn from her how local is really a benefit for designers, florist shops, and really anyone in the cut-flower chain. Join me as Ellen and I walk through all the sessions in her course and hear from her what they are all about. I can say wholeheartedly that this course will benefit anyone in the cut-flower industry. It is targeted at florists, farmer-florist, and event designers, but if these people are your customers, it can help your business too. Mentions: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing with Ellen Frost. Syllabus from Ellen's Course Book: Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart Connect with Ellen: Florist Buying Local Instagram Local Color Flowers Instagram
I loved this conversation with Ellen of Local Color Flowers. I feel like I am even more equipped to talk about why local flowers are better all the way around. It's another important piece of the pie of building our respective businesses. Enjoy! Mentions: Request Ellen's replay webinar: Dried Wreath Making Tips Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing with Ellen Frost. Syllabus from Ellen's Course Connect with Ellen: Florist Buying Local Instagram Local Color Flowers Instagram
I met Steve and Gretel Adams years ago at an Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers conference where we were both speakers. Before I really got a taste of their teaching style, I was struck by how connected they are to each other. I recognized immediately that this type of relationship can lead to great things in a business and that is exactly what these two have created with Sunny Meadows Flower Farm located in Columbus, Ohio.
This episode is a replay of a Facebook Live we did with Steve and Gretel in 2020. It will introduce you to them and what they are doing plus they answer questions submitted during the live event.
Steve and Gretel are innovative, smart, and hardworking--- the recipe for amazing success.
I am so pleased to be able to bring you their teachings and vast experience and knowledge in a course. Links below to connect with them and to learn more about their course in the Flower Farming School Series.
Flower Farming School Online: Growing Cut-Flowers in Hoop and Greenhouses with Steve and Gretel Adams
Get instantly Steve & Gretel's PDF: Favorite Ranunculus & Sources.
Learn more about Sunny Meadows Flower Farm
Ellen Frost, a designer in Baltimore, MD, continues sharing her strategies of sourcing from local cut-flower growers. In this episode with Ellen Frost, she is sharing how to educate customers about seasonality and locally grown flowers. Ellen discusses this and so much more plus answering your questions. Follow and share with florists and designers: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing with Ellen Frost Instagram: Florists Buying Local Flowers Facebook: Florists Buying Local Live Show on Clubhouse Tuesday 8 am ET: Join the Club: Download the phone app and join. No invitation is needed. Ellen's Studio: Local Color Flowers
My chat with Heather of Heather's Flower Farm about her business and the nuggets she took away from the Farmer-Florist School Online brought several great points to light. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Connect with Heather's Flower Farm on Instagram. Learn more about the course Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process. Visit TheGardenersWorkshop.com for more farming and business online courses.
This episode is a replay of a live Clubhouse chat with Jessi Graven of Blue River Blooms and Anne Phythyon of Franklin Farm. They are sharing their takeaways from Jennie Love's course Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process. Interestingly enough, neither of these flower farmers do weddings- yet...feel like anyone selling flowers will benefit from this business packed course. Learn more about Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process with Jennie Love. Join us on the Clubhouse every Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET for a live chat and ask your questions. Download the phone app, join Clubhouse and then join our club: Flower Farming. Learn more about our farming and business schools: TheGardenersWorkshop.com
Just as promised, we are going through another of our School course lessons with the instructor! Jennie Love's course: Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process is all about the business side of doing weddings--BUT here's the thing the lessons in this course can be applied to any flower-related business. From finding clients, marketing, managing bride customers, crop planning, top crops to grow, contracts, pricing and so much more! Join Jennie and me as we walk through the syllabus. Learn more about Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process Jennie also has an on-demand course Making Workshops Work for You that includes all the steps to offer, host, sell, and manage workshops.
This episode is packed with information from cut-flower industry leaders that have firsthand experience of where we are and what the future holds for flower-based businesses. Join me along with Dave Dowling, Jennie Love, Ellen Frost, and Steve & Gretel Adams for an inspiring and informative talk. Guests online course pages for more information on each: Farmer-Florist School: The Wedding Process, 2021 Enrollment October 15-19, School starts November 3 Florist School School: Growing Your Business With Local Flower Sourcing, 2021 Enrollment November 5-9, School Starts January 3 Flower Farming School: Growing Cut-Flowers in Hoop & Greenhouses, 2021 Enrollment November 19-23, School Starts January 5 Flower Farming School: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, & More! 2022 Enrollment June 14-18 2022, School Starts July 8 Flower Farming School: The Basics, Annual Crops. Marketing, & More! 2022 Enrollment October 1-5, School Starts November 1, 2022
Ellen Frost, a designer in Baltimore, MD, continues sharing her strategies of sourcing from local cut-flower growers. In this episode with Ellen Frost she is sharing what we can expect from the 2022 wedding market. Plus, how florist sourcing local flowers and growers can best prepare for the coming season. Ellen discusses this and so much more plus answering your questions and we even hear from one of the Growers that Ellen buys from each week and actually multiple times a week enjoy. Follow and share with florists and designers: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing with Ellen Frost Instagram: Florists Buying Local Flowers Facebook: Florists Buying Local Live Show on Clubhouse Tuesday 8 am ET: Join the Club: Download the phone app and join. No invitation is needed. Ellen's Studio: Local Color Flowers
The Flower Farmer Show is a recording of my casual live discussion that is about all things flower farming that airs LIVE each Wednesday at 1 pm ET on Clubhouse. In this episode, I am answering some questions submitted on The Flower Farmer Show Facebook Group, join us there! Clubhouse: Join my Flower Farming Club. Download the Clubhouse phone app to join. Visit our virtually Learning Center and Shop our garden store at TheGardenersWorkshop.com
Ellen Frost, a designer in Baltimore, MD, continues sharing some of her strategies of how she continues to source from local cut-flower growers during winter: altering her designs. Follow and share with florists and designers: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing with Ellen Frost Instagram: Florists Buying Local Flowers Facebook: Florists Buying Local Live Show on Clubhouse Tuesday 8 am ET: Join the Club: Download the phone app and join. No invitation is needed. Ellen's Studio: Local Color Flowers
Ellen Frost, a designer in Baltimore, MD, shares in this episode how she continues to source from local cut-flower growers during winter. Follow and share with florists and designers: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing with Ellen Frost Instagram: Florists Buying Local Flowers Facebook: Florists Buying Local Live Show on Clubhouse: Join the Club: Download the phone app and join. No invitation is needed. Ellen's Studio: Local Color Flowers
I know from firsthand experience how fear can derail us. I was so afraid of taking my flowers to that first florist I almost didn't do it! I'm sharing my experience of how I overcame that fear. Learn more about me and my course: Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!
What is holding you back from pursuing your flower farming dreams? Is it because you don't think you have enough land, or a tractor, or even a greenhouse? I am living proof that to get in and start a flower farming business you do not have to have this long laundry list of what we think are "must-haves"! Plus, in this episode, I am busting other common myths. Friends, there has never been a better time to become a flower farmer or to hit the reset button on an existing business. I'd love to walk with you! Lisa's Course: Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, And More!
Friends, I am so pleased to introduce two ladies to you that I came to know as students of our courses. Both have gone on to become valuable team members here at TheGardenerWorkshop.com. Please welcome Anne Phythyon of Franklin Flower Farm and Jessi Graven of Blue River Blooms. I asked them to share some insights into our course communities and lessons, and how the courses have affected their businesses. I am so grateful to have them on board! Learn more about Lisa's course and the other TGW flower-based business courses here.
In this replay of The Florist Buying Local Show, Ellen Frost is sharing about some of the flower co-ops she does business with. Follow and share with florists and designers: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing with Ellen Frost Instagram: Florists Buying Local Flowers Facebook: Florists Buying Local Live Show on Clubhouse: Join the Club: Download the phone app and join. No invitation is needed. Ellen's Studio: Local Color Flowers
Revisiting and reconnecting with why we are cut-flower grower business owners or aspiring to be. There is only one person in a business that can change the way business goes -- the person at the top, us. Burnout and overwhelm are most often self-induced problems, and we allow it. It doesn't have to be this way. Hope this gives you ideas and hope. ---Lisa
The Flower Farmer Show is a recording of my casual live discussion that is about all things flower farming that airs LIVE each Wednesday at 1 pm ET on Clubhouse. In this episode, I am talking with Val Schirmer about forcing amaryllis & paperwhite bulbs and her online course. Clubhouse: Join my Flower Farming Club. Download the Clubhouse phone app to join. Visit our virtually Learning Center and Shop our garden store at TheGardenersWorkshop.com Val's course: Forcing Glorious Blooms for the Holidays and Beyond! Connect with Val on Instagram: Three Toads Farm
I believe this topic is the one piece of going with locally grown flowers that holds conventional florists and designers back from taking the local plunge. But as Ellen reveals in this episode, that with a different approach to selling weddings locally grown flowers actually opens the door to new markets and allows the creative juices to really start flowing. Follow and share with florists and designers: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing with Ellen Frost Instagram: Florists Buying Local Flowers Facebook: Florists Buying Local Live Show on Clubhouse: Join the Club: Download the phone app and join. No invitation is needed. Ellen's Studio: Local Color Flowers
I haven't done this before. Running you through our flagship course, class-by-class, session-by-session Flower Farming School Online- The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, & More! I'm sharing the lessons, topics, what I was thinking, and why I felt like it is important. Plus, I'm answering those questions I hear the most and sharing what some of my students are saying about the course. I loved reviewing my course again to record this episode-- it lights me on fire to be reminded of all the pieces and parts that I've gathered to help you find your treasure in the flower farming business. Friends, I hope this helps you to see what could be just around the corner for you. Get on my waitlist! Enrollment for my course only opens once a year for 5 days in October. Once on my waitlist, we will send you reminders when enrollment opens, PLUS I will send you my very best resources! Learn more about Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More!
Folks this is the first time I've offered something like this. In this series of six episodes, I am going to walk with you through our flower-based business courses, course-by-course, session-by-session along with the respective instructors. We will be answering all those questions we hear over and over like: Who is this instructor to teach this course? Who should take these courses? What exactly does this course teach? How long does it take to go through the school course? What kind of results should a student expect after taking this course? Can't wait to share these episodes in the coming weeks! Want to learn more about our courses? Visit TheGardenersWorkshop.com and sign up for the waitlists!
Florist Buying Local is a movement. It is the effort of Ellen Frost, the owner of the Local Color Flowers that is leading the way for florists and designers to learn that it is possible and profitable to source locally grown flowers. In this episode, Ellen shares the process she follows sourcing thousands of stems of locally grown flowers for this 6 wedding weekend that also has other events. Follow and share with florists and designers: Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing with Ellen Frost Instagram: Florists Buying Local Flowers Facebook: Florists Buying Local Live Show on Clubhouse: Join the Club: Download the phone app and join. No invitation is needed. Ellen's Studio: Local Color Flowers
Well, folks after 23 years of intense flower farming (and lots of other stuff) we are transitioning my urban flower farm into a Virtual Learning Center. The only real change is we are no longer selling flowers---we are still growing a huge garden as in the past but with a different purpose: for teaching. This will allow us to focus our efforts on helping others grow! This is an exciting shift and also a bit hard for me--- but I'll push through my fear! Learn more about all that we are doing at TheGardenersWorkshop.com. Fondly, Lisa
Talking about my book Vegetables Loves Flowers and how it is truly a snapshot of how I garden and farm. Kinda the driving forces behind why and how I do what I do. I am a very simple-minded person and tend to do things in a straightforward manner. In fact, so simple most people either miss my point or just don't believe it really works that way. Grab an autographed book here. Request the free companion video book study here---no matter where you purchased it. Enjoy. Lisa
Listen in on a conversation I had with Jennie Love talking flower coolers. We met up on Instagram Live and talked about our coolers and answered many of the questions submitted. Mentions: Storeitcold.com FREE Webinars to request: Growing Dahlias for Weddings Navigating Covid as an Event Florist Jennie's online courses: Making Workshops Work for You (available anytime) Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process (get on her waitlist for her once a year October enrollment )
Are you overwhelmed by social media? If so my friend, you are not alone. I use to be right there with you. We have to face the reality that social media is important for your business when you manage social media, not let social media manage you. Food for thought mentions in the podcast from my online course Flower Farming School Online:
Why social media matters to your business Where to start Building a community Take great photos Organization for easy posting
Connect with me to ask your questions LIVE: Facebook Instagram Clubhouse
What is holding you back? Think it's because you aren't ready or not sure about taxes, pricing, and on and on??? Is this you? Friends I am afraid it isn't this or that that's holding you back, it is fear! Fear of failing, fear of screwing up, fear of looking dumb or bad, and fear of a whole bunch of other stuff... I hope this little chat will let you know that the more fear you face, the more success that will knock on your door. Remember the road to success is paved in failures. I believe there is no other way to get there. Get on the wait and resource list for: Flower Farming Schools Online:
Lisa Mason Ziegler's course: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More! Dave Dowling's course: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More! Steve & Gretal Adams course: Growing Cut-Flowers in Hoop and Greenhouses
Farmer-Florist School:
Jennie Love's course: The Wedding Process
Florist School:
Ellen Frost's course: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing
The Flower Farmer Show is a recording of my casual live discussion that is about all things flower farming that airs LIVE each Wednesday at 1 pm ET on Clubhouse. In this episode, Dave Dowling joins us to help navigate wholesale purchasing as a cut-flower grower. Clubhouse: Join my Flower Farming Club. Download the Clubhouse phone app to join. Visit our virtually Learning Center and Shop our garden store at TheGardenersWorkshop.com
This is a recording of our casual show that airs live each Wednesday at 1 pm ET on Clubhouse. This episode shares some of the tips and tricks of efficiencies we learned on the farm. To join the Clubhouse show LIVE, download the phone app. Search for Lisa Mason Ziegler or click this link and follow me. Join my club Flower Farming to be notified when I go live. Visit TheGardenersWorkshop.com online garden shop and learning center.
This is a recording of our casual show that airs live each Wednesday at 1 pm ET on Clubhouse. This episode shares the additional Cool Flowers we added since the book was published. To join the Clubhouse show LIVE, download the phone app. Search for Lisa Mason Ziegler or click this link and follow me. Join my club Flower Farming to be notified when I go live. Learn more about Cool Flowers HERE. Visit TheGardenersWorkshop.com online garden shop and learning center.
This is a recording of our show that airs live each Wednesday at 1 pm ET on Clubhouse. This episode shares the up and downs of not sticking with your timing to plant cool-season hardy annuals. To join the Clubhouse show LIVE, download the phone app. Search for Lisa Mason Ziegler or click this link and follow me. Join my club Flower Farming to be notified when I go live. Learn more about Cool Flowers HERE. Visit TheGardenersWorkshop.com online garden shop and learning center.
This week learn how cold-season hardy annuals don’t just survive cool-to-cold weather, but thrive in those conditions. Overcome the fear and frustration of planting this group of spring-blooming flowers. Resist the urge to complicate when to plant this group of flowers. Do Week 1’s homework and bring it to Week 2 to learn what flowers to plant when! Watch the videos and request the resources: The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles series Links mentioned in the video:
Introducing the Dragon Series Snapdragons:TGW Pink Dragons TGW White Dragon TGW Yellow Dragon TGW Sunset Dragon
Remember, it’s not about you when deciding how-to start seeds. Often I hear folks speaking of why they decided on which method of starting their seeds and honesty, their reasons had nothing to do with the best method for a particular seed! Here’s the thing, once you realize that seed starting can be easy once you know what it needs and give it to them— success is eminent. It is really that simple. The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles Week 4 is all about making the choice, do you plant the seeds in the garden or do you start indoors. I hope it sheds some light for you! Next week is the final night in the series. I hope you’ll join me for the grand finale! Watch the videos and request the resources: The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles series Links mentioned in the video: Biodegradable mulch film Bio360 Garden Hoe Row Cover Kit Link to cool-season seeds by category: Category–Plant seeds directly in the garden Category–Start seeds indoors All cool season flower seeds The Umbel family: Dill Ammi Majus False Queen Anne’s Lace
This week learn how to provide the growing conditions that help Cool Flowers thrive in cold weather. Watch the videos and request the resources: The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles series Links mentioned:
Biodegradable mulch film Bio360 Silage Tarp Garden Hoe Row Cover Kit Link to cool-season seeds by category:Category – Plant seeds directly in the garden Category – Start seeds indoors Category – All cool season flower seeds
Get the online course Cool Flowers, Beyond the Book for Flower Farming Why I love Poppies:Iceland Poppies Giant Poppy Pods
This week learn when and what to plant based on your winter hardiness zone and first and last frost dates. KUDOS to all that did their homework!!! Remember: The greatest Cool Flowers fail is to not plant them at ALL!!!!! Watch the videos and request the resources: The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles series The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles videos and resources HERE.
Blog: Store Seeds Longer Why I love Rudbeckia— so many, long cut, pollinators, bright, easyPrairie Sun Indian Summer Goldilocks Triloba Double Daisy
This week talking about the life of the cool-season hardy annual and so much more. Everyone can plant this group---it's just that we may all plant at different times depending on where we are gardening.
Watch the videos and request the resources: The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles series
Find me over on TheGardenersWorkshop.com!
Such a frustrating subject, how to price your flowers? Warning this episode is not going to tell you how much to sell a flower for. My suggestion is to stop asking how much? but to ask how do I figure out how much I need to sell my flowers for? Professional education is the ticket. If this question had a simple answer, it won't be in the top 5 questions I get weekly. Here is the thing-- pricing is unique to your business. You need to compare the fair market price (learn where to find reliable information), you have to know what you need to charge to make a profit. This process is very personal and unique to each business. There are no correct blanket pricing answers. The answer is found as a conclusion based on researching your region, the types of markets selling in, the market, and other variables. Pricing structure should be one of the early steps in starting your business. Having the flowers in a bucket harvested and not knowing is stressful and avoidable. Being a member of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers is the beginning of that journey.
My struggle since day one as a flower farmer? Thinking I needed more and more growing space. I expanded and expanded as I could being a city dweller and it worked. I successfully commercially farmed, made money, provided employment to my family and friends, and flowered southeastern Virginia for over 2 decades. Now, I’m in a full-circle moment. I am excited to take all my experiences and to focus my intentions on “growing intensively” on a smaller space as never before. Mentions:
The Flower Farmer Show on Clubhouse (Audio Social App) Wednesdays at 1pm ET The Flower Farmer Show Facebook Group Connect with Lisa Live page Lisa's Blog: Hertzler Farm Going Down
Oh boy, are you as exhausted, hot, overwhelmed, and as behind as I am? Sometimes just hearing others are suffering too helps—I know just recording this helped me! I hope one of my fixes will help you. Here are the two links I mentioned: Webinar request: Sunflowers for the WIn! Connect with me!
Friends, are you considering doing events? Wondering how to make more from the flowers you grow? This episode can answer some of your questions and plant the seeds of opportunity. Jennie shares from her experiences that it is a reality to generate a 6-figure net income as a professional farmer-florist. I hope this episode gets you thinking outside of your current business box. Jennie's Online Courses:
Making Workshops Work for You, on-demand and available year-round. Farmer-Florist School: The Wedding Process, enrolls October 15-19, 2021, and school stats November 3.
Enjoy! Lisa
Well, friends more on growing Lisianthus. When I posted on social media about the way I handle growing them in the field of my little urban farm--it really sparked questions and conversation. So this episode touches on more and recaps some of those posts and the video I previously shared on social media. You will find links to all here on my post: Answering Lisianthus Questions. I hope this is helpful and encourages you to grow these beauties. Lisa www.TheGardenersWorkshop.com
I am so pleased to share our latest project: The Flower Farmer Show. Currently, it is a talk show that I host over on the Clubhouse social media app on Wednesdays at 1pm ET. But expect more coming down the pike friends! The Clubhouse app is available to iPhone and Android users. It is a social media platform that works through your cell phone number. You can't just join, but have to have an invite. So, if you want to listen in, download the app and ask around on other social media platforms if anyone has invites to share-- you'll get one :). At this time Clubhouse does not offer recordings for replays, listen live. Request to join the closed Facebook Group: The Flower Farmer Show Clubhouse
Friends I want to encourage you to keep after your dream! Even if you are a new gardener, live in the middle of the city, don't have much land, and/or can't have a greenhouse---you can become a flower farmer, I did! Focus on what you can do, not on what you can't do with what you have. Mentions: The Flower Farmer book By Lynn Byczynski Our flower-based business online courses.
This simple step is so easily forgotten or brushed aside. It is so great to baste in the wins but also to talk about and note the fails. Debriefing at key times can help so much! While I think journaling is great for a release, I find that noting on the BIG CALENDAR is an easy to read method that is the most helpful to your flower farming business. I am all about my people (crew), our processes, and the product (the flowers, or whatever you sell). The Big Calendar Let off some steam and ride the high of success! Lisa TheGardenersWorkshop.com
Are you a dabbler? Want to become a professional cut-flower grower? Dave Dowling and I are offering up what you need to take the plunge with Flower Farming School Online. Links: Lisa's course page: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, & More! Dave's course page: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, & More! Hope to see you in school someday! Lisa
Again folks Dave is offering up his practical approach and sharing tips. In addition to those shared in this episode, Dave made a PDF with additional farm hacks. Dave's generous sharing from his years of farming can change the way you farm and do business. I know he has had a profound effect on me and my business. Did you know that Dave has created an online course that is packed with his style of information? Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More! has growing and harvesting information for over 70 crops plus Dave will answer all your questions! Request the PDF: Flower Farming Hacks
As I sift through the mountains of resources we have created over the years, I am finding some real gems. I had to share a portion of my conversation with Dave Dowling that took place on Facebook last season. As usual, he is providing those priceless firsthand experience tips that he has become so well known for in the cut-flower industry. Resources mentioned: Request the PDF: Dave's Favorite Bulbs Dave's online course: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, & More Enjoy!
I think when we hear the term "mulch" many of us automatically think of the wood chips that are so commonly used in landscapes, but there are many other choices and different ways to use them. The definition of mulch is simply a protective layer of material that we lay on the soil surface to protect the soil. It can be organic like leaves, bark, straw, etc. or inorganic like landscape fabric, plastic, and biodegradable film. All have a use in different applications. In this episode I share how my practice of mulching has evolved as the size of my gardens increased over the years. I use a mix of of methods depending on the season and what is available to me to use. Please consider subscribing and reviewing my podcast if you are enjoying what I share. It will help me so much! Mentions: Bio360 biodegradable film Visit my website to learn about our online courses and shop our online garden store.
Have you learned from Dave Dowling? Saying that Dave is a veteran flower farmer is a bit understating it. He is known in flower farming circles as the walking encyclopedia, I call him our flower genius. And he has such a heart for teaching. Dave's depth of knowledge from what to grow, where to get it, which way to grow it, and how to harvest and sell it is a business changing experience. I am sharing a portion of a conversation I had with Dave about the many choices we face when diving into growing more crops and his take on some of these. Sign up for Dave's Course News and waitlist and instantly get his webinar "Success with Succession Planting" Learn more about his online course: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More! Registration is only open once a year for 5 days: June 14-18, 2021. Expand what you grow and sell more to your existing customers!!
Flower support netting, love it or hate it? That's the question! I love it and consider it an important part of my farm. Just the mention of it and I see peoples lips start to twitch. It doesn't have to go that way friend! Sharing what it is, what it does, what you should net, when you should remove it, and my tips to make using it easier. Flower support netting product page that includes videos. Happy supporting! Lisa
I am coming to you the week before Mother's Day and thought now is a great time to talk about helping fresh cut flowers last longer. Lots of mentions in this episode and below are the links: Request my article with all the steps to follow: Making the Most of Your Cut Flowers Flower conditioning products: CVBN Tabs, Quick Dip, Flower Food Flower Caddy Dave Dowling's online course: Bulbs, Perennials, Shrubs, and More! Cool Flowers, find most of my resources for cool-season flower growing: The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles Sunflower Seeds Cool season seeds including the Dragon Snapdragons Our flower sales program details, they are sold out but you can see the details. I hope you enjoy! Lisa
Many years ago when I became heavily involved with the sport and hobby of dogs, I also went to work at a very busy veterinary hospital. This opportunity gave me a unique point of view. I learned about the good of a owning and loving a dog and also just how bad it can go for a dog and how often that happens. With a little bit of deliberate thought and process you can select a family dog that will fit in and become a part of your family with as little struggle and issues as possible for you and the dog.
I hope that taking a walk through a year on my farm, month-by-month will help you see the big picture of gardening and flower farm. What is the big picture? Creating a garden that you you love and enjoy. Not a place that you always feel behind and all you see is work. Embrace succession at it's best and create a garden you can love. My book: Vegetables Love Flowers
Folks, I am so pleased to share part of a conversation I had with Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers on the florist and the farmer coming together to network, learn from each other, and to do business together. I hope you get some good take away tips! Learn more from Ellen: Ellen's online course Growing Your Business With Local Flower Sourcing enrollment is open April 19-23, 2021. This is a special accelerated presentation in our efforts to help florist that are facing global supply disruption to connect with local sourcing. This course is also an excellent doorway for farmers to begin or ramp up selling to florists and designers. Hope to see you in school! Lisa
As I thought about the subject of this podcast, I began to realize that this topic maybe what truly led me to become a successful business owner. I either set myself up to always have options or I actually have just gotten good at seeing them. Not sure which, but I guess it really doesn't matter. Not backing myself into a corner in business, in farming, and in life has served me well. I hope this inspires you to consider options. Lisa Z
Friend are you feeling like you are behind in planting your cutting garden? Please don't! After you listen to this podcast you will understand that embracing the 3-season cutting garden means you are never behind. Learn my approach to flower farming 100% outdoors in a garden and how it leads to garden you love and want to live with. Not the dreaded garden that you feel like you are always behind on doing things for. Mentions: The Gardener's Workshop website My book: Vegetables Love Flowers Already have the book? Request the companion video book study HERE. Get Vegetables Love Flowers and The Cutting Garden Seed Collection My book: Cool Flowers Already have the book? Request the companion video book study HERE. Watch The Cool-Season Flower Chronicles
This is a special edition podcast. It includes the audio from the great conversation I had with Ellen Frost and Dave Dowling on the developing issues with the shortages of imported flowers and the problems that are developing as a result. Mentions in the Podcast: Request the replay of Ellen and Dave's webinar: 10 Reasons that Florists Don't Buy Local Join the Closed Facebook Group: Florists Buying Local Ellen's Online Course the enrolls April 19-23, 2021: Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing Get on Ellen's waitlist, signup on her course page! Ellen Frost, Local Color Flowers: Instagram Facebook Dave Dowling, Ball Horticulture, DDowling@ballhort.com
Living with dogs and a garden can be harmonious, but it takes some work, it doesn't just happen. Because my goldens have always been a big part of my public life, I get lots of questions about how I managed to get them to be so well trained in the garden. I am sharing my dog stories and the wisdoms that have been shared with me. I was so fortunate to have connected with such gifted dog people through the years. Steve and I, with our dogs live a great life together because of these women. Enjoy. Lisa Book: Farm Dog Babs, The Sweet Brown-Eyed Girl
We are heading into the time of the year that folks start thinking it's to late to start seed, when in fact there is almost always seeds to be started. When we embrace annual seed starting fully--- both cool and warm season, the possibilities are endless. Part of the secret sauce to a longer and easier season is to learn when to plant each group in your garden and to run with it! Checkout: Warm-season flower seeds. Cool-season flower seeds. Seed-starting equipment.
Where does your mind go when you close your eyes? What do you see? I see where flower farming has led me and I'm so happy to be here. Steve and I are both owners of small businesses. Like all business owners we have worked so hard, made sacrifices, and kept our heads down and continued doing it even when we didn't want too. Now, as we are entering the time of life that we can stop peddling quite so hard, we are reaping the benefits of all of those years of hard work. Part of that is our forethought of building our farm assets for our golden years beyond the bank account. We are working towards creating that place we see when we close our eyes.
Starting and being in business is overwhelming. Yep, it's true, the overwhelm doesn't just stop one day. You have to decide to stop it and take control and make it happen. You are the only one that has that choice. Add on top of starting and being in business, a flower farming business--- and it comes clear how so many new growers never make it out of the gate. I tend to categorize folks pursuing or already in the cut-flower growing business in one of two groups:
Those that indulge in endless dreaming, planning, and learning. Those that pursue learning and then do the work.
In this episode I'm sharing one of the keys to getting started and staying in business as a flower farmer. Consider it. Allow yourself the fair opportunity to learn how and join the ranks of a cut-flower grower. I highly recommend it!
I was right there with you and the other 98% of the world trying to start seeds, failing and feeling defeated. I gave up and moved on to buying plants---but then I stumbled onto the a few simple steps to follow on seed starting and I literally became an overnight success. Well, maybe not a "success" out of the gate, but I began starting from seed and growing plants. I can't even tell you how rewarding, satisfying, and happy this made me. Success came when I:
Selected seeds to start that were easier to succeed with while learning. Learned what each seed needed to start and then provided it. Provided the basic care to grow healthy transplants.
Resources Mentioned: Seed Starting Made Easy, my 90-minute online course teaching starting seeds indoors using the soil blocking method and how to plant and start seeds outdoors in the garden. Easy flower seeds to start that I also grow in my garden. I have learned through the years that there are tons of easy seeds to start and grow. They are the foundation of my flower farming business. Seed Starting Equipment. Having the tools you need to provide what the seeds need to sprout and then to grow indoors until they can be planted outdoors is essential to success. Have questions? Join me on my weekly LIVE events and I do my best to answer your questions. If you are enjoying my podcast please share it with your friends! It helps me so much. Fondly, Lisa
Did you know that very early spring is your 2nd opportunity to plant Cool Flowers? Wait, what are Cool Flowers?? I’m talking about those cool-season hardy annuals that don’t just tolerate cold, but thrive in these conditions. I’m sharing my tips on how to make it possible to get these spring blooming beauties in your garden and farm.
I am so proud of the online course that I have created and published. As more and more styles of learning are becoming available I thought I’d share from the heart why I’ve developed our platform into what has become a medley of flower-industry leaders offering what is needed to start and expand a flower-based business in unlimited ways. I hope it shares a snapshot of what we offer and how it can grow into a lifelong relationship.
Have you ever considered how much being afraid is costing your business? Little did I understand that being afraid led me to chase shiny objects and it held me back from finding the meat and potatoes of my business for years. All because of my fear of being that “simple” field growing flower farmer on that little urban farm. Join me as I share how I believe each one of us brings our unique way to set us apart in staple cash crops and being a flower farmer. I also share from the heart on how my dyslexia is affecting my podcast.
We are all in the same boat. Whether starting a flower farm, a podcast, or any other unfamiliar tasks—-it’s the fear that holds us back. I know because I’ve been afraid to start this podcast! I’m sharing my experience and the encouragement to push past the fear.
My first episode y’all!!! As I am aligning my thoughts to share with you, I thought I would take you along as my season is already unfolding here.
Visit my online garden shop to watch videos and learn more! The Gardener’s Workshop
The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers. Watch Lisa’s Story and view her blog Field & Garden. Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Instagram!
Hey friend I can’t wait to connect with you here! I’m talking all things cut flowers, the urban farming life, business, and even having a large garden with a giant golden retriever roaming around!