Another year in the books, and like the previous years, I've learned a lot!
Lesson 1 - Lilies are a VERY polarizing flower
I was so excited to be able to grow lilies for an entire year. But apparently, the farmers market shopper does not share in my excitement. I know they are toxic to cats, but only 50% of households own a cat so that shouldn't be too bad, right? Wrong.
I also know that round half of the population loves the scent of lilies, and the other half describe the scent as "fresh cat pee". So there goes another chunk of potential buyers.
All I know is that every week I brought lilies to market, and most weeks I brought quite a few lilies back home. So, once my bulb stock is gone, I will probably bid them adieu...maybe forever.
Lesson 2 - Whats with the hate for yellow tulips?
I noticed something this year. Yellow tulips are a death sentence for my bouquets. If I so much as include one yellow tulip in a bouquet, there is a 99% chance that it wont sell. Even if it's a gorgeous double tulip. Note to self, do not order yellow tulips ever again.
Lesson 3 - I actually like dahlias, I just didn't know it
Way back in Year one, I proclaimed (for various reasons) that I didn't like growing dahlias. I decided to give them another try on a very small scale and boy-howdy did I change my mind. I chose better varieties that were bred for cut flowers and the difference was night and day. I am now a self-proclaimed dahlia addict and have plans to grow as many as I can in the space that was formerly occupied by my greenhouse (it was destroyed in a big snow event, may it Rest In Peace).
Lesson 4 - Winter tulips are worth the effort
Winter tulips are not for the faint of heart, but they are worth the effort. It's an amazing feeling to bring locally grown flowers to market in the middle of winter. I had some losses, but I learned from my mistakes and will do even better next year.
Lesson 5 - I still want to be a flower farmer
Nothing has changed in this regard. I still enjoy growing, cutting and bringing flowers to market - even though some weeks I brought a lot of them back home (see Lessons 1 and 2 above). It's still hard work, and being small scale makes it even harder but it makes me happy so I'll keep going.