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Also in Gardening & Agriculture

The Flower Farmer, Revised and Expanded

An Organic Grower's Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers

by Lynn Byczynski

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments • xi
Preface to the Second Edition • xiii

Introduction • xv
Why Organic Flowers?, xvii • What Do You Need to Get Started?, xviii

~1~
Basics for Beginners
1

Women’s Work? Hardly!, 2 • Plant Names, 2 • Common inflorescence forms and the parts of a flower, 3 • A Garden of Annuals, 5 • Perennial Beds, 8 • Bulbs, 11 • A Beginner’s Annual Garden, 12 • Flowers for Drying, 14 • Sunflowers, 16 • Herb Bouquets, 18 • Grasses and Grains, 20 • Vegetables, 22 • Foliage, 23 • The Best Cutting Flowers for Your Region, 23 • The Flower Grower’s Year, 28 • Profile: Texas Specialty Cut Flowers, Blanco, Texas, 30

~2~
Site and Soil
33

Soil Preparation, 36 • Cover Crops for the Home and Market Garden, 37 • Calculating Compost, 39 • A Garden In Your Lawn, 40 • Making Raised Beds, 42 • Profile: Country Essences Flowers, Watsonville, California, 44

~3~
Buying and Starting Plants
47

Buying Plants, 47 • Growing Under Lights, 50 • Do You Need a Greenhouse?, 51 • Choosing a Greenhouse, 52 • Profile: The Fresh Herb Company, Longmont, Colorado, 54 • Starting Transplants, 56 • My Seed-Starting System, 57

~4~
Growing in the Field
59

Transplanting, 59 • Mulching, 61 • Be Careful with Hay, 62 • Landscape Fabric, 63 • Flowers You Can Direct Seed, 64 • Direct-Seeding, 64 • Fall Planting, 65 • Supporting Flowers, 66 • To Pinch or Not to Pinch, 67 • Weeding, 68 • Food for the Birds and Butterflies, 69 • Drip Irrigation, 69 • A Basic System for Drip Irrigation, 70 • Pest and Disease Control, 72 • Powdery Mildew, 76 • Profile: Charlotte’s Garden, Louisa County, Virginia, 78

~5~
Season Extension
81

In the Field, 81 • Horticultural Plastics and the Sustainability Dilemma, 82 • Hoophouses, 86 • Flower Calendar, 88 • Recommended flowers for hoophouse production, 92 • Hoophouse or Greenhouse, 95 • Greenhouse Flowers, 96 • Profile: Bear Creek Farms, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 100

~6~
The Dried-Flower Garden
103

Air Drying, 104 • Preserving with Glycerine, 105 • Preserving with Silica, 106 • Freeze- Drying, 107 • Controlling Dried-Flower Pests, 108 • Japanese Crop Binder, 109 • Commercial Dried-Flower Production, 110 • Poppies, 111• Tips for Selling Drieds, 112 • Profile: Valencia Creek Farm, Aptos, California, 112

~7~
Woody Ornamentals
115

Benefits of Woodies, 117 • Choosing Varieties, 117 • Spacing, 118 • Physiology of Woody Plants, 118 • When to Harvest, 119 • Forcing Blossoms, 120 • Harvest and Post-Harvest, 121 • Specific Instructions for Woodies, 121 • Hydrangeas, 126 • Profile: Star Valley Flowers, Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin, 128

~8~
Harvest and Post-Harvest
131

Timeliness, 131 • Time of Day, 133 • Cleanliness, 133 • Tools, 134 • Holding and Blooming Peonies, 135 • Cutting Early to Prevent Insect Damage, 136 • Preservatives, 137 • The Best Peonies, 138 • How to Conduct Vase Life Trials, 140 • Water, 141 • Flower Enemy Number One: Ethylene, 142 • Harvesting, 143 • Cooling, 145 • Profile: Sunnydale Spring Peony Farm, Valley Center, Kansas, 146 • Transportation, 148

~9~
Arranging Fresh Flowers
149

What You Need, 149• What the Flowers Need, 150 • Containers, 150 • Floral Foam, 150 • Tools for Arranging Flowers, 151 • Other Ways to Anchor Flowers, 152 • Learning From Designers, 153 • Arranging with Floral Foam, 154 • Placing the Flowers, 155 • Color and Texture, 155 • Size and Style, 155 • Bouquet Making, 156 • Profile: Rosebank Farms, Johns Island, South Carolina, 158

~10~
Growing Flowers for Market
161

Starting Small, 1620 • Diversification, 162 • Developing a Market, 162 • Diversification, 163 • Pricing, 164 • How Much to Plant?, 167 • The Top Six Flowers, 167 • Scheduling Your Plantings, 168• Annuals that Can Be Planted in Succession, 170 • Staying Healthy, 170 • Profile: California Organic Flowers, Chico, California, 172

~11~
Marketing Flowers
175

Flower Trends, 176 • Retail Florists, 176 • The Local Advantage, 178 • It’s All About the Relationship, 180 • Wholesale Florists, 182 • Shipping Flowers, 184 • Supermarkets, 185 • Bouquet-Makers, 187 • Invoicing and Getting Paid, 187 • Farmers’ Markets, 189 • Subscription Programs, 190• Pick-Your-Owns, 190 • Weddings, 191

Parting Words • 193
Appendix 1: Recommended Cut Flowers • 195
Appendix 2: Sources and Resources • 239
Index • 255