We have been getting a lot of questions and helpful ideas about the flower farming side of the farm business, so we are going to devote this live video to talking a bit about that specifically. We will explain why we don’t bring loose flowers to the market, and also why we don’t sell to florists, as well as some of your other common questions. Join and chat, and learn a bit more about the behind the scenes of our flower farm.
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Ian and Serina of YOU CANT EAT THE GRASS feel that every small change can make a big difference to the world we live in. Every garden planted leads to a better future. We hope to inspire and motivate others to make positive changes in their lives by sharing our journey towards greater sustainability as we build our family farm. It’s hard work to build a life worth living, and completely worth it!
Contact us at: iancolbeck@gmail.com
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You say your farm is small, I think your farm is huge!
Your videos are always so awesome! Thank you!!
I don't think any of us mind if you do your live chats after you put the kids to bed ❤
Great information..I love the tip on planting second year blooming flowers.
Have you ever tried to market edible flowers?
you have beautiful flowers and vegies
I hope you guys are fine. I heard wildfire is increased near lake area.
Have you read The Garden in Winter by Rosemary Verey (Timber Press, 1995)
Great live Serina! Love that you use kale and other unusual things in your bouquets. I’ve learned a great deal from you explaining why you do things, so a big thank you!!
Thank you for all the good information
What about a chicken moat around your garden. Living Traditions Homestead has one around their new orchard and garden at their 2nd property. They do it for deer control, a 6 foot wide moat, but chickens love bugs! I bet that would cut down on the grasshopper population in your garden as well as have some free food for your chickens.
I appreciate all of these ideas and just listening to you ramble about flower farming. So much food for thought, to help me decide how to improve next year's garden! Thanks, Serina!
For inner truck space – have you considered making a shelf (of sorts) that hangs/attaches to the headrest posts on front and back seats? In my head it hovers above the height of the buckets of flowers on the floor of the truck and allows for a second level of flowers to be added inside the protection of the truck. could be as simple as a reinforced piece of board with straps of webbing that loop over the headrests and attach to the under side of the board. Easy to store between markets because it would lean up against a wall.
If you sell a $20 bouquet and there's $20 worth of flowers in it, where's your labor cost in that bouquet? or is that already figured in to the stem prices? I'm finally at the stage where I'm learning about the business side
I love and learn so much from you and your videos. You and Ian are really funny when together. Your personalities complement each other. Just one thing..could you use closed caption on your channel?
You are born to be an entrepreneur! Good business model and thinking of all logistics You are already six sigma black belt ready to bloom. Thank you so much for sharing, your videos are brining so much value . You are so honest and real. Wishing you best growing and selling seasons for many years to come.
Hello! Fellow flower farmer & youtuber from Iowa! I love your weekly live chats……I listen to them while I work as if they were a podcast! Happy Farming!
I think you’re overestimating how much restaurants would firstly need of a particular veg variety, or how reliant they would get on you. I’ve worked in restaurants and hotels and chefs will work with whatever ‘seasonal veg’ will turn up. You can also keep good communication with them, by letting them know “hey, we’ll have pak Choi by next week, as well as fingerling carrots, but the kale will be another couple of weeks at least” or email them through order forms with what’s available the coming week, and that is ample info for a restaurant to know and to be able to plan with. They will have many other suppliers if you don’t have something specific they want. But if you are reliable for just one product,,, say salad leaves, then you will get regular orders. You just have to focus on that one thing, and salad leaves are easy as they grow fast and easy to cut and come again.
If you could get hold of an old dog crate, you could put it in the back of the truck, load your buckets of flowers into it, and throw a tarp over it to keep the wind and weather off. And the crate would be strong and sturdy enough to stack other things on top if need be.
I believe that the chef at a nice restaurant would come out each day or couple days to see what you have that they can work their menu around kinda thing. I saw a show like that once.Maybe the florists come to buy what you have to offer. You have beautiful unique flowers that you could sell bouquets to restaurants for their tables…small ones.
Some of your leftovers flowers could go to hospital or nursing home.
Hmm. Are you joining team flowers?
I was a bit disappointed that you brushed off your son's attempts to get your attention.Should these young kids have to compete with your audience for your time?
I put buckets of flowers into tall rectangular plastic totes (think the ones with the latch on lids) so they’re not exposed to any wind and fill the truck bed with those.
Do you have any updates on the eucalyptus you started this spring?