How much land defines a flower farmer?
I grow on just under half an acre. I grow flowers as crops. In dedicated beds, in dozens if not hundreds of plants of each variety.
I brazenly called my business ‘Anna’s Flower Farm’ before I even had plots beyond my, albeit large, garden. Talk about dressing for the job I wanted! I knew I could grow plants - I had been a jobbing gardener, then consultant, landscaper designer and plantswoman for 15 years. But growing flowers to cut is quite a different endeavour. It was a new challenge. The first year, 2015, I want to see if I could grow to cut, take reasonable photos and then at the end of the season, could I sell them. They felt like big aims, lofty goals and enough to reach for. I achieved all three.
The next challenge was to expand and find dedicated space to grow on.
This is the ultimate hurdle in the UK. Even though you only need around half to an acre to make it work for yourself. At this size, you can grow and sell direct to customer, workshops and small weddings - growing for your own work. An acre or more is fantastic but you do need far more resources and labour. An acre is great for retail bunches and wholesale dedicated growing.
I decided on finding land and cast my net far and wide. I set up market stalls and told everyone who came to see me and buy flowers, that I was looking for space to grow. I went all over the area looking at overgrown corners of fields, gardens and all sorts from kind interested patrons. Nothing was quite right. And I wasn’t fussy!
Eventually, I hope that large land owners and famers will seek flower growers to farm their field margins, difficult-to-access fields around telegraph poles and the corners too awkward for machinery access. They’ll see the benefits of flower growing, the diversity they bring and improving soil health, pollinators and insects together with all sorts of biodiversity. Leaving to grow wild or overgrown, has only limited benefits. Flower growing does this and so much more. Another revenue stream, local employment and ultimately, better quality produce, especially for vegetable and fruit growers. If you are already growing organically and regeneratively, of course you know all this.
So with that in mind, do approach your local produce growers - I am told they want people to grow flowers on their land but don’t know where to look! They can only say no, but they might know someone else. It’s called ‘Networking Baby’ and it has a bad press. But really it’s just talking and getting to know people. People want to work with good people. It takes a lot but everything great project, ‘piece of luck’ or relationship has been by getting out they, showing up and getting to know people. There is also the Land Workers Alliance, the NFU, The Ecological Land Cooperative and all sorts of Facebook groups dedicated to sharing information about land to rent.
I live on the historic Audley End Estate. The Estate is the land and businesses that surrounded the great stately house, now owned by English Heritage. I rent a cottage and I badgered the Manager for months for a little plot. It came off, there was a little plot ‘the old allotment’, a corner that I could grow on.
And a very old walled garden that no one knew about. Locked up and untouched for 30 years bar being mowed. Whoever created it didn’t know much about gardening - more about that another day. I wouldn’t take no for an answer and kept asking. They needed to know I was serious and a land owner needs to be confident that they can trust you too.
And then two years later, after trying again, looking at plots to expand 10 miles away, my then new landlord agreed to let me extend and use the old mower shed too as a studio. I proved that I could grow and would look after the space.
I rent these spaces. Investing an enormous amount of time and money in growing, looking after my soils and the facilities. It does often feel precarious - the land could be taken away and that scarcity often catches me. Ideally of course, you would buy your land so you can be autonomous over your space and cross. But small plots to buy are like hens teeth.
We need to be determined and network hard to find a piece of land to work. That means asking everyone! There are pockets all over the UK waiting for us to flower. I know, I’m an idealist but making enquiries and not being deterred will be the first brave business decision you will make. Growing and selling flowers needs a strong will, so best start with the almost impossible mission - finding some land.
Next week on how I planned out the beds and layout of the plots.
