Flower Farming 101, March 15, 2-5 p.m.

What better way to learn the nuts and bolts of flower farming than to visit a farm early in the season when things are just cranking up. This is our 6th year to offer this workshop and we have so enjoyed sharing our experience with new growers and are excited to offer it again. This is a hands-on workshop where we’ll share what we’ve learned in 21 years of growing including thorough handouts.  Our unheated hoop house is full of snaps, campanula, ranunculus, anemone, foxglove, ammi, and sweet peas that were all fall planted and will be blooming beginning in April with just a few blooming now. We’ll also head over to the dahlia beds/field and see what’s happening there. Topics we will cover include:

• seed starting – soil blocks vs trays vs transplants vs direct seeding
• bed preparation – soil prep and no till practices
• composting and fertilizing – compost tea
• Advantages of different plug tray sizes
• crop planning
• planting efficiencies – laying landscape fabric, popping holes, drip tape, labeling, planting
• support netting – when to use and how to attach
• books and tools – we’ll share some we find helpful
• Social media groups that help flower farmers
• resources – we’ll have lists of where we buy what
• dahlias – overview of growing from tubers and a look at overwintered beds
• warm season crops – brief discussion of when to start seeds
• regenerative agriculture
• Q&A

We will move from the hoop to the field beds and finally to our house where we will watch a bit of video, share books and other resources and see where discussions take us.

Please note that registration is NOT refundable. See below for more details.