Floral Fallacies: Busting the Myths That Are Keeping You from Selling at Farmers Markets
My flower farming journey started the same way it has for many: as a passion project. I love everything about growing and working with flowers — the dirt, the hard work, and — of course — the beauty of the flowers themselves. When I decided to turn that passion into a flower farming business, I devoured every bit of information about what to grow, how to grow it, and how to create beautiful arrangements.
While I was eager to master all of the techniques needed to grow beautiful flowers, including notoriously difficult lisianthus, shown here, at first I didn't put nearly the same effort into selling my flowers.
Sidestepping Sales
What I spent far less time on—because it didn’t seem as fun and, honestly, felt uncomfortable—was developing my plan for selling the gorgeous flowers I was growing. For quite a while, I convinced myself I was still in "learning mode" and wasn’t ready to turn my hobby into a profitable flower farm.
The truth? I was scared. Scared to put myself (through my flowers) "out there." Afraid of the unknown and petrified of failure. But eventually, I realized I couldn’t pursue my flower farming dream without taking the leap and selling my blooms. I first started selling through another (vegetable) farmer’s roadside market; then I took the leap of signing up for a local farmers market. It was the best thing I ever did for the business.
No barn, no cooler, no problem! In the earliest days of the farm, before we had the barn or even a cooler, I would carry the harvest buckets into the house, and do all of the bouquet-making in my kitchen the night before market.
Blooming the Business: The Farmers Market Impact
Fast forward through the years, and it’s crystal clear that farmers markets have been central to our flower farm’s success. Even during our busiest wedding seasons, farmers markets made up the bulk of our revenue and helped us gain subscription customers, wedding clients, and workshop attendees. In short, farmers markets were at the root of turning my side-hustle gardening hobby into a six-figure business.
As the demand for our bouquets grew, so too did our market presence. What started with a single tent and a couple buckets' worth of mixed bouquets (far left) became a two-tent, two-person operation at one of the biggest, busiest markets in our area.
Debunking the Myths
Below are five of the ways I talked myself out of doing farmers markets for the first couple seasons of the farm – and why I now realize they were all just excuses that I created in my own head, because I was afraid to take the leap into selling.
Myth #1: I can’t sell direct to the consumer! I’m an introvert!!
Here’s the thing…so am I. Big time. But something kind of magical happens at market. The people who approach your booth are interested in flowers. Some, because they know little or nothing about them and are curious (“what’s the name of that flower?”), and others because they love them and are excited to converse with another flower lover. Either way, the conversation flows smoothly and easily. I’m not purposely trying to sell my flowers during these conversations (though I usually do) – I’m just talking about my favorite subject.
Myth #2: My farm isn’t big enough
You don’t need buckets upon buckets of flowers to have a successful market day. Small markets are popping up everywhere and are a great place to start. It’s how I got started! At my very first market (see photo, above) I only had a half dozen mixed bouquets to sell. So I brought several buckets of brightly colored zinnias and arranged them in an ombré formation on my table. Most of them didn’t sell, but they made my table look more lush and inviting than it otherwise would have.
Our brides have always been delightful to work with -- not a Bridezilla in sight -- but because there is zero margin for error, weddings are stressful. If you use your flowers to do weddings, your price per bloom will be higher than with other sales channels, but the labor and stress involved in wedding work means you will earn every penny of that increased margin. Farmers markets, in my opinion, represent an optimal path to flower farm profitability. (photo credits: photo 2: Kayleigh Taylor, photo 3: Jay Eads)
Myth #3: You can’t make money doing farmers markets
Before I started selling at market, I thought this, too. Actually, selling direct to consumers (instead of through florists or wholesalers) means you can set higher prices. While weddings still fetch the highest per-bloom price, they come with much more stress. To me, farmers markets are the sweet spot: higher margins, less stress.
Myth #4: I don’t have the right equipment
Yes, there are a few things you need to have: a tent (unless you’re inside), a table, and a way to collect money. Tablecloths are nice, but you can borrow one or go buy a $10 canvas drop cloth. Signs don’t have to be fancy – for years, we wrote the prices right on the flower buckets, using a chalk pen. A cooler for storing your flowers until market day is certainly useful, but I did markets for my entire first season without one. And until we got big enough to need a delivery van, I used my personal vehicle to transport everything.
Buying the delivery van was a big moment, and much needed — we would stuff every square inch of it to get our flowers to market. But in the early days, I fit all of the flowers for market in the back of my car.
Myth #5: I’ve got more important things to do on a Saturday (or whenever market day is)
If you're juggling a 9-to-5 and flower farming, I get it—your weekends are precious. But if you want to be a flower farmer, getting your flowers out there (and getting paid for them) is essential. Isn’t that worth your time?
So…let’s get those flowers out into the world!
If any of these myths resonate with you, I hope you’ll reconsider your reservations about selling at farmers markets, because the world will be a better place with your flowers in it. So, please, get those blooms out there – and let us know how we can help!
FREEBIE: THE FARMER’S MARKET CHALLENGE
Thinking about selling at your local farmer’s market? Research your local markets before signing up as a vendor. We’ve created a handy worksheet help you audit, rate, and ultimately select the right farmer’s market location for your business.