The Business of Growing Flowers course is now in its 4th season.
Our online programme is designed for artisan Flower farmers who want to be productive and efficient, to grow quality flowers without sacrificing their quality of life.
This course is for all the those who’ve been growing and selling for more than a year and who have at some point (probably recently) thought any (or all) of the following:
I can’t work any more hours
I’ll never get all the jobs done
I'm working all the time but I’m not making much/any money
I don't seem to have the right flowers for my orders
I don't have a life beyond flowers!
How can I sell every flower I grow?
I need more plants, how can I get them without major investment?
I’m muddling along but really don’t feel I know what I’m doing
I love what I do but I’m utterly exhausted
I don’t know how to work out how many plants/bulbs/seeds I need
I’ve walked up and down this path 20 times today, is this really necessary?
If this all rings a bell, The Business of Growing Flowers is for you!
It will provide you with the tools, techniques and support to go into your next season knowing how to get the most from your farm and yourself without working more hours, to create a profitable business, and also have time to have a life.
The Business of Growing Flower is a 10 module course with regular Live Zoom calls, and an online peer support group
To find out if it’s right for you, here are some of our most Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the course?
The 10 modules of the course are available for you to read at any time, but we give a suggested timeline over the Autumn and Winter months for you to complete each module, so that you have worked through the course before Spring. You then get additional online support through the Spring and Summer months until September 2022. Each year we have a good percentage of our participants re-join the course at a discounted price to continue to get additional support and information.
Is it for me if I haven’t started growing yet?
No, this is an advanced growers course, we suggest that you have been growing and selling for at least a year. We have had participants who have started at the beginning of their growing careers, but their feedback shows they make the most from it in their 2nd or 3rd years on the course.
I’ve been growing for several years, is it still relevant?
Yes, it’s for you if you’ve asked yourselves any of the questions at the top of this blog. We have flower farmers taking part who have been growing for many years, but they know that being efficient and productive is really important to their profitability
How much time do I have to allocate?
The course consists of 10 modules, each focusing on a different element of running a flower farm. They are available to you all at once, but we give a suggested schedule for working through each module during the quieter winter months. Each will take a couple of hours to read through/ watch videos, and then there are worksheets and further reading to do for you to make an individual plan for your farm. There is a live zoom call every couple of weeks, in the evenings. If you are unable to participate, a recording of the call is placed in the course so you can catch up later.
Who are the teachers?
Claire Brown, Carol Siddorn and Paula Baxter are all UK flower farmers with 30 years of flower farming experience between them.
They are all based in the UK, but grow in very different conditions - Claire is in the South, on chalk soil, Carol is in the West growing on sandy soil, and Paula is in Scotland on the east coast working with heavy clay.
We do some things differently and the options we consider, plus the thought processes we use to make decisions are built in to the course. We don’t teach that there’s a right or wrong way to grow flowers, but we can explain how we do it and why. There’s no blueprint for a successful flower farm!
Is it applicable to me if I don’t grow in the UK?
Yes, we have had participants in the US, Canada, New Zealand, Europe and Ireland, our conditions may be slightly different, but learning about the business aspects of flower farming is appropriate to all parts of the world.
How much will it cost? I’m not earning much from flower farming yet.
The Business of Growing Flowers course is £450 for a 10 Module online course, support and answers via our zoom calls and Facebook group until September 2022. You can pay in one payment, or 3 monthly instalments.
If you want flower farming to be more than a hobby, invest some time, effort and a bit of hard earned cash in learning this autumn/winter, and set off into 2022 more confident, focused and organised!