Would you like to have a cutting garden?
I started down this journey that led me to flower farming because I wanted to have a cutting garden. My first attempt was a complete failure because I knew absolutely nothing about growing flowers. My husband was kind enough to build me a raised flower bed and fill it with potting soil, but it turned out that all of the flowers I bought at local big box store were low growing, mounding type plants! Not even ONE was tall enough to be cut and put into a vase. Fast forward, now I grow flowers on about half an acre on our farm and cannot believe how lucky I am to be doing this!
If you want to start a cutting garden there are several things to be aware of and plan for . . .
Choose the location based on the types of flowers you want to grow. Do they need shade, part-shade, some sun (this generally means they want morning sun, but not the harsh afternoon sun), or full sun. Most cut flowers prefer full sun.
Choose your flowers. When you purchase plants at a nursery or seeds to start your own seedlings or direct seed . . . read the label/packet information. Both will usually tell you the height of the flower at harvest time. Generally speaking, you want flowers that will be at least 18” tall to be considered for a cutting garden. Note, there are some beautiful flowers that are only 12” - 14” tall, but these will be used in short vases.
Determine if they need to be started ahead of time and then transplanted into your cutting garden or if they prefer to be direct sown. If they do best as a transplant, start your seeds based on the seed package information so that they are ready to transplant after the date of your area’s average last spring frost. This is also the date you will sow seeds that prefer to be direct sown.
Water. Young plants need to watered regularly and not be allowed to completely dry out. However, you also don’t want to water them too much because that will cause them to rot and die.
Weeds. Ugh! You want to keep a handle on weeds so they do not choke out your plants. My recommendation is to check the garden bed at least twice a week to pull weeds when they are at the “thread” stage (the roots are as thin as a thread). It is easy to get rid of them at this stage.
Cut - Harvest. Cutting gardens are for cutting!! Many flowers you use in a cutting garden are considered “cut and come again” types. The more you cut, the more they produce. My favorites include zinnias, various types of celosia, and Mrs. Burns lemon basil. I also like to include sunflowers in a cutting garden but I prefer the single stem varieties. If you include these too, you will need to plant a few seeds each week or two.
Enjoy! You may find that you have more than you can use each week, so they become a great way to bless other people in your life.
Having a cutting garden can be a lot of fun but it does require a commitment to tending to it on a regular basis. Let me know if you would like more detailed information on starting your own cutting garden. I’ve considered putting together a seed pack for a cutting garden or possibly starting the seedlings for cutting gardens to have ready for sale (a gift?) at the optimum planting time. I would love to know if anyone would be interested in something like that. In any case, if you have a cutting garden of your own, I would enjoy seeing pictures of it. Flowers brighten a room, make a home smell good, bring a smile to a face, and give us a way to share beauty with those around us.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy your day!
How can I make my cut flowers last longer?
There are tried and true things we can all do to make our cut flowers last as long as possible. Of course, we must first be aware that some types of flowers can last up to two weeks when cared for properly, while others, like Dahlias, give us only about five days before they are finished showing off!
The things you can do include:
Make sure your vase is clean and change your water every day or every other day, seriously!! There is a saying in the flower farming world that whatever you put your flowers in should be clean enough that you would drink out of it too.
When you change the water, take a slight trim off the ends of the stems or cut into them vertically a smidge. This makes sure they can drink up as much water as they need.
I thought everyone knew this, but then I found out I was wrong . . . no leaves below the water line! Leaves below the water line get all slimy and gross which leads to bacteria growing in the water, and then you have water you wouldn’t drink so your flowers shouldn’t either.
Some flowers are considered dirty flowers . . . like sunflowers, zinnias, celosia, and several more. We put a CVBN tablets in our water buckets to keep bacteria from growing. Once I’ve put them in a vase in my own house, I simply change the water often and sometimes I rinse the stems at the bottom of vase. (I have heard some people put a drop of bleach in the water of their dirty flowers, but I cannot confirm or deny the validity of this practice!)
Keep your vase of flowers away from direct sunlight and heat sources, and away from FRUIT . . . yes, fruit. There are many types of fruit that put off ethylene gas that may make some flowers wilt quickly. I don’t know which fruits are the worst offenders so I keep my flowers away from where my bananas are ripening on the counter in my kitchen!
And the final thing you can do, if you have the space, is to put your flowers in the refrigerator at night. Think about where florists keep their flower arrangements . . . in the frig! [update: it’s important to note that not all flowers like to be in a cooler/refrigerator . . . especially zinnias and basil]
I hope this gives you some ideas on how to get the most out of your flowers. If you know any other tricks, please share them with me.
In the words of Tigger, TTFN flower friends!!
Ann Call
Montpelier Flower Farm