Jade Hall ofBracken and Bloomtakes us through some of the challenges she has faced in her first year running a small - scale flower farm in a distant rural position .
My flower farm , Bracken & Bloom ( Bracken is rife and so has become our namesake ! ) , is about to complete its first season . We are deposit on the border of Devon and Dorset , near to the coast , and the only access to the secret plan is on foot , through two other field .
Being rural , we have to deal with many different ‘ pests ’ . I call them pest with affectionateness because no matter how many rosebush the deer eat , seeing them in a brumous field is always a pleasure . To prevent some of the impairment , my plot of ground is fenced using second - handwriting Heras fencing venire – not the prettiest , but cheap , effective , and reuse . We are also instal rabbit conducting wire along the bottom of the fence as a few have surreptitiously chance their way in .
The farm is lucky to have a healthy population of toads who spawn in the nearby lake and pour . They help keep the slug universe under control , and we assist them find tax shelter by leaving orbit of bracken to spring up long through the year . This also back the beneficial louse on our plot , and I ’ll be create some additional hemipteron hotels with my children .
When it comes to grow , perhaps the biggest challenge for small farms like mine is getting the balance of efflorescence good . We have to spring up a ambit of variety show to offer us with blooms throughout the season , but enough of each one to guarantee a good quantity of stems . It ’s also authoritative to have a mix of focal and makeweight flowers available at all times , as well as leaf .
And uprise the flowers is just the first footstep . Social medium has been a helpful puppet for engaging with local customers , and the Flowers for the Farm website has also allow people to detect us on the single-valued function to market what we produce . However , the limit access code to our plot mean that much of what I deal has to be turn in , which is another demand on my time .
Markets are another great way to link up with the local community of interests , and I attend a monthly market in my nearest town . I have met some lovely hoi polloi this way , including the other stallholders who read the ups and down of running a small business . connection with other local growers has also been invaluable , particularly when in need of a couple of different dahlias .
