Market Research into local cut flowers

[diggernotdreamer]

Thanks for the good advice Seasidegirl. I think my sweetpeas would be a winner, everyone I have given them to has been delighted and comments on the scent, they seem to last quite a while in the vase as well, my local butcher had them on his counter for a week before they went over, probably nice and cool in his shop. It would be nice to establish a local market for them and take them into the village once or twice a week to sell,

Being very ignorant, how do you condition flowers? Would you recommend citric acid as an aid to increasing longevity in the vase, your advice would be very useful, thanks Lyn

[seasidegirl]

I have read about citric acid and planned to test it but didn't get around to it. Most important for conditioning is scrupulously clean equipment, scissors, buckets and water. You need something to keep the water clean and a little something to feed the flowers. I use a splash of vinegar and some sugar.

Also the flowers need time to re-hydrate themselves and cool down. You should cut them when they are cool, i.e. not in most heat of day. All flowers need hours to recover before being transported. I've seen various advice about whether morning or evening is best. It also depends on the flower type. I found it also depends on what time of day you have most time for cutting and bunching. It does take a while if you have a selection.

If the corner shop is nervous about buying such a perishable product off you then you could try offering to supply them on a commission basis. This worked for me. You just collect the money when you deliver the next lot in a clean bucket (minus their commission) and take away any unsold flowers. I didn't take many home

[diggernotdreamer]

Thanks very much for all the helpful advice, makes a lot of sense to me now. Hope all goes well with the book, let me know when you print it (don't do Kindley things). I have a friend who is getting married next year and I will be able to give her a lovely bouquet as a present.

As we say in Ireland Thanks a Million

[seasidegirl]

I haven't got a kindle either. I'm putting it off for as long as possible but I've been thinking that I will need one if only to work on my own writing and formatting etc. Also from the selling point of view it could make it accessible to a lot more people at a much lower price.

I hope to see the book published at some point. It's not so much a how-to book, although has lots of tips, as much as a why-to book with some of my experiences and lessons learned. Trouble is I've got too many projects on the go (story of life) and am much better at starting things than finishing them.

I thought the paeonys, suggested above, are a great idea. I don't have any and would have killed for some this year. Also you can't have enough foliage.

There is a good website with guides on growing annuals for cutting. I bought some of his seeds too and they did well. His articles are entertaining.

[seasidegirl]

http://higgledygarden.com/how-to-guides/

[diggernotdreamer]

Thanks for the link SSG, very interesting web site