Back in September 2023, I finally took the plunge and began setting up a flower farm to provide the shop with foliage and cut flowers throughout the seasons. I’d being growing cut flowers in my garden for a few years, but it’s north facing and my husband was keen to keep some lawn… so I needed more space.
Armed with enthusiasm, a growing stack of gardening books and a YouTube history full of Flower-farmers and ‘No Dig’ campions, I was ready to turn this humble corner of a field (just under a quarter of an acre) into a lush flower farm.
Digging into ‘No Dig’
The No Dig method seemed like the best way to go for us. The idea of building healthy soil from the top down - without disrupting the microbial life beneath - felt the perfect approach to sustainable flower farming. It also appealed as the time available to set this up was limited and happening during a busy, festive period in the shop. So I did what most people do nowadays and dove into YouTube tutorials of Charles Dowding and Richard Perkins for the best advise. And started saving all our cardboard, which was easy as our flowers get delivered in huge boxes.
First Things First: Deer Defence, Shrubs and Daffodils
I started by fencing off about half our plot with a solar powered Voss electric fence. The farmer reassured me that there are no rabbits in the area, but deer can be an issue. This was good news as it meant I didn’t need to rabbit proof the patch with nets, just four rows of electric tape. It’s not glamorous, but essential to giving my young plants a fighting chance.
I decided to prioritise getting shrubs like Eucalyptus, Physocarpus and Spirea in the ground. These take years to get established and produce enough for cutting - so best start straightaway! I also planted hundreds of Daffodils and Narcissus in-between the shrubs. Deer don’t eat these bulbs and as a perennial, they can stay in the beds and get over planted with later flowering annuals.
Heavy Rain and Compaction, and Uh Oh?
Everything seemed to be going smoothly. I was learning a lot, the beds were slowly taking shape, and the dream was starting to feel very real. But then, as December rolled in, the rain came. A lot of it. Suddenly the Eucalyptus was sitting in pools of water, The Physocarpus was in the middle of a pond. The heavy, compacted clay/soil wasn’t draining. I finished the year, relocating most of the shrubs to new postions and trying to think up a solution to drainage.
But I’ll save that story for the next post
… to be continued
