Are you dreaming of starting your own small-scale flower farm? In this episode of the Backyard Bouquet Podcast, host Jennifer Gulizia interviews Erin Simmons, a successful flower farmer and mom of four. Erin shares her journey from being a lobbyist to trading in her high heels for muck boots and pursuing her passion for flower farming on Vashon Island. Erin provides valuable insights and advice for aspiring flower farmers, including tips on growing dahlias, daffodils, and zinnias, finding the right sales outlets, and the importance of connecting with mentors in the industry. She also opens up about the challenges of balancing family life and farming, offering valuable lessons on prioritizing and finding a healthy work-life balance. Whether you're a backyard gardener looking to take your passion to the next level or someone interested in the world of flower farming, this episode is packed with wisdom, inspiration, and practical advice. Tune in to learn from Erin's experiences and discover how you can let your backyard bloom with a small-scale flower farm of your own. In this episode, you'll hear about: * 00:02:03 – Erin's background and journey into flower farming * 00:06:06 – Involving her children in the flower farming process * 00:11:05 – Growing daffodils and Erin's favorite varieties * 00:13:00 – Erin's favorite dahlia varieties * 00:23:23 – Erin's favorite moments and experiences in flower farming * 00:25:50 – Tips for buying dahlia tubers and finding new varieties * 00:31:04 – Advice for starting a cut flower garden * 00:36:37 – Selling flowers and finding sales outlets * 00:40:03 – Balancing flower farming with family and personal health * 00:44:31 – Plans and goals for the 2024 flower farming season * 00:48:15 – Valuable advice for aspiring flower farmers * 00:53:23 – The importance of mentors and community in flower farming Episode Show Notes: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.com/2024/01/23/small-scale-flower-farming-with-erin-simmons-handpicked-homestead/ Learn more about Erin Simmons & Handpicked Homestead * https://www.handpickedhomestead.com/ * https://www.facebook.com/HandpickedHomestead ***Rate, Review, & Follow The Backyard Bouquet*** If you enjoyed this episode, will you please consider leaving the podcast a review? Your review helps make the podcast more discoverable to others and allows me to continue creating more episodes. I'd love to know what you enjoyed most about the episode. New episodes are coming every Tuesday to help keep your garden blooming! JOIN THE BACKYARD BOUQUET COMMUNITY ON FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/groups/cutflowergardening Sign up for my newsletter: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.myflodesk.com/nlw4wua8s3 The Flowering Farmhouse: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thefloweringfarmhouse/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/thefloweringfarmhouse] | Pinterest [https://www.pinterest.com/thefloweringfarmhouse/]| Website [https://thefloweringfarmhouse.com/]