Welcome to Tuesday 20 October 2026.

It has rained pretty much non-stop all day today so I thought I'd get on with lots of things on my to-do list... and then spent all day faffing around and not finishing anything. On the plus side, I have been sowing more seeds in the greenhouse (including perennials) and I'll update you on exactly what in this episode.

Then I'm talking you through my cost of production figures for my Agrostemma crop this year. It's amazing how much labour costs add up. I'll discuss exactly where I spent my time, the hourly rate I have set for myself and the final costs of producing the stems. It's fascinating and terrifying in equal measure. Finally I start talking through my sales data and I'll finish this on Friday's episode.

I hope you enjoy the episode - please come back and join me for the next one - you're always very welcome.

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Connect with me

Join me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Find out more on my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk

Drop me an email lydia@henhillcutflowers.co.uk.

New episodes are available every Tuesday and Friday.

Please take a minute to leave a rating or review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then.

Welcome to Friday 16 October 2026.

I've had a really busy week off-field so I haven't got anything productive done but I have acquired a large volume of cardboard boxes, which are going to be laid over my beds this winter to protect the soil. I've also bought some more of my best-selling shrubs (and where I'm going to plant them) and I had a great polish hot dog (and that's not a euphemism).

Tonight I'm talking about the Top 5 Books that I have found invaluable for learning more about my soil, being more efficient when moving around the field, mulching, interplanting, improving soil fertility, reducing waste, ring-fencing profit, saving for tax and capital expenditure, everything about hardy and tender annuals, plus pricing, record-keeping, marketing and crop planning. All the details of the books are below. Do let me know if you read any of them and how you get on with them.

I hope you enjoy the episode - please come back and join me for the next one - you're always very welcome.

BOOKS:

1. The Living Soil Handbook by Jesse Frost. Also check out his daily podcast, Growers Daily, because it's great.

2. The Lean Farm by Ben Hartman. Very clever and insightful book.

3. Profit First by Mike Michalowicz.

4. The Cut Flower Handbook by Lisa Mason Ziegler. She also has a podcast called Field & Garden Podcast. Lisa is the queen of growing hardy annuals.

5. Flower Farming For Profit by Lennie Larkin. Brilliant book, brilliant woman.

Text The Podcast Here

Support the show

Connect with me

Join me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Find out more on my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk

Drop me an email lydia@henhillcutflowers.co.uk.

New episodes are available every Tuesday and Friday.

Please take a minute to leave a rating or review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then.

Welcome to Tuesday 13 October 2026.

Seed catalogues: they're here and they're fabulous! I get wildly excited at this time of year and I spent all weekend with a packet of post-it notes earmarking what annuals I'd like from the catalogues that have just arrived. Then I remembered that I'm actually only doing my Big Five next year, so I've had to hold myself back...

In case you need a gentle reminder not to blow your budget in five minutes on pretty seeds, in this episode I'm talking about the perils of going mad with seed catalogues: the risks of ordering too many different things, why I need to focus very carefully on what my target customers will actually want, why I want larger volumes of specific varieties next year, and what the catalogues don't tell you (and what you really need to know). On a positive note I'll also explain why there's always room to experiment with new varieties.

So, sorry to be a killjoy and do enjoy the catalogues by all means, but stay focused, stick to your plan and keep your skill level and target customer firmly in mind when you're buying.

I hope you enjoy the episode - please come back and join me for the next one - you're always very welcome.

Connect with me

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast (it's free) so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you really enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a rating or review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast.

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. You can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk and my email is lydia@henhillcutflowers.co.uk.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then.

Text The Podcast Here!

Support the show