A Day in the Life of a Flower Farmer
There’s something magical about walking through rows of colorful blooms, breathing in the fresh scent of flowers, and watching nature unfold its beauty. But behind every stunning bouquet is a flower farmer working tirelessly to nurture, harvest, and share these blooms with the world. Have you ever wondered what it takes to run a flower farm? Let’s take a behind-the-scenes look at a typical day in the life of a flower farmer—from sunrise to sunset.
Early Morning: The Best Time to Harvest
Our day begins before the sun is fully up. We feed the chickens, collect eggs and then feed the goats and let them out to the pasture. Next is feed the worms in the worm farm because they produce our very important worm tea that we use to fertilize the edible garden. Early morning is the best time to harvest flowers because the temperatures are cooler, and the blooms are well-hydrated from the night’s moisture. With pruners in hand, bug spray applied thickly, and buckets of fresh water are loaded into the UTV, we carefully cut flowers at their peak stage. Each flower has its own harvesting technique:
• Snapdragons are cut when just the bottom blooms have opened.
• Peonies must be closed but picked when they are soft like a marshmallow. Hard Peonies do not open so the squeeze test is essential
• Zinnias pass the “wiggle test” (if the stem is stiff, it’s ready; if it flops, it needs more
time).
• Sunflowers are picked just before they fully open to ensure a long vase life, they are very heavy are require strong muscles to harvest them.
As we move through the fields, we remove any damaged blooms and trim leaves to keep the flowers fresh. They are placed in cool water immediately to start the hydration process.
Mid-Morning: Sorting, Cleaning & Arranging
Once the flowers are harvested, we bring them to our flower studio for processing. This is where we:
• Strip leaves from the lower stems (this prevents bacteria buildup in vases).
• Trim stems at an angle for better water absorption.
• Sort flowers by type, size, and colour and we load them into our massive flower fridge
At Fresh Market Farms we make over 300 bouquets per week, custom arrangements and sometimes weddings. For market bouquets or floral orders, this is when the creative part begins—arranging stems into balanced, beautiful bunches. Some will be wrapped in kraft paper for customers, while others will be delivered to customers or wedding venues.
Afternoon: Planting & Farm Maintenance
When the sun is high, we switch gears. Growing flowers is a constant cycle—while some blooms are being harvested, new seeds and seedlings must be planted.
At Fresh Market Farms we hand plant thousands of seeds, bulbs and seedlings. Depending on the season, we might be:
• Sowing seeds for fast-growing flowers like cosmos and zinnias, we succession plant to ensure ongoing growth through the growing season.
• Transplanting young seedlings into the fields, such as dahlias or ranunculus.
• Weeding and mulching to keep plants healthy.
• Watering and fertilizing to ensure strong blooms.
Spring can be cold and rainy with mud up to our ankles and summer days can be hot and tiring, we are often hot and sweaty so keeping hydrated is essential.
Evening: Planning & Preparing for the Next Day
As the sun sets, we take time to reflect on the day. Notes are made on which flowers are thriving, which need extra care, and what tasks need to be done tomorrow. We also make organic tea compost in the evening for the next day and we close up the goats and chickens for bed
Some of the other evening work includes:
• Answering customer messages and floral orders.
• Packing flowers for delivery to markets or customers.
• Checking the weather forecast—rain or frost can change our plans quickly!
It’s a long, rewarding day, filled with both beauty and hard work. The team at Fresh Market Farms are passionate about flowers, we are all united by our love for the outdoors and farming and that passion keeps us going.
The Joy of Flower Farming
Being a flower farmer isn’t just about growing beautiful blooms—it’s about connecting people to nature, spreading joy, and working in harmony with the seasons. Whether it’s preparing for a busy wedding weekend, planting new seeds for next season, or creating bouquets for our market customers, no two days are ever the same.
So the next time you bring home a bouquet of fresh flowers, know that behind every bloom is a farmer who nurtured it with care, passion, and dedication.
Would you like to see more behind-the-scenes content? Let us know what you’d love to learn about flower farming!