Flower care

Scheduling Planting time varies with your climate, the plant type (annual, biennial or perennial), cropping system, and desired harvest time. Keep records of your planting dates, weather, harvest times, and yields. They can be valuable for planning future production. Try to time part of the production so that it is ready for the market before or after it appears in home gardens. Prices are generally higher for the harvest ”shoulder-seasons”. The more you can extend your growing season and have flowers ready for the “off-seasons” the better. It allows you to capture the higher prices and it helps to spread the cash flow. Stagger plantings throughout the spring and early summer to ensure a continuous supply. Keep in mind that the later plantings will have a shorter time to harvest and may also have shorter and thinner flower stems because of the higher temperatures and longer day length. Production may also be lower. Annuals should be planted when there is no longer any frost danger. Seeds can be started 4 to 6 weeks before the expected planting date by sowing them in trays in a greenhouse or cold frame and then planting them outside when frost danger is over. Another option is purchasing plugs instead of seeds; they cost more, but they will be in flower earlier than those crops that are directly seeded in the field, and they avoid the expense of operating a propagation greenhouse. Early plantings can be covered with plastic hoop tunnels to provide frost protection and increase temperatures for an earlier harvest. Don’t hesitate to do some small-scale experimentation. Maybe some of the more hardy annual species can overwinter in your area with minimal protection to allow for an earlier start the following spring. Biennials like sweet william and bells of Ireland should be planted in late summer or early fall. This gives them a good growing period before winter, resulting in more uniform flowering the following spring. If you have access to a cooler, it can be used to extend the flowering season for some perennials. Bare root stocks or plugs can be placed in a cooler with lights for 4 to 6 weeks at 5 to 7oC to achieve the cold period. Keeping the plants in the cooler and staggering the planting dates allows for an extended harvest period.