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Saturday, April 19, 2008
9:30am - 1pm
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Organic Cut Flowers
Doors open 9:00am
Location: Unitarian Universalist Church, 274 Pleasant St., Concord, NH
With Bruce and Nancy Stedman, Little River Flower Farm, Buxton, Maine
Discounted early registration postmarked by April 11, 2008
$25 for NOFA members
$35 for non-members
After April 11, add $10 per person
Walk-in registrations welcomed!
Click Here to download registration form.
Americans will spend a record $9 billion on fresh flowers this year, according to the Society of American Florists. As much as 75% of the fresh flowers sold annually in the U.S. come from Holland, Central and South America, and the Caribbean, most relying heavily on pesticides to ensure these blooms enter the States bug-free.
But since the 1980's, specialty cut flowers have become the most important part of the U.S. cut flower industry. As specialty cut flowers become more important, growers find that these flowers make it easier to compete with imported products. By producing unusual, high quality flowers, using proper postharvest handling techniques, and by providing excellent service, growers can continue to expand markets for specialty cuts. And the high value of specialty cut flowers can increase farm/market garden income. Local flowers are fragrant, different from the norm, and FRESH.
This half-day workshop is for all growers, home and commercial, that are interested in growing cut flowers organically. This workshop will cover:
- Seed selection of annuals & perennials (including Nancy's top favorites)
- Growing seedlings (Germination & how to grow healthy seedlings)
- Soil preparation (Need for ph, organic content, N, P & K)
- Planting & growing (how to manage your weeds including pigweed, purslane, amaranth, bindweed, etc.)
- Watering (Leave it to Mother Nature or not?)
- Pests & diseases (What to do about aphids, tarnish bug, leaf hopper, powdery mildew, aster wilt, bacterial wilt)
- Harvest (When is the best time to harvest? Do I add any solution to the water?)
- Marketing & Selling (Farmer's markets, weddings, florists)
Little River Flower Farm has been growing quality cut flowers for over ten years, adding new varieties every year. Between 7,000 and 9,000 annual flowers are planted every year and grown in their greenhouse, two hoop houses and three large field plots. They have three beds that house over 1500 perennials for cutting. They also feature "pick your own" flowers and strawberries. Nancy Stedman has been growing perennials, herbs, and vegetables for over 25 years. She's been a master gardener for over 14 years through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and has been inducted into the Master Gardener hall of fame. She has been featured in Downeast and People, Places, and Plants magazines, and seen on Channel 13 and 207 TV shows. Her husband, Bruce Stedman, owns Little River Landscapes, and assists Nancy with his technical expertise in organic gardening and business practices.
We are seeking approval of Pesticide Safety Education Program recertification credits for this workshop and continuing education units for Master Gardeners. Please contact us to confirm status of our requests.
If you can, bring homemade snacks to share, we'll provide tea & coffee.
Work Exchange available for reduced or no fee, contact us!
We need help with set up, registration, sales, refreshments & clean-up.
Click here to download a pdf. of the registration form and flyer.
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