Growing and Selling Flowers
Fields of flowers are dreamy and bursting with joyful color, but unless you have background knowledge on production techniques and a solid plan for selling them, those flowers can be more costly than profitable or enjoyable. This course will introduce you to the topics, resources and questions you'll need to answer if you intend to operate a flower farm or add flower production as one component of an established business.
Target Audience
Aspiring/Beginner - if you have 0-2 seasons of experience growing flowers for commercial sale, this course was designed for you. Those with more experience will also glean some good information but may find the course too basic for their needs. Climate, soils, production systems, and appropriate varieties vary a lot from region to region, and this course mostly presents production information relevant to farmers in the humid, temperate climate of the Central and Northern United States. Farmers outside the region are more than welcome to register and will likely still learn a lot since many considerations for flower production are relevant regardless of geography.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you will identify essential questions to ask when making decisions regarding your cut flower operation and learn to:
- Understand the seasonal cycles of a flower farm
- Understand the basics of production techniques and growing season management of pests, weeds, and diseases
- Generate several ideas of what species you could grow, where you could sell them, and whether these ideas are viable
Webinars
The bulk of the course happens on your own time, with discussions, readings, and non-graded review quizzes in Teachable, our virtual classroom. To add to the experience, live webinars will be woven into the online interface of the course to allow you to meet on a weekly basis to learn from outside presenters and ask questions to address your farm issues in real time. If you miss one, they are always recorded and posted for later viewing.
Webinar Schedule
Live instruction for 2024 has concluded. You are welcome to enroll now to complete this course on a self-paced schedule and join our next live session in Fall 2025. All webinars are recorded and posted in your online classroom to watch anytime. Once enrolled in this course, you will retain access to all materials indefinitely and may return to participate in future live offerings of the course as well. Please join us!
Your Instructor
Betsy Lamb is the coordinator for Ornamental
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for the New York State IPM Program. She
works with ornamental producers to find effective, economical and
environmentally sound techniques
to prevent losses from insect, disease, weed, and other pests. She has
been in this position, part of Cornell Cooperative Extension since
2006. She has a MS from Cornell and a PhD from the University of
Minnesota. One of her primary interests is in the use
of biological control to manage insect pests.
Hannah Volpi is the owner of Foxi Flora, a Cut Flower, Herb & Vegetable Farm in Trumansburg, NY. She grows a wide variety of goodies for her weekly CSA, gifts, events, DIY U-Pick, and truly enjoys the floral design elements equal to growing. Her business has grown slowly and steadily each year; with emphasis on mindful practice in relation to everything from the ecosystem of her land to how she interacts with the community. She also started the Ithaca Beer Company Farm to Table program, partnered in
Ithaca Beautification Brigade, and offers independent Garden &
Landscape design work. When she's not in the gardens, she's walking and swimming with her dog Ruby, and thinking about what other spaces she can turn into gardens!
Student Testimonials
“Hearing from both the grower’s perspective and shop/design professionals was very helpful and informative.”
“I believe having someone who has experience as a flower farmer and also having someone who has researched effective and economical methods for managing pests is invaluable for teaching the course.”
“The instructors were great! Enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and their areas of expertise complimented one another.”
“The course gave me exposure to many different flower farming possibilities.”
“I learned so much about the different aspects of flower production. It made me realize that I was going to need more capital to achieve my goals. It was really important for me to learn this, or I would have failed and spent money on things I did not need. Now I know where I would put my money to be successful and I know what I am saving up money for.”
Course Curriculum
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StartInstructor Contact
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PreviewWeekly Webinar Schedule and Participants' Guide
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StartWeekly Webinar Join Link
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StartPre-Course Survey
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PreviewKiva US - 0% Loans up to $15,000
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StartNavigating in Teachable, Getting a Course Completion Certificate, and More
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StartFlower Enterprise Plan: Important Questions to Ask Yourself Before Beginning
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StartCreating a pest management plan