- Cut flower school
March 10 in Belleville, Michigan
- By Hannah Stevens
Michigan State University
- Michigan State University (MSU) and Ohio State University (OSU) Extension are teaming up to respond to the increasing interest in producing field-grown cut flowers. Two sessions on the topic were well received at last month’s Great Lakes Vegetable Growers Convention and Farm Market Show in Grand Rapids. Building on that interest, a full-day program entitled “Producing Field Grown Cut Flowers in Michigan and Ohio” will be offered on Saturday, March 10 in Belleville, Mich., conveniently located for Southeastern Michigan and Ohio producers. The cut flower program will take place at Wayne County Community College - Western Wayne Campus.
John Dole, from North Carolina State University will be a featured speaker at the convention. He is considered the foremost expert on cultivars and production guidelines as well as harvest and post-harvest handling. Hannah Mathers from Ohio State University will discuss methods of forcing fruit trees and other woody plants into bloom.
Many of us know gardeners who have a desire to turn their passion for growing flowers into a small home-based business. While this may sound like a good plan, a dose of reality may be useful before investing time and money. MSU Extension’s Tom Dudek will discuss management of bugs and blights which can become a problem when annuals or perennials are grown continually, in larger areas or just when a grower has established a good market.
As with any agricultural or horticultural enterprise, knowing where your product will be marketed before production begins is key to achieving success and not oversupplying existing markets. Karen Reynolds of MSU Washtenaw County Extension has experience as a commercial flower grower and will be moderating a panel of growers who will talk about their experiences with marketing. The audience can count on hearing stories that will help them avoid serious and costly mistakes as well as bright ideas that have made the difference between success and failure.
Bob Koenders, an agronomist from Armada, Mich., grows and markets a number of species of cuts with high quality Alliums and sunflowers among his best sellers to florists in Southeastern Michigan. His business, “The Backyard Bouquet” includes fall pumpkins and squash, which he retails at a farm market. Jerry Van Houtte and his family have grown cut flowers and species of pussy willow at “Gardenview Farms” for 22 years in Grand Rapids, Ohio. They retail the willows in the Southern states October–December and sell their cut flowers at retail markets in Oakland County during the growing season.
Panelist Janna Field operates Field Farm in Dexter, Mich. where she produces cut flower transplants and cuts and retails them from May-December at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market. Now in her eighth year, she has found opportunities to teach workshops throughout the southeastern region. Finally, Judi Bennett from Petersburg, Mich. markets mixed bouquets at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. This enterprise, coupled with vegetables and home crafted specialties has created a year-around market for Bennett Farms.
The registration cost of $70 includes refreshments, lunch and one of the best hardcover reference books available to professional and amateur growers, “Specialty Cut Flowers, The Production of Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs and Woody Plants for Fresh and Dried Cut Flowers,” by Allan M. Armitage. This 392-page book contains 99 color photos as well as production guidelines, which a reader is unlikely to find elsewhere. Additional members of the same business may attend for $40, which does not include the reference book.
The program will be conducted at Wayne County Community College, located on Haggerty Road near the intersection of I-94 and I-275 in Belleville, Mich. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the program will adjourn at 3:30 p.m. Pesticide recertification credits will be offered.
Attendance is by pre-registration only. For more information or to request a registration flier contact any of the following Extension professionals: Dean Krauskopf, Southeast Region, (313) 833-3417; Paul Marks, Monroe County (734) 240-3170; Norm Moll, Lucas County Ohio (419) 213-4254; Roberta Paschka, Washtenaw County (734) 997-1678 or Hannah Stevens, Macomb County (810) 469-6440.
