Becoming A Cut Flower Grower

Welcome to Friday 23 October 2026. 

I've had a very mixed week: car battery failure, an actual car accident, lost earnings due to the torrential rain, a one-day cold and a missed visit to a fellow grower due to the flat battery. Phew. On the plus side, it's been a truly great week for my new autumn-sown seedlings and tonight I'll be talking about the ones doing well in the greenhouse and on the field. 

I'll also be discussing the impact of the annual worming treatment of my hens for parasites this week, the knock-on effect on th...

Welcome to Tuesday 20 October 2026. 

It has rained pretty much non-stop all day today so I thought I'd get on with lots of things on my to-do list... and then spent all day faffing around and not finishing anything. On the plus side, I have been sowing more seeds in the greenhouse (including perennials) and I'll update you on exactly what in this episode. 

Then I'm talking you through my cost of production figures for my Agrostemma crop this year. It's amazing how much labour costs add up. I'll discuss exactly where I spent my time, th...

Welcome to Friday 16 October 2026. 

I've had a really busy week off-field so I haven't got anything productive done but I have acquired a large volume of cardboard boxes, which are going to be laid over my beds this winter to protect the soil. I've also bought some more of my best-selling shrubs (and where I'm going to plant them) and I had a great polish hot dog (and that's not a euphemism).

Tonight I'm talking about the Top 5 Books that I have found invaluable for learning more about my soil, being more efficient when moving a...

Welcome to Tuesday 13 October 2026. 

Seed catalogues: they're here and they're fabulous! I get wildly excited at this time of year and I spent all weekend with a packet of post-it notes earmarking what annuals I'd like from the catalogues that have just arrived. Then I remembered that I'm actually only doing my Big Five next year, so I've had to hold myself back...

In case you need a gentle reminder not to blow your budget in five minutes on pretty seeds, in this episode I'm talking about the perils of going mad with seed catalogues: t...

Welcome to Friday 9 October 2026. 

We've had it all this week: rain, cold and wind, which is a reminder that autumn is well and truly here. It's been so warm and sunny that I'd almost forgotten that the cooler days were coming.

I spent an afternoon with a local florist, Aly from Garden Room Flowers, in her beautiful studio (I had serious envy...) and we spent hours chatting about her work, what she's doing, marketing, the flowers and foliage she works with most often and how we can work together next year.

The main t...

Welcome to Tuesday 6 October 2026. 

So much to tell you about in this episode including the start of my autumn seed sowing (finally...), plus some chicken news, a crushed CD, and a mystery turd on the field...

I'm talking about how I've been sowing my hardy annuals this autumn including the new compost I'm using, the trays I prefer to use, and the sowing technique I've used this time - which is not my favourite one but I'll tell you why I've done it.

I had the pleasure of being interviewed on someone else's p...

Welcome to Friday 2 October 2026. Where did September go...?!?!!? 

Join me on the field for today's episode where I'm struggling with some kind of nasty cold/flu. Before I got sick, I spent an afternoon this week learning how to make a fresh autumn wreath with my wedding & event florist (photos on my instagram, if you're interested in taking a look).

I've been diving into my camera roll this week for photos and I shocked myself to discover just how much I'd achieved this summer. For the last couple of months I've had a narrative running t...

Welcome to Tuesday 29 September 2026.  

Did you spot the new podcast logo?! I thought it was time to update it and I hope you like it. I've got some news to share with you about the hens, the bed prep I've been doing over the weekend plus my seed saving situation.

The main topic in this episode is contingency planning and I'm going to be discussing why I'm going to do it, what it involves, why it's important, the risks I'll be considering, how I'll be taking steps to protect things like my resources, as well a...

Welcome! It's Friday 25 September 2026.  

Come and let the hens out with me this morning: I'm recording this episode on the field so there is quite a bit of cockerel crowing in the background.

In today's episode I'm answering some great listener questions including whether or not you can buy-in stems if you're already a grower, and an alternative way of marketing (that has worked for me in the past) if you're finding social media increasingly frustrating.

I'm also talking about what an increase in the minimum wage in Columbia might mean for prices o...

Welcome! It's Tuesday 22 September 2026.  

Two topics today: letting self-seeders get on with it, and a look at the overall strategy for 2027. I discovered lots of self-seeded Ammi and Clarkia over the weekend when I was bed prepping and decided to leave them, even though they're not on The Big Five list of annuals for 2027 - all the reasons why in this episode. I'm also going into the details of my strategy for next year and the thinking behind it. 

Plus, dahlias: should they stay or should they go? I'm 50/50 on this right now. I'd love to...

Welcome to today's episode on Friday 18 September 2026.  

Tonight's episode is all about foliage and it's essentially a massive souped-up plant profile series in one single episode.

Curious about foliage? Are you asking yourself if you really need to grow foliage? Do you already have some but not sure if it's suitable? Are you wondering about getting some but not sure where to start? I'll be sharing how much I have and where I got mine from.

I'll talk you through all the plants I have, why I chose them and what t...

Welcome to today's episode on Tuesday 15 September 2026.  

Join me on a cheerful tour of the plot tonight as I talk you through everything that's going on right now, including the flowers blooming right now, the plants that I'm re-locating, the flowers I'm keeping for drying, the plants that just keep coming and the flowers that are very short (but just about usable). 

There's an update on the chickens and the stems I sold last week, plus a little discussion on the personal struggles I'm experiencing at the moment, which make life a bit harder. If yo...

Welcome to today's episode on Friday 11 September 2026.

Thanks for your Spotify comments: I always love hearing from you and your ideas are always interesting. And I'm grateful for your kind words.

Tonight I'm talking about the orders I took when recently out of the country. I don't recommended doing this unless you particularly want a massive adrenaline spike. Thankfully the order got successfully collected this morning, although I then forgot to deliver a separate foliage order I'd also taken....

I'm also talking about the flowers I just bought in Spain for a funeral...

Welcome to today's episode on Tuesday 8 September 2026.

Ok, so after the last episode on pricing, I received some questions so I thought I'd answer them on tonight's episode. Pricing is a hot topic - if you have more questions, feel free to send me a DM on instagram or click the "Text The Podcast Here!" link at the bottom of these notes.

I thought I'd share some information with you about my local flower hub, having sold some stems to it last week. I'll be sharing details about what it does, when I deliver, how...

Welcome to today's episode on Friday 4 September 2026.

Tonight's episode is all about pricing: why it's so hard (especially when you're a new grower), benchmarking with other suppliers (pros and cons), the impact of market forces, how the Dutch auction system works (it's fascinating), how to just get started with pricing and finally, THE most important thing to consider when pricing.

I hope you enjoy the episode - please come back and join me for the next one - you're always very welcome.

Text The Podcast Here

Support the show

<...

Welcome to today's episode on Tuesday 1 September 2026.

Somehow, it's September! How did that happen?!?

Hub sales - I've finally made some! Very exciting and I'll tell you all about this tonight, including what I've sold. 

I've been doing some work on my dahlias over the weekend and I'll share the details of what I've been doing and why. Plus, I found a slug! 

I'm also talking about exactly how I chose my 5 annuals for 2027: did I choose based on profitability or best sellers? Well, I'm talking you through my thought process fo...

Welcome to today's episode on Friday 28 August 2026.

Much to tell you in tonight's episode including an update on the borehole, the rain situation, my footwear, and an unexpected pile of grey feathers on the field... Thank you if you sent me a message of support after my last episode - it's very much appreciated.

The main topic tonight is those pesky annuals for 2027: what am I growing and why? I had some questions following my announcement that I couldn't face spring-sown annuals again (especially if we have heatwaves and drought again) so tonight I'm sharing...

Welcome to today's episode on Tuesday 25 August 2026.

I've just had some really shocking news about the future of my field, which I'm going to share with you tonight. It's potentially very serious and I won't know anything else for a while. Where does this leave me in terms of planning for 2027?

In other (good) news, I'll update you on the work I've been doing on the field over the weekend and I visited a fellow grower yesterday and explored her growing arrangements. It was fascinating and I love meeting other growers, especially if they're at...

Welcome to today's episode on Friday 21 August 2026.

Seed harvesting mini-disaster (already): all the details of this, plus a reminder to myself that as the rains are finally incoming, it's time to check gutters and downpipes for blockages and detritus, plus ensure that all taps are in the closed position, ready to capture as much water as possible. 

I'm answering a listener question about what perennials I'm focusing on in 2027 and how I'm going to grow them. I'll be growing some from seed and some from plugs, and it's really time to get cracking with the a...

Welcome to today's episode on Tuesday 18 August 2026.

Non-stop flower news from the field in tonight's episode including my sales figures since last week (and possibly why), all the seeds I've been harvesting over the weekend (and how I'm storing them), and the plants doing really well right now (and the reasons for this).

Dahlias - I'm not doing any more disbudding for the rest of this season. I've decided to just let the plants do what they want and see what happens. I want more stems with smaller heads and buds (for more interesting stems...

Welcome to today's episode on Friday 14 August 2026.

It's all happening on the field tonight: government wildfire warning alerts, teatime for the hens, and tonight's episode. The heat has been insane this week - yesterday was brutal - so I hope you've made it through the week ok.

Tonight I'm sharing news of what I've been doing this week plus my seed harvesting plans for the annuals that didn't get sold this summer. I'm also sharing the six key things that the drought has taught me this summer including choosing the right types of plants for...

Welcome to today's episode on Tuesday 11 August 2026.

Lots going on as usual: I've been topping up the IBCs again, trying to keep my shrubs and perennials alive and mulching as much bare soil as possible to stop it overheating. 

Tonight I'm talking about what happens below the surface during a drought: what are the earthworms doing? Are the microbes dead or dormant? What's happened to the mycorrhizal network? How does all of this affect the plants? And what can be done about it?

In other news, it looks like I've been pruning my d...

Welcome to today's episode on Friday 7 August 2026.

Tonight I'm answering some brilliant questions that I've been asked recently including: 

I h...

Hello, it's Tuesday 4 August 2026.

Still no rain - and none in sight. In light of this I went and bought three new big secondhand water storage tanks so I'm ready for whatever Mother Nature throws at me next year. Tonight there's news from the field including what I realised when I was stood on top of a transit van on Sunday. 

Tonight I'm sharing with you my plans for next year and beyond. It's been a big decision and I'm excited about it. This year has been a huge wake-up call for me: the field h...

Hello, it's Friday 31 July 2026.

Welcome to tonight's episode. I'm trying a new format tonight so there's deliberately no intro or outro music. The heatwaves have finally come to an end but the drought continues and there's barely any rain forecast, which is somewhat concerning. I've been busy cutting stems this week for a wedding tomorrow: my wedding florist came to collect the order on Thursday and I can't wait to see the photos. 

I've been ruminating about not growing any annuals in 2027 this week: my off-grid field does not lend itself to annuals and, quite h...

Hello, it's Tuesday 28 July 2026.

You're joining me on the field for tonight's episode. We'll feed the flock together and then I'll update you on my thoughts on the flowers right now and what I'm culling after this year.

I've had to top-up with external water again (I really wish I didn't have to) and I'm about to buy three more IBC storage tanks so I can collect more rainwater myself, rather than having to bring it onsite. 

It's looking like the whole of July isn't going to be the time of my life: I...

Hello, it's Friday 24 July 2026.

This hasn’t been my favourite week and I’ve lost most of my motivation and mojo. I’ve had enough of the heat and drought, everything is looking a bit exhausted now and don’t even get me started on hoses and watering. So tonight’s episode starts off with a bit of a moan and then (thankfully) gets better.

I spent this afternoon with my dahlia mentor, Richard Bailey, who is a professional exhibitor and has won many awards for his dahlias. He’s an incredible human and shares all his know...

Hello, it's Tuesday 21 July 2026.

Another week and still no rain. I'm thanking my lucky stars that I bought my submersible pump last week: it's brilliant and making life much easier. The forecast is not looking good for rain in the next couple of weeks either. I hope you're coping ok with your flowers: I'd really love to hear how you're getting on and if you have any tips or advice to share.

Tonight I'm giving a rundown of how all the plants are coping with the conditions, including those flourishing, those not loving it, the...

Hello, it's Friday 17 July 2026.

I've been having a brilliant time this week watering the flowers with my new pump. If you've had enough of watering by hand in this never-ending UK heatwave, then tonight's episode is for you because it's all about how I chose my new submersible pump. I'll talk about all the things to consider when selecting the one I bought so if you've been considering a pump and wondering how to choose, I hope this information helps. I'm analysing power sources, flow rates, head rates, automatic shut-off, clean/dirty water, and the other myriad...

Hello, it's Tuesday 14 July 2026.

Happy Tuesday! It's hot but not as hot as last week, thank goodness. I hope you're well. 

I've had a busy weekend: I had to import water because my IBCs finally ran empty, so all the details of this. Then my new submersible water pump arrived, which should make watering quicker and easier. If you're in the UK, I'd love to know your watering technique?

In this evening's episode I have an update for you on the flowers on the field right now including news on the relay planting t...

Hello, it's Friday 10 July 2026.

Another scorcher of a week..... and never mind the plants, I've been wilting under the glare of the sun. I've been watering so much this week that I've finally run out of water on the field and I have to top the IBCs up tomorrow. I always have water ring-fenced for the chickens but not enough for the flowers at the moment.

I had a visit from a new florist this week: Aly from The Garden Room came to buy some stems and have a tour of the field. It was...

Hello, it's Tuesday 7 July 2026.

I've been away for a week and it has been nerve-wracking leaving the flowers in the warm temperatures that the UK is still experiencing. I landed back tonight and went straight to the field to see how everything coped and I'm sharing my findings with you in this episode, including the plants doing really well/those that are doing so-so and the ones which have had a bit of a wobble.

There's an update on my water situation. I'll be spending the rest of this week re-locating water from where I...

Hello, it's Friday 3 July 2026.

Tonight I'm doing a Q&A session to celebrate 150 episodes of this podcast. I hit that milestone a few episodes ago but totally forgot that I planned a special themed episode - so here it is. Apologies for my persistent sniffing throughout the episode - I don't quite know what happened.

I'm chatting about topics and questions I've been asked over the past 18 months including how much land do I need, what flowers should I grow, where should I sell my flowers, do I need to go on a course before...

Hello, it's Tuesday 30 June 2026.

Temperatures have finally dropped - thank goodness! That heatwave was intense.

In tonight's episode I'm talking about the perennials I've just been planting on the field and how I bought them guilt-free, thanks to the new technique I've adopted, called Profit First. I've put the name of the book below in case you're interested in reading it. I'm so motivated to see that I have already made a profit this year, and I can't tell you how exciting that is!

I'm also talking about another new technique I'm trying...

Hello, it's Friday 26 June 2026.

Well it's pretty much the end of the current heatwave and I'm flagging a bit, unlike the plants which are doing just fine. UK temperature records have been broken (again) and there's no sign of rain for the next ten days, which is not good. The hens are doing absolutely fine and have been enjoying lots of leafy greens and watermelon. 

In light of the heat, tonight I'm talking about how I look after my plants on the field during the extreme temperatures. I'd love to know if you have any u...

Hello, it's Tuesday 23 June 2026.

Lots to tell you about tonight whilst recording from my very hot field. Even a peacock interrupted me (it's not mine!). We're in the middle of a heatwave here in the UK at the moment which is a teeny bit stressful. So far the seedlings are coping, but the water levels in the IBCs are taking a hit.

Orders are starting to head off the field - more details about them and the upcoming weddings this weekend. 

I also want to share some business jargon with you tonight: gross p...

Hello, it's Friday 19 June 2026.

Thank goodness it's Friday! Phew! If you sent me a message about the annuals/perennials debate this week - thank you - and if you commented on Spotify, thank you too. Tonight I'm talking more about starting annuals in autumn: I'm psyching myself up to get back into sowing.

Please get in touch if you buy annual plug/starts: I'm really interested to know what you buy and why you choose plugs rather than seeds. How does it work out financially for you? Contact details below, do let me know.

Hello, it's Tuesday 16 June 2026.

Normal service has been resumed (no more moaning tonight!). Thanks for bearing with me as I yakked on and on about what a dreadful week I had in the last episode. 

Growing cut flowers is an absolutely wild ride: equal parts fun and sheer terror, and it's a very fine line. I find it really hard to look at the 'big picture' cut flower work I'm doing when my hands are in the soil and my head is full of 'to-do' lists. Tonight I'm sharing the three revelatory things I realised i...

Hello, it's Friday 12 June 2026.

It has been a week. And not a good one! I had a nasty injury on the field, a car drama, non-stop rain, no sales on the hub, my garden is a jungle and I didn't get anywhere near enough seedlings planted out. Oh, and did I mention the rain?

So, in light of that, this episode is a bit of a rant about how dreadfully things have gone this week, just in case you thought it was all fun and games. I have hit a rather large brick wall this...

Hello, it's Tuesday 9 June 2026.

I have lots of news from the field in today's episode including planting seedlings, staking and netting, and weeding (or rather, pulling endless creeping thistle). I've also removed a succession of one of the Saponaria seedlings because they weren't performing well and space is at a premium. It's the first time I've ever done this - and I thought it would be hard - but it wasn't and I'm glad I've done it. 

The quality of the soil under the chipped bark mulch is incredible and much better at surface level t...