✔️A Year Of Flower Farming: Hard-Earned Wisdom
My First Year as a Vermont Flower Farmer at Ostara's Grove
Hey Grovers. Let’s get real. 2024 has been a feast or famine kind of year for Ostara’s Grove. I’ve learned more than I thought possible (truly, how is there any room left in my brain), and maybe even uttered some choice words — okay, definitely. Get off my back! — It turns out that throwing chaotic energy at a garden and hoping for the best is not the greatest strategy for a thriving flower farm. But hey, it’s a great way to learn the do’s, don’ts, and better nots!
Maybe you’re a little more prideful, or just afraid of making a (probably costly) mistake. No worries! I love a good experiment and will do the guess work so you don’t have to.
Row Covers: A Game-Changer
Lesson number one: row covers are a must in Zone 4. I mean, who knew? Despite starting seedlings indoors, a late frost (like, way late) meant our transplants didn’t hit the ground until almost July. Not only did that delay our blooms, but several plants actually kicked the bucket in their starter trays. Wasted seeds, wasted nutrients, and wasted labor. What. A. Bummer.
Humidity: A Powdery Mildew Nightmare
Next up, pumpkin trellises. I can’t even begin to tell you how many reels, tutorials, and articles I looked at detailing out the ultimate dream fuel that is a pumpkin trellis. It’s without a doubt the thing I was most looking forward to at Ostara’s Grove this year. That said, I had no idea powdery mildew could be such a nightmare. Even with plenty of air circulation and space, it took over. The leaf die-off was obvious, and several pumpkins never reached their full size.
Grass: The Enemy
Did you know grass is more like a weed than something you have to struggle to keep alive? Coming from California (you know, that cursed place where it never rains and people literally paint their dirt green in the hopes of crafting the insane illusion of a lush lawn), I didn’t have a clue. I mean, obviously a beautiful, healthy lawn requires maintenance. There’s no doubt about that. But I just didn’t expect it to become such a hazard when it comes to pumpkins! Several of our gourds ended up rotting due to overgrown grass trapping moisture. Lesson learned: keep that grass under control, grow vertically, or completely remove grass from “affected” areas.
Overcrowding: A Double-Edged Sword
In my early research days, I learned that overcrowding can be a great way to maximize space and cut down on the need for weed control. Both of those things are totally true! Overdo it though, and you’re looking at brown rot and crowded-out blooms. It’s a delicate balance, one which I’ll be working to master.
Varieties: The Spice of Life?
This year, specifically when it comes to nasturtiums, I found myself entirely confused. I had read that they were vining plants that would gladly grow up a trellis should you provide one. That’s true. However, the nasturtiums that I had planted to accompany my pumpkins on their trellis did no such thing. For a moment, I thought the entire internet was a lie — jury’s still out on that. — In reality, I just had the wrong variety. The particular seeds I had purchased were for the more compact, creeping varieties, while the ones I had read about and seen elsewhere were the vining type. This can be said for a number of flowers, such as marigolds, roses, bellflowers, and clematis.
Wildlife: A Blessing and a Curse
Wildlife can be a beautiful thing. In fact, it’s a huge part of the reason we relocated to somewhere so rural. What we didn’t count on was how destructive wildlife could be to a garden. If you’re growing bulbs, wildlife is basically public enemy number one. I’m on the hunt for a barrier to protect my bulbs from those pesky beauties. So far, we’ve spotted skunks, groundhogs, turkeys, deer, and maybe even a bobcat (thanks, Luke, for that terrifying discovery.)
Full Sun: More Than Meets the Eye
Even sun-loving flowers can get too much sun. This is definitely something we’ll be experimenting with here at Ostara’s Grove.
Ostara’s Grove: 2025 Sneak Peek
As I look ahead to the upcoming season, I’m excited to implement new strategies and build on the lessons learned from our first year. To ensure a more successful and productive growing season, we’ll be focusing on the following improvements for 2025:
Narrowing down the types of flowers we offer to start. This year, I went at it with chaotic energy and decided to plant about 200 different varieties. My goal was to see what grew and what didn’t. Based on that, I would put more energy into the successes. Through this method, I definitely learned a lot, but I didn’t achieve as much success as I’d hoped. By narrowing down the selection, I’ll have more time, energy, and resources to put into growing beautiful flowers ready to bouquet and sell at the farmstand next year.
Processes are important. They can really make or break you. In 2025 I’ll be working on developing better processes to increase productivity. From seeding, transplanting, and harvesting, to putting together arrangements.
Extending the growing season. Our biggest pain point this year was, obviously, the weather. Our final frost date came at the end of June, meaning plants weren’t getting into the ground until the last week of June, and even July. This hurt our production, and also forced us to miss the biggest flower holidays. Until we can spring for a high tunnel or greenhouse, we will be investing in some row covers in the hopes we can force a few areas to start producing earlier.
Grants Hunting. Who knew starting a small business was difficult? Just kidding, but only a little. We’ll be investing quite a bit of time looking into funding resources for small operations like Ostara’s Grove.
Garden Structures. Ostara’s Grove is a small business based on the same property as my home. We bought the place with only personal needs in mind, so it wasn’t exactly farm-ready. But hey, that’s where the fun begins! Since we don’t have acres of land to play with, we’ll be getting creative. Think vertical gardens, pumpkin towers, and ditching those raised beds for in-ground rows. I’m a craft girly at heart, so space-saving DIY’s are my absolute jam!
Reflecting on the year in the rear-view, my first year as a Vermont flower farmer, I’m grateful for the lessons learned, the challenges overcome, and the beauty created with just a little bit of soil, toil, and growth. While it’s been a rocky road, I’m excited to see what the future holds for our small Vermont Flower Farm. With a little more knowledge and a lot more planning, I’m confident that Ostara’s Grove will become a thriving garden that brings joy to our community here in Lunenburg, Vermont.
Have a tip that always works for you? What about something you’re afraid to try? Let us know in the comments and maybe we’ll give it a shot here and report back!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rebekkah grew up the middle child of three sisters in California. At 12, she and her sisters were separated, and she went to live with an aunt and uncle in Washington State. It was there that her love of floriculture blossomed. Her high school offered a Horticulture class, where she became the Floral Manager for the small-scale floral business within. That was all it took for Rebekkah to decide she wanted to one day own her own floral shop.
Unbeknownst to her then, this dream would be a journey that would take her across the country. Today, Rebekkah finds herself in a quaint Vermont town, living her dream with her three adorable cats and her supportive fiancé by her side. Her love for floriculture has blossomed into Ostara's Grove.
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