1 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:07,680 Hello again, and welcome back to the Slow Flowers Podcast with Deborah Printing. 2 00:00:07,710 --> 00:00:10,600 This is episode 577. 3 00:00:10,910 --> 00:00:15,840 This is the weekly podcast about slow flowers and the people who grow and 4 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:19,320 design with them. It's all about making a conscious choice, 5 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:24,280 and I invite you to join the conversation and the creative community as 6 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:29,240 we discuss the vital topics of saving our domestic flower farms and supporting a 7 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:31,400 floral industry that relies on a safe, 8 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:34,880 seasonal and local supply of flowers and foliage. 9 00:00:35,310 --> 00:00:38,280 This show is brought to you by Slow flowers.com, 10 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:42,640 the free online directory to more than 850 floors, 11 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:47,160 shops and studios who design with local, seasonal, and sustainable flowers. 12 00:00:47,620 --> 00:00:49,840 And to the farms that grow those blooms. 13 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,640 It's the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers. 14 00:00:53,100 --> 00:00:56,240 And thank you to our lead sponsor, Farm Grow Flowers. 15 00:00:56,670 --> 00:01:01,440 Farm Grow Flowers delivers iconic burla wrap bouquets and lush abundant 16 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:06,360 arrangements to customers across the US supporting US Flower Farms 17 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:11,080 by purchasing more than $10 million of us grown fresh and seasonal 18 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:16,080 flowers and foliage annually. Discover more@farmrowflowers.com. 19 00:01:17,020 --> 00:01:18,440 Our first sponsor, Thanks, 20 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:22,560 goes to store at Cold creators of the Revolutionary Cool bot, 21 00:01:22,950 --> 00:01:27,440 a popular solution for Flower Farmers Studio Flos and Farmer 22 00:01:27,590 --> 00:01:28,423 Flos. 23 00:01:28,460 --> 00:01:32,600 You can save thousands when you build your own walking cooler with the cool bot 24 00:01:32,660 --> 00:01:35,800 and an air conditioner. Don't have time to build your own. 25 00:01:35,830 --> 00:01:37,920 They also have turnkey units available. 26 00:01:37,940 --> 00:01:41,600 You can learn more@storeitcold.com. 27 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:43,960 While you're in for a real treat, 28 00:01:43,960 --> 00:01:48,360 today with my conversation featuring Janet Kraka of Backyard 29 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:52,120 Blooms based in Trumbull, Connecticut. In August, 30 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:57,080 Janet and I participated in a webinar hosted by New York's Madison Square 31 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:00,160 Park conservancies horticultural lecture series. 32 00:02:00,570 --> 00:02:02,720 It was all about the Soul Flowers movement, 33 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:06,840 and it was really fun to share the screen with the Soul Flowers member who is 34 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:11,160 walking the talk in her practices as a small scale farmer florist. 35 00:02:11,410 --> 00:02:12,640 Through that experience, 36 00:02:12,710 --> 00:02:17,000 I became fascinated with Janet's personal story of pivoting to a second career. 37 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,320 After working in the graphic design field, 38 00:02:19,820 --> 00:02:24,360 she recorded a special video tour of Backyard Blooms backyard in 39 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:28,760 Connecticut, where she mostly grows annuals and dahlias in raised beds. 40 00:02:29,060 --> 00:02:33,520 You can watch that video by logging onto today's show notes for episode 41 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:34,840 577, 42 00:02:35,420 --> 00:02:40,240 and you'll see the video tour and more photos of Janice Flowers and 43 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:45,000 farm@slowflowerspodcast.com. For episode 577, 44 00:02:45,510 --> 00:02:49,640 it's really impressive to see the scale of what she has built with the land 45 00:02:49,640 --> 00:02:54,560 available to her backyard Blooms grows and sells custom bouquets, 46 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:58,840 flower subscriptions, and DIY buckets direct to consumers, 47 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:03,440 as well as maintaining a presence at the popular Trumbull Farmer's Market. 48 00:03:03,830 --> 00:03:07,480 They offer wholesale flowers to Floris through the Connecticut Flower 49 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,920 Collective. Today's conversation focuses on backyard bloom services, 50 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,800 customer base, and regional market. As Janet writes on her website, 51 00:03:16,030 --> 00:03:20,880 what started as a love of nature and gardening has blossomed into our small but 52 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:22,000 mighty family farm, 53 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:26,320 where we are committed to growing flowers sustainably and organically. 54 00:03:26,540 --> 00:03:27,680 Our blooms are local, 55 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:32,600 unique and grown with great care for Floris designers and anyone who delights 56 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,560 in the beauty of flowers. I love that sentiment. 57 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,880 Let's jump right in and meet Janet Kraka of Backyard Blooms. 58 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:42,760 I'll share all her social places in our show notes. 59 00:03:50,570 --> 00:03:53,440 Hi everybody. This is part two of our, uh, 60 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:55,680 feature about Backyard Blooms, 61 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,800 and I'm so excited to welcome Janet Kraka. 62 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:03,000 You just saw her in this wonderful video tour that she created for us. 63 00:04:03,220 --> 00:04:06,400 And now we're gonna talk a little bit about your business. Janet. Hi. 64 00:04:06,490 --> 00:04:10,480 It is great to have you here. And, um, by way of background, 65 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:14,520 I should just mention when you first joined SL Flowers, I was like, 66 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:16,360 I know where Trum Connecticut is, 67 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:20,720 because I went to kindergarten and troubled Connecticut, which is, uh, 68 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:22,880 so in my mind you're in the house. I grew up in. 69 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,680 . Yeah. At least the town. 70 00:04:25,950 --> 00:04:28,320 Yeah. Yeah. We were only there until, I don't know, 71 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:30,160 a year and a half until we moved to Southern California. 72 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:32,040 So it is a distant memory, but it's, 73 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:36,040 it's really wonderful to kind of know where you are. Um, 74 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,480 you talked about your size of your growing area, 75 00:04:39,660 --> 00:04:43,360 you talked about the zone you're in. Um, but I, 76 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,960 I wanna just ask you about your business and kind of your path. Um, 77 00:04:47,420 --> 00:04:49,760 and I will just say we, uh, 78 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:54,240 both participated in a webinar that took place on 79 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,520 August 18th with the, um, uh, 80 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:02,400 Madison Square Park Gardens in New York and for their 81 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:03,520 online horticulture program. 82 00:05:03,990 --> 00:05:07,440 I think by the time this episode Air Janet will be able to get the replay video 83 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:08,720 and share that with people too. 84 00:05:09,090 --> 00:05:10,600 Oh, good. Okay. Which. 85 00:05:10,660 --> 00:05:12,560 Was really fun. I thought it was. Yeah. 86 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:13,440 It was, it was. 87 00:05:13,770 --> 00:05:16,920 It was a great, I mean, it was virtual, but it was, I think it, 88 00:05:16,930 --> 00:05:18,000 we got our point across. 89 00:05:18,300 --> 00:05:19,280 Yes. Yeah. 90 00:05:19,550 --> 00:05:23,880 Well, I was, So we've seen your fabulous backyard. You know what, 91 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:27,080 you've talked about it being a 2,500 square feet, 92 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,560 and then you mentioned that you think that's like less than a eighth of an acre, 93 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:31,440 but it feels, 94 00:05:31,730 --> 00:05:36,680 it feels large to me when I see you standing next to rows of flowers that are 95 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:38,680 taller than you, it feels very abundant. 96 00:05:39,340 --> 00:05:42,080 Yes, it does. I had the same impression. 97 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:46,600 I went back and looked at some photos from when we first started, and I thought, 98 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:51,520 Oh, look how little we were when we were just four rows . And then, 99 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:54,960 you know, the next year we added another four, and then we added another four, 100 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:59,240 then we added a couple more. And so yeah, when I'm back there, when I, 101 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:03,320 first of all, when I saw that photo, when we were just four rows, 102 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:06,560 I said to my husband, Oh, remember when we had a lawn ? 103 00:06:08,110 --> 00:06:08,960 Completely. 104 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:13,880 Gone now. So it does feel that way to me when I'm out there. I, I'm, 105 00:06:14,180 --> 00:06:16,080 I'm short, I'm only five foot one, 106 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,840 but a lot of the flowers are taller than I am. Right. So that's part of it too. 107 00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:21,680 I feel like I'm in a jungle when I'm there. 108 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:26,640 But I love it. Uh, it's like your secret garden. Yeah. Um, so when you did, 109 00:06:26,650 --> 00:06:31,360 uh, mention that you've got these ra rows and they are kind of like raised beds, 110 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:35,120 I thought maybe you should talk a little bit about how you had to choose to grow 111 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:38,600 in that method because of the type of soil you have. 112 00:06:39,460 --> 00:06:43,160 Yes. So originally we had a little vegetable garden, 113 00:06:43,180 --> 00:06:46,440 and that was even with the, that was ground level, 114 00:06:46,980 --> 00:06:49,120 and that's where we started our farm. 115 00:06:49,750 --> 00:06:54,360 What we didn't realize that the time was that that was really the only spot in 116 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,760 the yard where there wasn't rock ledge, which is very common to Connecticut. 117 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:02,600 Okay. Connecticut is covered with, with rock ledge, and we live on a hill. 118 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,680 We're at the top of the hill, so I think we're even more prone to it there. 119 00:07:06,490 --> 00:07:08,400 So we had that original bed, 120 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,000 and then the next year we wanted to add four more rows, 121 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:15,440 and my husband dug down and about six inches in he hit rock. 122 00:07:15,460 --> 00:07:19,120 And then he tried another spot, you know, all over this area, 123 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:23,480 and he just kept hitting rock. And, and I said, Now what do we do? Right. 124 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:24,240 You know, you can't grow. 125 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:27,240 You were all ready to expand your flower operation. 126 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:31,480 . Yeah, we were. And so he said, Well, we're gonna have to build up. 127 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:34,520 So the raise beds were done out of necessity. 128 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:36,880 I think it makes things a little more complicated. 129 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,880 We've gotta get the drip irrigation up and over the ledge. 130 00:07:39,930 --> 00:07:44,720 It makes the caterpillar tunnels that we use a little more complicated to steak. 131 00:07:45,130 --> 00:07:47,760 So it's definitely fussier, but it's just, you know, 132 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:50,240 you do what you have to do to make something work. Mm-hmm. , 133 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:52,160 and I'm just thankful we could do that. 134 00:07:52,170 --> 00:07:55,800 So he put in four rows via a raised bed. 135 00:07:56,220 --> 00:08:00,640 The expense was, now we had to fill that with dirt, so that was Right. You know, 136 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:04,800 a bit of an expense. And, um, but, but that worked okay. 137 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:08,920 And then when we wanted to add another four, we then it was like, Oh, boy, 138 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,680 are we gonna hit ledge again? And we did. So then the next four that came, 139 00:08:12,730 --> 00:08:15,920 we had to do a raise bed again. So. 140 00:08:16,260 --> 00:08:21,160 Wow. So what's the material? Is it, are they timbers or, uh, brick? What do you, 141 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:24,440 what is the kind of contain the, the, the border of the raised bat? 142 00:08:24,870 --> 00:08:29,280 I believe they're, I wanna say two by eight boards. Mm-hmm. . Okay. 143 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:32,480 I'm not positive on that. Yeah. But that's what I, I think it is. 144 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:35,880 And he did in some of them, because we have a, a slight slope in the yard, 145 00:08:36,050 --> 00:08:40,080 he had to use two stacked on top of each other, knee them together. Yeah. 146 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:42,680 So it's a little deeper than eight inches in some spots. 147 00:08:43,060 --> 00:08:47,640 But in a perfect world, you're trying to get your, your mostly your annuals to, 148 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:52,360 and your obviously dolia tubers to get what, like 12 inches of root space, or. 149 00:08:53,010 --> 00:08:54,080 At least, Yeah. 150 00:08:54,150 --> 00:08:56,760 Yeah, yeah. At least. That's great. Well, 151 00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:59,920 you mentioned that you use organic methods and, um, 152 00:09:00,070 --> 00:09:03,800 I can imagine where you're constantly just trying to add compost every year 153 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:06,920 after maybe after you've removed at the end of the season, 154 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:09,080 removed everything to build that back up, 155 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:11,400 because you can't keep buying top soil. 156 00:09:11,650 --> 00:09:14,800 Exactly. Yeah. Yes. So we have that, 157 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,520 that fill that we purchased as a base, 158 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:22,360 but we do have a very large compost pile. And so we work that over every year, 159 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:26,280 and then we add that to the beds, do the soil tests each year, 160 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:30,640 and then amend accordingly because the soil in those beds is changing a lot from 161 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:31,120 year to year. 162 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:32,080 Yeah. Yeah. Well, 163 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:35,240 I just wanted to mention that because that's a hardship and you found a way 164 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:40,000 around it because you're resilient and you're inventive . Um, 165 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:44,000 but, uh, backyard blooms is what it is. You're in your backyard, 166 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:47,640 you live on your farm, um, but as you said, it's suburbans, 167 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:51,920 so there's traffic and, you know, neighbors and all. Um, 168 00:09:52,140 --> 00:09:56,160 can you talk a little bit about the channels of business that you're, 169 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:58,960 you're bringing your flowers to market and who your customers are? 170 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:03,130 Yeah, so we have several outlets. 171 00:10:03,130 --> 00:10:07,690 I sell wholesale through the Connecticut Flower Collective, which has been, uh, 172 00:10:07,690 --> 00:10:10,570 a wonderful option. I sell retail. 173 00:10:10,570 --> 00:10:14,370 There's a very cute little gift shop in Trumbull called Pure Poetry, 174 00:10:14,750 --> 00:10:18,570 and she allows me to bring my bouquets there and sell on consignment, 175 00:10:18,570 --> 00:10:23,010 which is lovely. And we sell subscriptions. 176 00:10:23,010 --> 00:10:27,610 So I do a csa, um, I do DIY buckets, 177 00:10:27,740 --> 00:10:30,170 buckets of blooms on my website, 178 00:10:30,170 --> 00:10:33,690 and I do flowers on bouquets on demand. 179 00:10:33,690 --> 00:10:36,210 So I am a farmer florist. Mm-hmm. , 180 00:10:36,470 --> 00:10:40,090 and I do the Trumble Farmer's Market. The farmer's market, 181 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:43,970 I realized was a necessity. That was kind of a last minute add on. 182 00:10:43,970 --> 00:10:48,370 So I started with the csa my very first year. I did a tool up subscription. 183 00:10:48,790 --> 00:10:52,130 And so I, I wanted to start very small, um, 184 00:10:52,130 --> 00:10:56,210 didn't have a ton of bulbs, so I was just gonna offer 10 subscriptions, 185 00:10:56,290 --> 00:11:01,210 and I filled the 10, but it was primarily my friends and family. Yeah. 186 00:11:01,210 --> 00:11:01,780 Which was, 187 00:11:01,780 --> 00:11:04,530 So you kind of just put the word out that I'm gonna do this next spring. 188 00:11:04,530 --> 00:11:05,770 Do you wanna get in on it? 189 00:11:06,030 --> 00:11:07,130 Yes, that's exactly, that's great. 190 00:11:07,430 --> 00:11:11,130 And so it was lovely that they were so supportive of what I was doing, 191 00:11:11,350 --> 00:11:14,290 but I realized right away, this isn't sustainable. 192 00:11:14,560 --> 00:11:19,370 I can't have my friends and family be my subscribers every year, . So, 193 00:11:19,630 --> 00:11:24,170 you know, I realized, I said to, to Pete, my husband, I said, um, 194 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:26,490 I don't think the community really knows we're here. 195 00:11:26,500 --> 00:11:30,010 So we really need to do a farmer's market so that we're in, 196 00:11:30,010 --> 00:11:33,250 those are our people. These are people that appreciate locally grown. 197 00:11:33,250 --> 00:11:35,730 That's why they're there. They're obviously in the area. 198 00:11:36,460 --> 00:11:40,570 So we entered into that, and we were in our second, 199 00:11:40,570 --> 00:11:42,730 just our second year doing the farmer's market. Mm-hmm. . 200 00:11:42,730 --> 00:11:45,770 But that's been tremendous for networking with people in the community. 201 00:11:45,910 --> 00:11:49,290 And I feel like we're finally establishing that base of people who, 202 00:11:49,950 --> 00:11:53,210 who know we're there and come back repeatedly, which is wonderful. 203 00:11:54,010 --> 00:11:58,280 At the, And you said it's a Thursday Farmer's Market, is it like a afternoon, 204 00:11:58,400 --> 00:11:59,360 early evening? 205 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:03,560 It, it's four to 7:00 PM They have live music and, um, 206 00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:06,040 they have like a craft station for kids. 207 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:09,160 There's a ton of families that come out that's really fun to see, 208 00:12:09,380 --> 00:12:12,520 and they try to break, um, change it up every week. 209 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:15,280 So they'll do little scavenger hunts for the kids to, 210 00:12:15,610 --> 00:12:17,200 to promote that for families. 211 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:20,720 And so I love that little kids will come to the booth with their parents and 212 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:23,320 they'll ask us questions, and sometimes they can, 213 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:25,880 they don't even understand the question. , there's like. 214 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:28,800 A, it's on the scavenger hunts page or whatever. Yeah. 215 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:30,880 There's like a five year old who said, 216 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:33,600 wanted to ask how many varieties do you grow? 217 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:36,840 And they couldn't even say the word variety, you know, it was just adorable. 218 00:12:37,180 --> 00:12:41,120 And so, but that was fun for me. So I said, Do you know what a variety is? 219 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:43,160 And he just shook his head, no. You know, 220 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:46,760 it's like little deer in the headlights. And so I was able to pick up, 221 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:50,280 I sell some flowers loose by the stem, so I was able to pick up a few. 222 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:54,240 And I say, You know, can you see how these are different? And he nod, you know, 223 00:12:54,250 --> 00:12:57,000 he nodded. And I said, Well, that's what different varieties mean. 224 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:00,360 They're different types of flowers. And so it's just, it's a lot of fun. 225 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:02,360 So you really get the interaction there. They do, 226 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:04,280 they do a nice job at the Trumble market. 227 00:13:04,790 --> 00:13:09,040 From that, um, point in the week, um, 228 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:13,720 you've probably already supplied the 229 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:17,120 wholesale flowers to the Con Connecticut Flower Collective, which are your, 230 00:13:17,390 --> 00:13:22,040 your longer stems and maybe your higher value flowers. Do you, Yes. Um, 231 00:13:22,250 --> 00:13:26,600 do you find that the farmer's market kind of is a way to just move product that 232 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:31,400 you would otherwise just not, not cut, or, you know, you toss? 233 00:13:31,950 --> 00:13:32,800 Absolutely. 234 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:36,400 That's been such a benefit that came out of it that I wasn't anticipating. 235 00:13:36,500 --> 00:13:40,960 Our Connecticut Flower Collective Prime Market Day is Wednesday, 236 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:44,440 although they have expanded this year and have some offerings on Thursday and 237 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:47,760 Friday as well. But for me, because of the, the farmer's market, 238 00:13:47,830 --> 00:13:52,360 I can't participate in the Flower Collective on Thursday, but it works out fine. 239 00:13:52,470 --> 00:13:57,240 I bring all my product on Wednesday. And, um, and then as you said, 240 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:00,000 those are my prime flowers. And, you know, 241 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,880 the other blooms that I'm using for the farmer's market, they're beautiful, 242 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:06,160 but they're just shorter, so they're not meeting that wholesale standard. 243 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:09,440 Mm-hmm. But I'm putting together mason jar ques, 244 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:13,600 and so actually something that's very long that I would sell wholesale doesn't 245 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,000 work as well for the me jar. So yeah, 246 00:14:16,110 --> 00:14:20,800 it's definitely a way for me to use all of those other stems that I can't sell 247 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:24,800 wholesale. Um, so that's been a real benefit. 248 00:14:25,030 --> 00:14:26,720 Well, like you mentioned in the video, you, 249 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,920 the snaps that are kind of on their third or fourth cutting that are short. 250 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:34,040 Yeah. I'm picturing that those are going into your mason jar arrangements. 251 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:37,480 Yes, exactly. Yeah, they are. That's really neat. Yeah, They're the, 252 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:40,320 they're the gift that keeps on giving. They'll Snap Dragons. They're, 253 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:41,440 they're wonderful . 254 00:14:41,850 --> 00:14:45,880 So the, um, you mentioned that you, uh, have the, 255 00:14:45,900 --> 00:14:50,680 the subscription program and the BU by the Bucket that's really more retail, 256 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:55,000 direct to consumer than, um, that probably is, is even, 257 00:14:55,770 --> 00:15:00,000 uh, more profitable than a farmer's market, uh, right. Operation, Right? 258 00:15:00,340 --> 00:15:01,100 Yes. 259 00:15:01,100 --> 00:15:05,720 And how much, how, like in terms of slicing up the pie, how much would that, um, 260 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:07,033 represent? 261 00:15:08,730 --> 00:15:13,480 Um, you know, I only have last year's a basis mm-hmm. , so I'm, um, 262 00:15:13,590 --> 00:15:18,280 that's when I was really involved in all of those markets. So I'm trying to, 263 00:15:18,590 --> 00:15:19,440 I would say, 264 00:15:22,190 --> 00:15:26,770 I would say that the wholesale might be the 265 00:15:26,770 --> 00:15:27,603 largest, 266 00:15:28,010 --> 00:15:32,850 although the DIY buckets of Blooms would be close to that, and really. 267 00:15:32,950 --> 00:15:33,370 Wow. 268 00:15:33,370 --> 00:15:36,170 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They've been very popular. 269 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:41,330 I think it's because a lot of the larger farms in Connecticut 270 00:15:41,910 --> 00:15:45,370 are pulling back a little bit on their DIY buckets. Mm-hmm. , 271 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:49,730 I think that with Covid, people were a lot more adventurous into do it yourself. 272 00:15:49,730 --> 00:15:53,570 So it, it surprised me with its popularity. In fact, 273 00:15:53,570 --> 00:15:57,010 the first year that we did it, , this is true Confessions. 274 00:15:57,420 --> 00:15:59,290 It wasn't one of my business models, 275 00:15:59,630 --> 00:16:03,410 but someone just saw my website and contacted me and said, 276 00:16:03,780 --> 00:16:08,330 Do you do buckets of flowers? And I said, Sure. . 277 00:16:09,310 --> 00:16:11,330 You say yes to everything at that point. Right. 278 00:16:11,580 --> 00:16:15,930 Exactly. And so this is part of what I love about the Flower Collective. 279 00:16:15,930 --> 00:16:18,650 I went there and talked to other farmers and was like, Help. 280 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:22,450 I said yes to something. I, I don't have any idea what to charge, how many, 281 00:16:22,450 --> 00:16:23,970 you know, blooms do you put in a bucket? 282 00:16:24,060 --> 00:16:27,370 So it's just such a wonderful network of people that are part of that 283 00:16:27,370 --> 00:16:32,170 collective. So they kind of walked me through it. And so in that first year, 284 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:35,890 last year, it really was, it wasn't part of my website, 285 00:16:35,890 --> 00:16:40,130 so it was just people that, that just asked the question randomly. 286 00:16:40,130 --> 00:16:43,280 And I had not as much last year because of that, 287 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:48,160 but still just finding me, searching me out that way. I'd say I did maybe six. 288 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:49,960 Yeah. You know, which, which wasn't bad, 289 00:16:50,300 --> 00:16:53,760 But then I realized right away that I really loved doing that. 290 00:16:54,050 --> 00:16:56,760 So I made it part of my website. 291 00:16:56,870 --> 00:17:01,400 I have a whole FAQ sheet describing it. And so this year, I mean, I, 292 00:17:01,580 --> 00:17:04,360 I'm doing several buckets a week almost. 293 00:17:04,360 --> 00:17:08,400 Wow. And are they people who wanna have just fun with flowers, 294 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:09,760 or are they throwing dinner parties, 295 00:17:09,850 --> 00:17:12,880 or are they trying to do a DIY wedding or all of the above? 296 00:17:13,150 --> 00:17:17,160 It's all of the above. Um, yeah, I, I mean, 297 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:18,840 some of the stories have surprised me. 298 00:17:18,840 --> 00:17:22,200 I had one woman who told me she was traveling with the flowers, 299 00:17:22,300 --> 00:17:26,360 and I made the mistake of assuming that she was traveling, 300 00:17:26,900 --> 00:17:30,200 you know, locally, it was for a dinner party. I knew that. 301 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:32,440 And then I had all of her flowers collected, 302 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:35,080 and I think it was the night before I was delivering them, 303 00:17:35,580 --> 00:17:38,880 she sent me an email and she said, um, 304 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,920 So do you have any recommendations for how to help these survive a, 305 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:43,040 a plane trip to Europe? 306 00:17:43,490 --> 00:17:44,800 Oh my goodness, . 307 00:17:45,940 --> 00:17:48,480 Wow. Okay. That, you know, 308 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:52,400 so that informs me next time I shouldn't make any assumptions on where people 309 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:55,320 are traveling with them. So that, that's crazy experience for me, 310 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:56,920 because if I had known that, 311 00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:00,120 that would've informed different choices I would've made for what I was giving 312 00:18:00,120 --> 00:18:03,920 there. Something that I know is a lot more durable. Uh, Yeah. So our flowers. 313 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:05,720 Straw flour or something like that. Yeah. 314 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:10,240 Exactly. Um, so our flowers went to Croatia , 315 00:18:10,630 --> 00:18:13,960 that's where she was traveling to from Connecticut. 316 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:15,120 Uh, what a compliment. 317 00:18:15,350 --> 00:18:19,960 I wanted to also just try to picture where you are in relationship to the 318 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:23,880 Connecticut Flower Collective. Where is that? And like how, how many, 319 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:26,880 What's the radius of people who sell there and buy there? 320 00:18:28,230 --> 00:18:30,680 Yeah, I know that we have a farm, 321 00:18:30,710 --> 00:18:34,080 a rather large farm in Massachusetts that contributes. 322 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:38,040 But yeah, you've, you're sort of centrally located in the northeast that way. 323 00:18:38,220 --> 00:18:41,680 Yes. They've tried to pick a location that's right in the middle of the state, 324 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:45,240 which of course is smart for all of the surrounding states. So, I mean, 325 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:48,840 that's the advantage of Connecticut is so small that if you travel in any 326 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:52,280 direction for an hour, you're in another state. , 327 00:18:52,390 --> 00:18:54,560 it's about a 40 minute drive for me. 328 00:18:54,940 --> 00:18:59,200 But there are other growers like myself down in this area. So we carpool. 329 00:19:00,210 --> 00:19:03,280 So I, wow. I connect with others. There's, you know, 330 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:08,160 Apple berry farm in Newtown, there's quality DAFs, the Spring Bunch in, 331 00:19:08,770 --> 00:19:13,520 in Shelton. These are all surrounding communities. And, um, so we will, 332 00:19:13,570 --> 00:19:17,000 we will car, we will carpool, you know, we'll text each other. 333 00:19:17,470 --> 00:19:21,080 I need to go this week. Are you? I can take your flowers. You know, 334 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:21,720 that sort of thing. 335 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:22,800 Oh, wow. That's what. 336 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:24,880 But the other advantage of the collective, a lot of times, 337 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:29,080 even if someone else is driving that week, sometimes I'll make the trip anyway, 338 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:33,280 because sometimes I'm there as a buyer, not just as a seller. 339 00:19:34,340 --> 00:19:39,280 And that's such an advantage to be part of a collective as a small grower. 340 00:19:39,290 --> 00:19:44,000 If I have a week where I'm doing four DIY buckets, the farmer's market, 341 00:19:44,390 --> 00:19:46,720 I have wholesale orders, et cetera. 342 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:51,600 Sometimes I don't have enough subscriptions as well to, 343 00:19:51,630 --> 00:19:54,840 I, I get a little nervous about it. Yeah. To, to meet all those needs. 344 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:57,640 So sometimes I'll come in and I'll shop the floor myself. 345 00:19:57,780 --> 00:20:02,010 And I always tell people that like with their buckets, that I, 346 00:20:02,010 --> 00:20:06,290 sometimes I'll acquire blooms from other growers. I'm always upfront about it. 347 00:20:06,380 --> 00:20:08,890 Um, but there are other local growers like myself, 348 00:20:08,950 --> 00:20:11,410 and no one seems to have an issue with that. 349 00:20:11,410 --> 00:20:15,210 And they'd rather have the abundance of blooms than, 350 00:20:15,210 --> 00:20:17,770 than get it strictly just from my farm. 351 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:22,210 Yeah. I love it. And part, part of the education too, I remember when I had, uh, 352 00:20:22,210 --> 00:20:26,450 some folks from the, uh, Connecticut Flower Collective on the podcast last year. 353 00:20:26,450 --> 00:20:30,170 In fact, I'll find that link and share that episode when, when we post yours. 354 00:20:30,580 --> 00:20:35,330 Um, that was one of the comments that I heard is like, your, your others, 355 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:39,890 each other's best customers. You do, Yes. You're, you're, hopefully you're, 356 00:20:39,890 --> 00:20:41,890 you're selling more than you're spending. But some, 357 00:20:41,890 --> 00:20:46,530 some weeks is probably a good, a good way to, to, 358 00:20:46,530 --> 00:20:50,720 to justify, uh, the trip up there is that you're selling and, um, 359 00:20:50,990 --> 00:20:55,480 also saving yourself another trip to, to go buy. Um, 360 00:20:55,480 --> 00:21:00,160 Exactly. The reason you're buying also is because you're doing some, some, 361 00:21:00,290 --> 00:21:04,200 uh, wedding designs or some custom orders for. 362 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:05,240 Exactly. For clients. 363 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:06,073 Right? 364 00:21:06,100 --> 00:21:09,880 Yes. And those are really on demand. So I'm not anticipating it. 365 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:12,920 So when I've already committed to some DIY buckets, 366 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:15,760 and of course the farmer's market is an ongoing commitment, 367 00:21:15,860 --> 00:21:20,440 and someone's already had a pre-order for through the collective. I, 368 00:21:20,550 --> 00:21:23,760 I can't always anticipate. Some weeks I'll have bouquet requests. 369 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:27,640 Some weeks I don't. But inevitably, when I have the most going on, 370 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:32,200 then someone will contact me and say, I need five centerpiece for a shower. 371 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:34,400 Can you help? And I, you know, 372 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:37,760 my theory is if I can manage the time to do it, I'd rather, 373 00:21:38,100 --> 00:21:42,480 I'd rather supplement with other blooms and make this happen. Because, you know, 374 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:46,000 something like a shower, other people see them. It's a good networking practice. 375 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:46,360 Absolutely. 376 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:50,640 Yeah. So I think it pays off. That's great. What I have done is gone, 377 00:21:50,670 --> 00:21:54,040 like last year, I went through and organized, I, 378 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:55,680 the way I keep track of everything. 379 00:21:56,430 --> 00:21:59,600 I keep track of my Connecticut Flower Collective purchases, 380 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:04,440 and I was able to look at how many flowers I, what, what did I buy the most of. 381 00:22:04,780 --> 00:22:08,000 And I saw that I bought a lot of forget me nots. I needed, 382 00:22:08,110 --> 00:22:09,600 I was lacking in fillers. 383 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:12,720 And so that helped inform my choices then for the next year. 384 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:16,560 That was one reason that I did the forget me nots in my garden this year, 385 00:22:16,980 --> 00:22:20,760 was because I saw, Oh, I, I bought a lot of those. Why don't I grow them? 386 00:22:20,780 --> 00:22:21,960 You know? So. 387 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:25,600 That's amazing. And that blue is just so hard to come by that Oh, 388 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:27,560 you now have this blue option for people. 389 00:22:27,870 --> 00:22:29,160 Yeah. And I love. 390 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,280 It. That's a really good way to do research. I, 391 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:35,540 I appreciated what you said about constantly as, 392 00:22:35,710 --> 00:22:39,220 as you know, you're still in your, you know, you're still young. 393 00:22:39,220 --> 00:22:44,140 You said in our webinar that a new our young farmer or a new farmer is 394 00:22:44,140 --> 00:22:46,900 anyone who's less than five years in, which I hadn't heard, 395 00:22:46,900 --> 00:22:48,580 but that makes sense. Um, 396 00:22:49,230 --> 00:22:53,830 so you're kind of doing this evaluation in real time about what 397 00:22:53,830 --> 00:22:58,750 crops are winners and then what you can let go of and maybe replace next 398 00:22:58,750 --> 00:23:01,550 year. Exactly. You probably have a lot more evaluation to do. 399 00:23:02,010 --> 00:23:06,990 Yes, I do. Yes. In fact, the first year of growing, I, I had said to Pete, 400 00:23:07,540 --> 00:23:10,390 I have so much that I don't have enough. 401 00:23:10,390 --> 00:23:13,830 And what I meant by that was I had tried so many different varieties, 402 00:23:13,830 --> 00:23:16,590 but I only had like, maybe 20 of these and 20 of these. 403 00:23:17,130 --> 00:23:21,070 And so I realized that I have to be very careful with my 404 00:23:21,370 --> 00:23:24,350 experimentation. I need to keep trialing new things. 405 00:23:24,350 --> 00:23:29,110 Cause I wanna find those flowers that really work the best for us with 406 00:23:29,110 --> 00:23:31,710 our soil, our conditions, our time. 407 00:23:32,290 --> 00:23:37,110 And I'm gonna learn that by experimenting with new things every year. But I, 408 00:23:37,580 --> 00:23:42,550 I have to still have a bulk of things that I know that I can rely on. 409 00:23:42,550 --> 00:23:45,560 And so that was a lesson that I learned early on. 410 00:23:46,430 --> 00:23:51,120 It's hard. It's, I think it's really hard, and I've watched that arc of, of, 411 00:23:51,120 --> 00:23:55,320 um, kind of becoming more disciplined, the more seasoned Yes. 412 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:58,760 Grower is to the point where, you know, 413 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:01,560 you might have to kill some of your darlings because they're not profitable. 414 00:24:01,620 --> 00:24:03,480 And yes, this isn't a hobby. 415 00:24:03,980 --> 00:24:08,800 Yes, that's true. It is so hard for me to be ruthless. I have to say. 416 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:13,600 That's one of the toughest things. But you have to be ruthless, lovingly mm-hmm. 417 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:16,920 , you know mm-hmm. . And so last year I tried pansies. 418 00:24:17,250 --> 00:24:18,600 There's varieties that, 419 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:22,720 that grow long and that are beautiful for cut flour production. 420 00:24:22,900 --> 00:24:26,840 But I didn't realize when I grew them was that they really needed to be started 421 00:24:26,930 --> 00:24:31,320 in the fall. If you wanna have that length. I started mine in very early spring, 422 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,760 so I was hopeful that they would do okay because they're very cold tolerant. 423 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:37,760 Right. Um, but they were coming up, they were, you know, 424 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:41,160 like just these teeny little things. And so for a while, I, I just, 425 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:44,240 they were beautiful, but they were so short and I thought, 426 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:47,240 I have to pull these out. It just, it kills me. . 427 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:50,800 So for a while I tried just cutting the, the, 428 00:24:50,980 --> 00:24:54,200 the flower heads and selling just that, you know, 429 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,200 because they're often used for cake decorating and that. 430 00:24:57,200 --> 00:24:57,520 Sort of. 431 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:00,760 Thing. And some people do sell them that way at the collective. 432 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:03,200 You can get them just in a little plastic container, 433 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:07,200 and it's just the flower heads. Um, but I knew really, I, 434 00:25:07,950 --> 00:25:12,720 I tried . Yeah. I tried, but eventually we yanked them out, 435 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:17,460 and then I can put sunflowers in there because I can plant those later in the 436 00:25:17,460 --> 00:25:20,180 season. They're still gonna spring up. And that's what I ended up doing. 437 00:25:20,180 --> 00:25:24,340 And the sunflowers were quite profitable in September, so it was all good. 438 00:25:24,340 --> 00:25:27,420 But yes, especially on a small farm, 439 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:31,460 you can't have wasted space. Mm-hmm. , you've gotta maximize it. 440 00:25:31,470 --> 00:25:35,980 So, Janet, do you, have you, you showed us that lithe and Dahlia beds, 441 00:25:35,980 --> 00:25:39,580 which are the newer beds. Do you still have further, um, 442 00:25:39,690 --> 00:25:42,620 lawn that you can dig up and, and, and expand? 443 00:25:42,670 --> 00:25:44,540 Or are you kind of at capacity now? 444 00:25:44,850 --> 00:25:47,740 Well, barely. So we're gonna had two more. 445 00:25:49,100 --> 00:25:50,180 Don't tell my husband. 446 00:25:50,780 --> 00:25:52,460 , he won't hear this. He. 447 00:25:52,460 --> 00:25:53,780 Won't, he won't watch this. 448 00:25:53,930 --> 00:25:54,420 Yeah. 449 00:25:54,420 --> 00:25:59,220 Right. Um, so where we had the lthe planted and the new Dahlia bed, 450 00:25:59,770 --> 00:26:03,460 they, they go, there are a different orientation than the other beds are. 451 00:26:03,460 --> 00:26:07,260 So the, the, we have 12 that are what I call vertical rose, 452 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:09,940 and that's just their orientation to the house. Mm-hmm. . 453 00:26:09,940 --> 00:26:12,140 Then we added two more that are horizontal, 454 00:26:12,140 --> 00:26:15,460 So those horizontal beds we can extend out a little further. 455 00:26:15,460 --> 00:26:17,380 Okay. That's what you're talking about then in. 456 00:26:17,380 --> 00:26:21,500 The, in the video. And so I'm gonna add to those horizontal beds. 457 00:26:21,500 --> 00:26:22,740 So they're 25 feet. 458 00:26:22,740 --> 00:26:27,140 I'll have a little gap in between and be able to do another 2 25 foot rows. 459 00:26:27,260 --> 00:26:32,180 And then we have pretty much officially used every square 460 00:26:32,180 --> 00:26:33,540 inch that we have. 461 00:26:33,900 --> 00:26:37,700 . Well, can you talk a little bit about what you alluded to in our, um, 462 00:26:37,950 --> 00:26:42,380 in the webinar about planning to, uh, find land elsewhere for, 463 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:47,120 I'm assuming that would be like an annex farm, right? Or Yes. Would it be, 464 00:26:47,120 --> 00:26:48,040 would you move everything? 465 00:26:48,750 --> 00:26:53,480 Well, I'm not sure exactly how we'll make this work logistically. 466 00:26:53,690 --> 00:26:57,440 Ideally, in time, I do want to live where I farm. 467 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:00,240 I don't wanna be commuting to a farm every day. Yeah. 468 00:27:00,330 --> 00:27:02,320 So I'm not sure how it will work, 469 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:06,360 but what we're doing right now is just looking for land and it will just be an 470 00:27:06,360 --> 00:27:09,320 annex mm-hmm. . And then the hope is that over time, 471 00:27:10,150 --> 00:27:14,120 once we get that built up, that we could, if there's, um, 472 00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:17,200 that we could possibly build a home on that property mm-hmm. 473 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:20,520 sell our own home and move and, and use that to, 474 00:27:20,650 --> 00:27:25,200 to build on the land, we'd be displaced for a little while. 475 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:28,440 So I'm not sure again, how that's all gonna work out. Um, 476 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:31,880 we've thought about leasing land, maybe just in the meantime, 477 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:35,560 just leasing something and then when we're ready to move, 478 00:27:35,630 --> 00:27:40,220 then just move to a house that has a couple of 479 00:27:40,220 --> 00:27:41,100 acres on it. 480 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:45,380 The problem with that is that if I were to lease for a couple of years and 481 00:27:45,380 --> 00:27:48,940 putting all this blood, sweat, and tears into land that, you know, 482 00:27:48,940 --> 00:27:51,180 I'm not going to for very long. Yeah. 483 00:27:51,180 --> 00:27:52,300 Yeah. I understand that. 484 00:27:52,690 --> 00:27:55,900 Yeah. So it, it's interesting. We're talking with, 485 00:27:55,900 --> 00:27:57,700 there's a land trust in the area, 486 00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:00,940 and they're very open to us farming some of their land. 487 00:28:00,940 --> 00:28:05,700 That could be a wonderful annex solution for us in the short term. 488 00:28:05,700 --> 00:28:07,380 So there's definitely options. 489 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:10,940 But one thing that I learned about is that the University of Connecticut 490 00:28:11,570 --> 00:28:16,190 agricultural department has people that help you navigate this 491 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:17,470 if you're a new farmer. 492 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:21,630 So we're actually getting on a phone call with someone from Yon. 493 00:28:22,300 --> 00:28:24,830 I think our appointment is in a couple of weeks, 494 00:28:25,530 --> 00:28:30,190 and they're gonna help us find land or talk through all of those details. 495 00:28:30,190 --> 00:28:35,190 What are the options available to us in leasing and buying the, um, 496 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:38,710 uh, grants that could help in that sort of thing. 497 00:28:38,710 --> 00:28:41,070 And it's a free service if you're a new farmer. 498 00:28:41,340 --> 00:28:45,110 I think the first time that you have a call and then subsequent calls you pay 499 00:28:45,110 --> 00:28:47,830 for. But we're definitely gonna take advantage of that. 500 00:28:47,830 --> 00:28:49,550 And it's good to know that's out there. 501 00:28:49,550 --> 00:28:52,390 I'm sure that's available in other states for their university. 502 00:28:52,460 --> 00:28:56,710 Programs. Wow. That's amazing. Yeah. And well, what it reveals is that you have, 503 00:28:56,710 --> 00:28:58,630 you're still in the exploratory stage. 504 00:28:59,540 --> 00:29:04,510 This will be kind of a multi-year process. Um, Yes. And right now, 505 00:29:04,940 --> 00:29:07,990 most everything that you're growing, that's the annuals. 506 00:29:08,340 --> 00:29:09,910 It's not like you have to move them. 507 00:29:09,910 --> 00:29:13,750 You'd be moving things like digging up to all your tubers. 508 00:29:13,750 --> 00:29:15,590 You don't really have a lot of perennials really, 509 00:29:15,590 --> 00:29:18,230 that you're integrating into your business, do you? 510 00:29:18,500 --> 00:29:20,550 I don't, because I don't have a lot of room for them. 511 00:29:20,580 --> 00:29:22,870 I have perennials in the front yard mm-hmm. 512 00:29:22,910 --> 00:29:24,470 that have been there forever, 513 00:29:24,470 --> 00:29:28,550 since before we started flower farming. So some of them are usable, 514 00:29:28,550 --> 00:29:33,150 some of them are not. And I'm definitely moving towards more native perennials. 515 00:29:33,150 --> 00:29:36,470 So there are a few gaps in the front yard where I'm filling in with native 516 00:29:36,470 --> 00:29:40,590 perennials that I know we can use for cuts. Mm. Um, we, 517 00:29:40,590 --> 00:29:44,200 we participate in pollinator pathways. Are you familiar with that? 518 00:29:44,410 --> 00:29:46,240 We have something like that here in Seattle too, 519 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:48,320 that I'm assuming it's just to cry, 520 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:53,280 try to create pollinator plants throughout a neighborhood or in an 521 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:53,840 area, right? 522 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:57,240 Yes. Yes. Exactly. To connect, I guess the radius, 523 00:29:57,340 --> 00:30:00,720 I'm not that knowledgeable on the radius that pollinators travel, 524 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:04,320 but there is a limit. And if they, if they're in one garden, 525 00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:07,400 but there's a huge open space and nothing for them to, 526 00:30:07,810 --> 00:30:11,720 to land on within, you know, I don't know how many yards or feet. 527 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:12,720 Or miles. 528 00:30:13,230 --> 00:30:16,680 They don't really move beyond that. They'll just stay contained in an area. 529 00:30:16,700 --> 00:30:21,640 And so the idea is to help develop the pollinator population that you 530 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:25,200 wanna have these pathways and they, the pollinators, it makes sense. 531 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:29,240 They're much more attractive to native plantings than they are to what's 532 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:33,720 imported. Uh, so, so we're really focusing on native growth. 533 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:38,640 But I would like to really expand on pese. I love them. 534 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:40,280 They're one of my favorite flowers. 535 00:30:41,210 --> 00:30:44,280 So that's something I would like to invest more in. 536 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:47,600 But I feel like we're in this limbo phase where if we're not gonna be here very 537 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:50,160 long, do I wanna invest in a lot of p e in the land? 538 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:50,920 Right. Right. 539 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:53,200 It can take them with me, but when you uproot them, 540 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:56,800 it takes them about three years to really get well enough and stuff. Right. 541 00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:58,120 Might as well just wait. Right. 542 00:30:58,190 --> 00:31:00,240 Yeah, exactly. So, you know, 543 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:03,280 there are perennials I would love to invest more in, 544 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:06,240 but I just don't feel like we're in a place right now where we can do that till 545 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:08,720 we have a few more answers to what our next move. 546 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:12,840 Is. Oh my gosh. Well, good luck on that. That's exciting. Yeah. Um, well, 547 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:15,600 I wanna talk a little bit before we wrap up about your influences. 548 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:17,960 You have this background as a graphic designer. 549 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:21,360 How long did you work as a graphic designer and like what kind of work did you 550 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:25,240 do and do you see that that kind of, I don't know, 551 00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:28,320 your visual aesthetic popping up in your floor arranging? Yeah. 552 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:31,480 That's an interesting question. I didn't know that I, you know, 553 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:35,240 I think it's hard sometimes for when you're in the arts to know that you have a 554 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:38,040 style. For some people it's very clear. For others it's not. 555 00:31:38,110 --> 00:31:41,760 I felt that I was much more eclectic in the graphic design field, 556 00:31:42,660 --> 00:31:46,160 but some, but people would look at my work and say, Oh, you have a style. 557 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:49,160 And it is interesting cause I'd think I, I do really , you know, 558 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:50,120 I didn't really see it. 559 00:31:50,470 --> 00:31:52,960 Well, especially if you're working for clients and you're, 560 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:55,880 you're kind of trying to meet their style request. Exactly. 561 00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:56,760 You don't always see it. 562 00:31:56,760 --> 00:32:00,200 Right. That's exactly right. I did a lot of freelance work and I felt like, 563 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:03,560 you know, if this was for a younger audience, I tried to make it more edgy. 564 00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:05,560 And if it was for a more traditional audience, 565 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:09,040 I tried to make a more traditional design. And so I, 566 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:11,480 I did feel like I was always catering to my audience, 567 00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:15,760 and I didn't know that my own style, it makes sense that it would shine through, 568 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:19,520 but I, it was hard for me to see that. So, um, 569 00:32:19,750 --> 00:32:24,000 when it came to, I did graphic design for about 12 years. Okay. 570 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:28,800 Prior to that, I had worked in a corporation and then, um, 571 00:32:29,900 --> 00:32:33,810 my degree was actually, my bachelor's degree was in education. Okay. 572 00:32:33,810 --> 00:32:36,170 But I'd never gotten into it. I had children. 573 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:38,210 I was a stay at home mom for a number of years, 574 00:32:38,210 --> 00:32:41,480 and what got me into graphics was that I thought, Okay, 575 00:32:41,480 --> 00:32:44,280 it's time when my kids were all in school. It's time to, 576 00:32:44,730 --> 00:32:48,280 to start using that education degree. But I thought if I'm gonna teach, 577 00:32:48,350 --> 00:32:51,160 I wanna teach art, because I've always loved that, 578 00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:55,680 hadn't really had any art courses. So, uh, in order to teach art, 579 00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:57,680 I had to get a certification. 580 00:32:57,840 --> 00:33:02,640 So I went back to school in my forties and got certified 581 00:33:02,810 --> 00:33:06,560 in art and graphic design. And once I got in those classes, 582 00:33:07,870 --> 00:33:10,840 I realized, Oh, you know what? I don't, I still don't wanna teach. 583 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:13,960 This is what I wanna do full time. So I love it. Yeah. 584 00:33:14,050 --> 00:33:18,880 So I did that for about 12 years. And then, uh, as much as I loved that, 585 00:33:18,950 --> 00:33:22,080 I was tired of being in front of a computer screen all the day, all, 586 00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:25,800 all day long. Nature has always been at the heart of what I do. And that's why, 587 00:33:26,060 --> 00:33:30,760 you know, I had said, when we had that talk yesterday with Madison Square Park, 588 00:33:31,570 --> 00:33:33,640 um, it was just very serendipitous. 589 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:38,050 I see this book about flower farming, and I, 590 00:33:38,050 --> 00:33:41,410 and I just realized all of a sudden in this moment, Hey, this, 591 00:33:41,410 --> 00:33:44,290 this takes everything. I've always loved the nature. 592 00:33:44,290 --> 00:33:47,770 This flowers are art in nature. Absolutely. 593 00:33:47,770 --> 00:33:47,850 I. 594 00:33:47,850 --> 00:33:51,690 Always loved in nature, I've always loved art. This is the perfect combination. 595 00:33:51,710 --> 00:33:56,170 I'm not in front of a computer screen all day. I love working with my hands. 596 00:33:56,230 --> 00:34:00,570 And that's really just what launched that in the last three years. 597 00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:03,330 Mm-hmm. , I would say with making bouquets, 598 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:05,490 I definitely do have a style. 599 00:34:05,950 --> 00:34:09,330 And what's fun is that when people see it at the farmer's market, 600 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:13,090 they say, um, someone said, 601 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:17,370 it's like a curated wild flower look. And, 602 00:34:17,370 --> 00:34:18,210 and I love that. 603 00:34:18,210 --> 00:34:19,090 It's a huge compliment. 604 00:34:19,410 --> 00:34:22,690 . Yeah. It, it made me happy. And I realized that they, 605 00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:26,090 they describe a wild flower look because they're, 606 00:34:26,090 --> 00:34:29,690 they're used to a very different look usually from, you know, 607 00:34:29,690 --> 00:34:33,690 if you order from FTD or, or go to most flower shops, 608 00:34:33,690 --> 00:34:37,450 there's a very standard look and mine don't fit that standard. Look. 609 00:34:37,450 --> 00:34:41,530 Maybe there's a more in your mind a stiffer look and not so naturalistic. Right. 610 00:34:41,530 --> 00:34:41,930 Yes. 611 00:34:41,930 --> 00:34:44,730 It's very naturalized. Exactly. Yeah. But they could tell, 612 00:34:44,730 --> 00:34:46,690 it's not just that I threw things in Aase. 613 00:34:46,690 --> 00:34:51,090 So the fact that they said it was curated, I thought, Okay, I like that. I. 614 00:34:51,090 --> 00:34:52,570 Like that. Yeah. That can be your new tagline. 615 00:34:52,850 --> 00:34:54,570 . Yes. Curated wild flower. 616 00:34:54,570 --> 00:34:59,210 But you had mentioned also like color is always factoring into your graphic 617 00:34:59,210 --> 00:35:03,970 design and that you're obviously thinking about that when you're 618 00:35:04,330 --> 00:35:07,930 choosing what to grow. Yes. And how, how you can use it in design. So. 619 00:35:07,990 --> 00:35:10,890 Yes, that's true. And that's part of what drew me to the arts. 620 00:35:10,890 --> 00:35:15,010 I've always loved color. Um, I tend to like more subtle colors. 621 00:35:15,010 --> 00:35:18,370 So even though I love color, I'm not typically a bold, loud person, 622 00:35:18,370 --> 00:35:20,970 but I love experimenting with those colors. Mm-hmm. , 623 00:35:20,970 --> 00:35:23,050 if someone calls for that in their bouquet, 624 00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:26,490 it's fun to always break out of what your normal mold is. 625 00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:29,890 Sure. So, so never say never about certain colors. Right. 626 00:35:29,890 --> 00:35:31,570 Exactly. Yeah. Right. I mean, 627 00:35:31,570 --> 00:35:35,930 I've had the most fun with some colors that I would've never chosen myself. 628 00:35:35,930 --> 00:35:39,800 But when I'm choosing it for someone else, then thinking through, Okay, 629 00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:43,800 I have this bright red color, and how can I, 630 00:35:43,820 --> 00:35:48,240 how can I pull other colors into that and have a bridge color that's going to 631 00:35:48,240 --> 00:35:52,000 blend those, what complements this to make this pop more? 632 00:35:52,130 --> 00:35:56,800 So all of that that I've learned in, in art design is, 633 00:35:56,800 --> 00:35:58,720 is really a real boon to that. 634 00:35:58,750 --> 00:36:02,560 Well, I, I can't help but, uh, look at the flowers over your left shoulder. 635 00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:04,720 There. There are so beautiful. Thank you. 636 00:36:04,720 --> 00:36:08,880 And you've got dahlias and sys. What else is in that base? 637 00:36:08,890 --> 00:36:10,880 There's a little Lizzy this in there. 638 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:13,720 This is really the last of everything on the farm. 639 00:36:13,930 --> 00:36:18,320 So this is quite a combination. I've got some SC Bosa in there. 640 00:36:18,830 --> 00:36:23,320 Yeah. A lot of zia's. A little Menard I think is still in there. 641 00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:25,760 Love and a puff is the little vine. Yes. 642 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:28,680 You probably can't see that that well in there, but it's. 643 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:32,000 Charming. Yeah. I love it. Yeah. Thank you. Um, well, I was wanting to ask you, 644 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:36,160 when you're at the farmer's market, are you the only a flower farmer or, um, 645 00:36:36,380 --> 00:36:39,680 are, you know, is that an advantage? I know some people don't have that kind of, 646 00:36:39,930 --> 00:36:40,763 uh, luxury. 647 00:36:40,990 --> 00:36:41,720 Yeah, no, 648 00:36:41,720 --> 00:36:45,960 I am and I'm very grateful for that because you never wanna get in a position 649 00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:49,440 where you're undercutting each other. Pricewise. Yeah. You know, 650 00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:53,240 this other growers have said neither one of you benefit from that kind of 651 00:36:53,240 --> 00:36:57,520 competition. So I am the only one there. There are some, um, 652 00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:01,800 vegetable farms and some of them will have just some loose zinnias cuz they've 653 00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:05,200 had those, or they'll have maybe some hanging baskets, 654 00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:07,800 but that it's nothing like what I'm producing. Yeah. 655 00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:08,130 Wow. 656 00:37:08,130 --> 00:37:12,640 So, yeah, I, I appreciate that in a farmer's market when they limit the vendors, 657 00:37:12,930 --> 00:37:15,760 um, so that you're not competing directly against each other. 658 00:37:15,870 --> 00:37:20,640 Yeah. And even if somebody did come in, I mean, I, I'm imagining you've got the, 659 00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:25,280 you're established now, you're, you've got the, the following and so Right. 660 00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:27,520 Right. Which would be hard for them. So. 661 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:30,280 Yeah. I mean, if it was me and I was new going in, 662 00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:32,680 I would try to look at what, you know, 663 00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:36,240 Janet was growing and try to grow something completely different just to 664 00:37:36,240 --> 00:37:37,600 differentiate myself. So. 665 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:40,120 Yes, you would hope yes. Yeah. Right. Yeah. 666 00:37:40,270 --> 00:37:43,400 Well, so we talked about your new, uh, your, 667 00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:48,200 your search for land and constantly evaluating for new, uh, 668 00:37:48,200 --> 00:37:52,000 varieties that you wanna grow. Do you have any other projects in, 669 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:55,640 in play that you're hoping to implement next year? Or is, 670 00:37:55,650 --> 00:37:57,280 is your plate very full right now? 671 00:37:58,050 --> 00:38:02,280 My plate's very full, but I'm always thinking of new ideas, so mm-hmm. 672 00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:05,600 , I mentioned how much I love the DIY buckets. 673 00:38:05,870 --> 00:38:08,560 I think part of that, I am an extrovert and I, 674 00:38:09,430 --> 00:38:13,360 I get so invested when these people come to me. You know, they're saying, 675 00:38:13,630 --> 00:38:16,160 I'll ask, is this for a birthday party? You know, 676 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:19,400 it informs the choices that you're making. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm, 677 00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:21,000 I'm not trying to pry, but it, 678 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:24,840 it helps me make good decisions for what their event is. And, 679 00:38:25,260 --> 00:38:29,960 and inevitably we get in this exchange and I get so excited for what 680 00:38:29,960 --> 00:38:30,840 they're doing. Um. 681 00:38:30,910 --> 00:38:31,880 I love that. It's. 682 00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:35,000 It's just the extrovert in me. So I'm like, really? You're having, 683 00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:37,080 having a party? Okay. We know. 684 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:39,400 . Let me help, let me give you some ideas. 685 00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:42,600 , I almost wanna be there. That's just my personality. 686 00:38:43,270 --> 00:38:44,103 I love it. 687 00:38:44,510 --> 00:38:47,520 It's very fun to make these connections. That's the, 688 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:50,760 the connections in the flower farming. I, I love that. 689 00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:53,520 And so I find that that's what the farmer's market does. 690 00:38:53,680 --> 00:38:56,840 That's what the DIY buckets do. I ask them, you know, 691 00:38:56,840 --> 00:38:58,040 if you think of it when you're done, 692 00:38:58,040 --> 00:39:01,720 would you send me pictures of how the bouquets came out? Um, 693 00:39:01,860 --> 00:39:06,760 and so we still have exchanges even when the, when the event's over. And, 694 00:39:06,810 --> 00:39:09,360 um, and so as I've done more and more of these, 695 00:39:10,070 --> 00:39:14,560 what I've realized is that people really, they wanna do their own events, 696 00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:17,760 but they maybe don't have the full confidence in their abilities. 697 00:39:18,450 --> 00:39:23,250 So one idea I've had is something that's kind of a hybrid, which again, 698 00:39:23,250 --> 00:39:27,570 isn't easy for me to do in the space that I have right now, but thinking ahead, 699 00:39:27,570 --> 00:39:29,690 when we have land, more land, 700 00:39:29,690 --> 00:39:34,090 I would love to offer something that is like a workshop. 701 00:39:34,240 --> 00:39:38,490 Mm-hmm. for DIY people that, you know, 702 00:39:38,490 --> 00:39:41,450 they wanna do their own, but they want a little guidance. And it's a little. 703 00:39:41,690 --> 00:39:42,430 Coaching. 704 00:39:42,430 --> 00:39:45,850 Yes, exactly. Like a little DIY coaching, something simple. 705 00:39:45,920 --> 00:39:50,090 It's still gonna keep, I, I need to be mindful that sometimes they're doing diy, 706 00:39:50,090 --> 00:39:52,090 not because they want to, but be so much, 707 00:39:52,090 --> 00:39:54,770 but because they have a very restricted budget. 708 00:39:54,780 --> 00:39:58,970 So you have to be mindful of that. But that's something I've often thought of. 709 00:39:58,970 --> 00:40:01,970 I can see a need there and I would love to get involved in, 710 00:40:01,980 --> 00:40:03,530 in that kind of a teaching moment. 711 00:40:03,760 --> 00:40:06,210 I just say, that's the kind of teaching you'll enjoy doing. 712 00:40:06,550 --> 00:40:09,890 Yes, exactly. Finally use that teaching degree. Right. 713 00:40:09,890 --> 00:40:12,490 Right. I love it. Well, this has been so much fun. 714 00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:15,890 I feel like getting to know you has been, uh, 715 00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:19,210 a real reward for me to just see how you've built your business. 716 00:40:19,210 --> 00:40:22,490 And I know it's gonna inspire other, inspire others, uh, 717 00:40:22,490 --> 00:40:27,320 especially people who are pivoting away from corporate careers or looking 718 00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:31,000 at their backyards and thinking about what they can do. And I'm sure you're, 719 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:35,900 you're realistic in when you talk to people about how much work it 720 00:40:35,900 --> 00:40:38,380 is, but you're not sitting behind a computer. 721 00:40:38,450 --> 00:40:43,340 You're out there treating your mental health and caring for it 722 00:40:43,440 --> 00:40:47,220 and getting all those endorphins from being out in nature and growing. 723 00:40:47,220 --> 00:40:51,180 So it's probably been a positive, uh, lifestyle change for you too. 724 00:40:51,600 --> 00:40:53,140 Yes, it really has been. 725 00:40:53,250 --> 00:40:56,580 I was most concerned about my husband because he helps so much, 726 00:40:56,580 --> 00:41:00,060 but he's got his day job, so he's in front of a computer screen all day, 727 00:41:00,060 --> 00:41:02,860 and then I'm asking him to help me in evenings, weekends. 728 00:41:03,200 --> 00:41:05,780 And I thought this might be a little too much for him. 729 00:41:05,780 --> 00:41:09,180 His job is really demanding, but he finds when he is out there helping, 730 00:41:09,230 --> 00:41:13,780 it doesn't feel like it's work is work. It's hard work, It takes a lot, 731 00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:15,580 but there is, it's physical, 732 00:41:15,580 --> 00:41:18,340 something that's regenerative about it at the same time. 733 00:41:18,470 --> 00:41:21,620 So I don't wanna minimize that. You know, when you're out there it's like, Oh, 734 00:41:21,620 --> 00:41:25,780 this is wonderful. Sometimes, sometimes I've been in tears in my yard. I, 735 00:41:25,780 --> 00:41:28,340 it's pouring. I'm trying to get some, 736 00:41:28,410 --> 00:41:31,900 some tulips pulled up by the bulb and they're sticking in the ground. 737 00:41:31,900 --> 00:41:32,700 And I mean, you know, 738 00:41:32,700 --> 00:41:36,840 there's definitely moments of frustration or something isn't working the way I 739 00:41:36,840 --> 00:41:38,680 need it to work or producing well, 740 00:41:39,660 --> 00:41:43,800 but there is still something about being outside and being in nature and working 741 00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:47,480 with your hands that even when you're working hard and you're sweating, 742 00:41:48,110 --> 00:41:50,440 I come inside and I feel like I, 743 00:41:51,350 --> 00:41:54,520 I feel it's fed me, it's fed my soul. 744 00:41:54,700 --> 00:41:57,040 Yes. That's rewarding. Yes. I love it. Yes, it is. 745 00:41:57,040 --> 00:41:58,280 And you're feeding other people too. 746 00:41:58,740 --> 00:41:59,160 Yes. 747 00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:01,920 Well, I will come visit when I come to Connecticut. Um. 748 00:42:02,310 --> 00:42:03,143 I would love that. 749 00:42:03,420 --> 00:42:03,840 Yes. 750 00:42:03,840 --> 00:42:07,920 And I'll have to ask my mom for the old address so I can figure out where I was 751 00:42:07,920 --> 00:42:08,560 on trouble. I. 752 00:42:08,560 --> 00:42:10,600 Will take you on a tour. Yes. Okay. 753 00:42:10,600 --> 00:42:14,240 Great. Thank you so much. And Janet, I do, uh, wanna hope, 754 00:42:14,240 --> 00:42:18,280 I'm hoping that when we post this@slflowerspodcast.com, I'll, in the show notes, 755 00:42:18,670 --> 00:42:23,400 I can show some of your, um, curated wildflower arrangements. Uh, 756 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:26,440 if you share some photos. I know you just sent me a big, a big folder. 757 00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:30,280 I just haven't dug deep into look at them yet. So thank you for that. Yeah. And, 758 00:42:30,330 --> 00:42:32,600 uh, we'll also share backyard blooms, uh, 759 00:42:32,720 --> 00:42:36,680 social places so people can find you and follow along. Uh, and thank, 760 00:42:36,680 --> 00:42:38,480 thanks so much. This has really been fun. 761 00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:40,160 Thank you. It's been a privilege. 762 00:42:57,950 --> 00:42:59,720 Thanks so much for joining me today. 763 00:42:59,720 --> 00:43:04,120 You can visit slow flowers podcast.com to watch the replay video of today's 764 00:43:04,120 --> 00:43:07,480 conversation. Look for episode 577. 765 00:43:07,990 --> 00:43:11,120 I'll also include links to Backyard Blooms Social Places, 766 00:43:11,140 --> 00:43:13,000 and two other resources. 767 00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:17,920 The replay video of our Slow Flowers presentation recorded on August 18th 768 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:22,240 for the Madison Square Park Conservancy. And a link to My Slow Flowers Podcast, 769 00:43:22,290 --> 00:43:26,880 episode 494, which features Farmer Florist, Haley, 770 00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:30,760 Bill of Eddie Farm, and the Connecticut Flower Collective. 771 00:43:31,500 --> 00:43:34,160 Our next sponsor, Thanks, goes to Cal Flowers, 772 00:43:34,180 --> 00:43:37,080 the leading floral trade association in California, 773 00:43:37,080 --> 00:43:41,280 providing valuable transportation and other benefits to flower growers 774 00:43:41,700 --> 00:43:45,840 and the entire floral supply chain in California and 48 other states. 775 00:43:46,100 --> 00:43:50,680 The association is a leader in bringing fresh cut flowers to the US market and 776 00:43:50,680 --> 00:43:55,520 in promoting the benefits of flowers to new generations of American consumers. 777 00:43:55,640 --> 00:43:59,200 Learn more@cgs.org. 778 00:43:59,900 --> 00:44:02,280 And thank you to Details. Flower Software, 779 00:44:02,280 --> 00:44:07,080 a platform specifically designed to help Floris and designers do more and 780 00:44:07,080 --> 00:44:09,880 earn more with an elegant and easy to use system. 781 00:44:09,880 --> 00:44:12,720 Details improves profitability, productivity, 782 00:44:12,720 --> 00:44:16,960 and organization for floral businesses of all shapes and sizes. 783 00:44:17,030 --> 00:44:21,160 Grow your bottom line through professional proposals and confident pricing with 784 00:44:21,160 --> 00:44:22,680 details all in one platform. 785 00:44:23,100 --> 00:44:27,800 All friends of the Slow Flowers Podcast will receive a seven day free trial of 786 00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:32,440 details, Flowers, software. You can learn more@detailsflowers.com. 787 00:44:32,830 --> 00:44:34,680 Thanks so much for joining us today. 788 00:44:34,680 --> 00:44:37,920 The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member supported endeavor, 789 00:44:38,880 --> 00:44:42,840 downloaded more than 900,000 times by listeners like you. 790 00:44:43,040 --> 00:44:45,720 Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing. 791 00:44:45,730 --> 00:44:50,240 It means so much as our movement gains more supporters and more passionate 792 00:44:50,240 --> 00:44:53,880 participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry. 793 00:44:54,180 --> 00:44:57,200 The momentum is contagious. I know you feel it too. 794 00:44:57,410 --> 00:45:00,080 If you're new to our weekly show or our long running podcast, 795 00:45:00,560 --> 00:45:05,520 check out all of our resources@slflowersociety.com and consider making 796 00:45:05,520 --> 00:45:10,200 a donation to sustain slow flowers, ongoing advocacy, 797 00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:12,680 education, and outreach activities. 798 00:45:13,020 --> 00:45:16,920 You can find the donate button@slflowerspodcast.com. 799 00:45:17,380 --> 00:45:21,920 I'm Deborah Printing host and producer of the SL Flowers Show and the SL Flowers 800 00:45:21,920 --> 00:45:22,753 Podcast. 801 00:45:22,860 --> 00:45:26,960 The SL Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brennan. 802 00:45:27,620 --> 00:45:31,800 The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my 803 00:45:31,800 --> 00:45:35,920 guests alone, independent of any podcast, sponsor, or other person, company, 804 00:45:35,970 --> 00:45:38,560 or organization. Next week, 805 00:45:38,560 --> 00:45:43,360 you're invited to join me in putting more slow flowers on the table, one stem, 806 00:45:43,620 --> 00:45:46,160 one base at a time. I'll see you then.