Welcome back to Dish the Dirt, the podcast that digs deep into the real stories of flower farmers across Australia and beyond.

Today I'm joined by Belinda from The Flowering Field, a boutique flower farm nestled in the cool climate region of Borough NSW.

Belinda shares how her love of gardening grew into a thriving flower business, the lesson she's learned about building resilience, and why understanding your own climate is one of the keys to success.

From Frost hollow challenges to the joy of drying flowers and building community, Belinda's journey is full of honesty, wisdom, and inspiration for anyone passionate about flowers and small scale farming.

Let's get into it.

Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge the Wondry people of the Kulin Nation, the traditional custodians of the land where this episode of Dish the Dirt is recorded.

I pay my respects to the Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and tall straight Islander peoples whose deep connection to land, waters and skies continues to nurture culture, community and creativity across this country.

Hi, Belinda.

Nice to have you on the podcast today.

Do you want to start by telling us?

Yeah, where you're from, what your farm's called?

Absolutely.

Thanks Beg.

It's ABS absolute honour to be on your podcast.

I think I've listened well, I've definitely listened since the beginning and I've been really inspired by other growers, so it's lovely to share my story today.

My farm is called the Flowering Field and I'm based in borough NSW.

It's about 20 minutes from Queanbeyan and probably half an hour from Canberra.

It's a really cool climate.

So I would say.

So we, we refer to it as a cool climate in Australia or it's, it's almost Alpine at times.

And for US zones that's kind of a 8A I've worked out.

So it's really a chilly, chilly part of the world.

Chilly climate sounds like.

Victoria.

Is it something like Victoria?

Would you say the climate?

Possibly maybe a little bit less rain, though it's hard to hard to gauge, but we are kind of getting down to in my sort of my historical data for my farm, I'm getting down to -10 so maybe a little here we are.

I've had consecutive minus 10s this season and we can reach 40.

I haven't really been reaching 40, but yeah, it's a little bit cooler.

I worked out it's a little bit cooler than Canberra always.

They always say borough's a couple of degrees cooler than Canberra, but I found on my farm having a weather station that I'm 3° cooler than the borough temperature.

Wow, you've got your own little microclimate going on there.

Yeah, I've put my flower farm in a frosty hollow, but look, it has its advantages for stretching out spring, so I'm not.

Yeah.

Why?

Wonderful.

So how big is your farm and what are you growing on?

So my overall farm's 14 acres, but I'm just growing.

I grow in a horse arena size.

So it's a full size horse arena.

I think it's like the size of an Olympic pool also just to give you a visual of what that's like.

And I've kind of gradually started with, you know, a couple of beds and have moved my way through the whole horse arena.

And now I'm using the yards on the side this season as well.

So I think, like, we might be talking 1/4 of an acre or half an acre or somewhere around there.

Yeah.

Yeah, wonderful.

And how did you start?

Well, I, I started my farm in 2020, which sounds like it's a, it was a COVID project, but actually that isn't really how it came about.

It was, I look, I can't, I was, I'm an absolute passionate gardener.

I love gardening.

I'm like one of those granny, granny hobby people.

I've sort of peeked early, like those sorts of things.

And so really during maternity leave with my first baby, I just, I was in the house and you know, we needed to renovate.

We couldn't really afford to renovate.

And I was looking out all the windows, you know, during those long baby sleeps and thinking I need to make this beautiful.

And so I started like, it's a project for myself to kind of make the view out every window beautiful with the garden.

And I absolutely love English gardens.

So I just love, you know, anything that's in like a storybook, like AI love the Peter Rabbit look.

I love, you know, hollyhocks and foxgloves.

I love all those flowers.

I just don't really love the little bunnies that come with it.

So, but that's that fairy tale look.

So I went and, you know, went about doing that.

And then we, we sort of got to the point my husband got into it too.

I was really lucky.

We got to the point where we garden the whole yard and I was like, I I need something more.

I need something bigger as you do.

And, and we, and we thought it would be lovely to build, build a country home and have a big country garden.

So that's what it was about.

That's how it kind of started.

And I wanted a walled garden because I just read too many English garden books, stuff like that.

We designed around an English, you know, walled garden.

And so that was really like, so that's sort of where what happened.

We bought some land at Borough, took us a while to actually get to the point where we were getting into that building process and we needed to sell our house and move nearby.

So we moved to the nearby Township of Gugong, just 10 minutes from our block, start that process and that's really when we moved there.

I had to leave my garden and it was really painful to leave the garden.

Like anyone that's established a garden, it's just like, it sounds so over the top, but there's a real grief process involved in leaving your garden, especially when it's kind of your well-being thing.

It's your thing that just, I don't know, the ground.

I find gardening grounds, me being having my hands in the dirt.

And so I found it so tricky being in a rental property.

We had some Petinias and some grass and some a lot of colour bond fence, you know.

Yeah.

So it was like really hard.

And I hadn't anticipated that it was going to be as hard as it was, but I had, I was just like desperate to get back in the soil.

And yeah.

And I think and COVID then struck too.

So it was even more kind of, you know, we were stuck in stuck with that view when I created myself a beautiful, beautiful.

That would have been.

Yeah.

So one day we were on the block.

We used to go for picnics.

And as you do when you, you know, you haven't built your house yet.

There's nothing there.

There was just the horse arena and some cattle yards.

And I just, I looked across and I said to my husband, I think I might start growing flowers in that the horse arena because I thought logically it was the only sort of protected space and I wanted to see what it was like.

Like I was desperate to see what was it going to be like growing here because I knew it was going to be really different to what I'd experienced.

So he was like, like, oh, you know, OK, I get these things.

And then my my husband and my poor dad go, all right, well, we'll, we'll work out the logistics of that.

But yeah, look, he was going away for work for a few months, I think quite a few months at that point.

And he said, look, I'll make you a couple of garden beds before I go.

And I went thank you so I could try it.

And I think when it came back, I'd made like another 6 garden beds just doing no dig, did what I could do, dragging the kids out there all the time.

And yeah, so that's, that's how it started.

And I was super.

I'm not like I see people start flower farms and they just go right in and tell everyone.

I was so nervous.

I didn't tell anyone.

I didn't tell family friends because it was covered.

No one knew what anyone was doing anyway.

I just got about my business and I didn't know who I was going to sell to or I didn't really think about anything like that.

I was just trying to get some well-being back.

And also I was trying to be brave because I turned 40 and I decided I, you know, got half my life left and this is the half of the life I get to choose what I do.

Yeah.

And I'm bugger it.

I'm gonna, I'm gonna give it a go and see what happens.

So yeah.

Fabulous.

But yeah.

Amazing.

So has the vision changed since then?

Since putting in your few beds, did you, you said you kind of just didn't really, you know, you didn't have a plan, you weren't going to have a business, but sort of what happened from there?

Yeah, I had sort of thought I, I do have a memory of standing up in, I'd done a potty shot French style vegetable garden in my previous home and I the garden kind of was meant to be vegetables and got overtaken by flowers.

So I did have a moment there and I I remember it thinking to myself, how can I make a living out of growing flowers?

Because this is what really like floats my boat.

Yeah.

And so I had hoped to bake a business, but my vision was really about creating a beautiful life and seeing if I could make a living from that.

I still like, I work part time.

I worked part time then and I didn't wanna return full time.

And so I was sort of thinking, how can I make that income to cover those days I don't work, but doing something I'm really, really passionate about because you, you know, that something you're really invested in, you become really good at, you know, the 10,000, what is it, 10,000 hour rule?

I was like, yeah, the 10,000 of reading about this, have I got to be OK at it?

So I had wanted to create basically, I want to, this is my thing.

I want to create a beautiful life.

I want to be, I want to do something meaningful.

I want to feel like I'm leaving a legacy and I still that vision is still really, really clear for me.

But it's, you know, it's become it's become even better with the local just understanding the local piece and the opportunities out there.

I never wanted to become a huge farm.

I want that boutique small farm thing, something that still is my farm.

I like, I'm not, don't want to outsource, but I also knew from the very beginning it needed to be a business that had year round income because I was trying to supplement my income.

And so that was really strong and it still is.

And I think it's a really important piece of the business that I have flowers.

I don't have fresh flowers all year round because and I have a really short season because of my climate, but I have income coming in all year round as as part of my business model.

So yeah, look, I've just gotten bit better.

My vision, I haven't gotten jaded.

I've had moments, but for the most part, it's still really, it does excite me.

Yeah, yeah, great.

Just is so exciting coming into a new season.

Did you have a business background before you started Flowers?

Not as definitely not a small business background.

So a million years ago when we still had dial dial up Internet, I did do a degree in marketing, but literally there wasn't Instagram when I did my degree.

We had just gotten the Internet.

So that that has really changed the principles obviously of marketing and business and, and, and obviously accountancy hasn't changed, but the small business piece was really new to me.

I didn't really come from like a family that had a lot of experience with that.

So it was really, for me a lot, a big state learning, but I knew how important it was because I always knew that I needed to make an income.

It wasn't just a hobby.

Yeah.

Once I got going and I knew it was a viable business, I wanted to make sure that I, you know, made, got those margins.

Yeah.

I think we'll jump back into the business side of things in a minute because I really want to pick your brains about that because I know you're quite passionate about people, you know, making their flower farms work for them.

But I wanted to know what's your, like, seasonal approach?

Like what works best in your climate and what are you growing?

Well, because I'm a really cool climate, I do have a good spring, so I see it as a real advantage.

That part.

We take a long time to warm up, but we have the opportunity because we're not warmed to do spring flowers really, really well.

Here.

I have to protect my crops.

So that very first I started with the summer season and then I went in.

Obviously I did summer, autumn, and then that first season where I really pushed it.

I did put up tunnels, hoop houses because I was kind of looking at the US for guidance.

It's on cooler climates and they do a lot of Caterpillar tunnels.

So that's what I did and I'm really glad that I invested in that.

And I have continued every year to add another Caterpillar or two.

And this year I've actually also added a, you know, normal hoop size hoop house that you can walk in.

I find the quality of the flowers in growing them in the tunnels is so much better.

It takes a long time though, so you know, winter, you know, things that I plant in March, I'm not really seeing flowers till September, so it's a long game March.

That is a long time.

Yeah, it's a really, it's a long time to get those babies.

There's a lot of investment there, time and energy and, you know, work.

But I, the other part of my business is dried flowers.

So.

OK, yeah, it was really great the way that kind of happened in a way.

I went straight in.

I was really lucky, first of all, to sell to a florist.

So and I think I might have gotten lucky because it was COVID times as well.

I didn't really know who I was selling to.

I'd approach the florist and it wasn't her cup of tea because she, she liked doing the market, you know, she liked getting her regular things.

So it was a bit disappointing, quite deflating.

And then another grower had said, get on Instagram and just put your stuff up there.

And I did that.

And then a florist, I was really lucky.

A florist contacted me and said, bring in a bucket, bring in your invoice and let's see, you know, let's see what we can do.

And I brought in my bucket and she said, look, we'll buy everything that you grow, grow whatever you want.

Because they were, they're an extremely creative florist.

They can, they like to be different.

And so I was really, really lucky that I had that, but I wanted to have a retail beat on the side.

So eventually I as part of the business model, I've got a, a stall at a vintage market here in Canberra at Dirty Veins and I do all my garden wares.

I just love garden wares stuff so much and flowers and anything and vintage, I love vintage vases, anything.

Oh yeah.

See this is the granny, the, I'm good at granny.

So I had that store with my dad.

I was actually trying to get him to declutter because he's a, an awesome collector.

And we put that together and then they offered me the flower cart too.

And so the thing though with the flower card is I needed to have year round flowers on it.

And so that really cemented, right.

I'm doing dried flowers.

That's what I'm doing.

So straight off to I got into the dried flower bit.

So that's how with my feet, that's how I kind of extend my season.

I have.

So the tunnels, which gives me longer and the new tunnel I'm hoping will give me further into autumn because I get frosted really soon in the seasons.

Yeah, OK.

Yeah, but that's helping.

And then, yeah, the dried flowers just give me that and my store give me income throughout winter because you still got expenses going on in the business during winter.

So yeah, definitely, yeah, money to make an income over winter.

So, you know, that's the thing.

It's so good to have that coming in.

Yeah.

It's for me.

It was really important for the business, my business model, yeah.

What have you found that dries really well?

I find flowers that look dry.

Fresh.

They dry well.

OK, Yeah.

So anything that looks a little bit crusty, like a paper Daisy.

Status gom frima.

What else it might be.

They're really my mate.

Oh, Celosia, yeah, I love Celosia.

Huge fan.

They're my sort of main staples.

And then I find that I do when I have things on the car.

And in summer it can be tricky at at the the vintage Warehouse because the, it's very hot in there.

So things can dry.

And so if things don't do well there and I'm pulling them off, I'll dry them and see what happens.

So there's a lot of experimenting.

I'm very, very lucky in that my climate is very, very dry.

So I kind of was, yeah, I got lucky with that.

I didn't know anything about drying flowers really, but I started hanging them and I just they, they do so well here.

Yeah, that's good, because I've tried to dry flowers in the past and there was a lot of mold going on.

So it's not as easy as you think sometimes.

No.

And I think, well, you shouldn't beat yourself up over that.

That's not your doing.

That's just the conditions.

So, and I was a little bit worried because I was originally drying all of my flowers in the boiling hot garage in our rental because the orientation was all wrong and they just was so great.

And then I was worried when I moved into our house.

How's my workshop going to cope?

But so far so good.

I think it's just a really dry climate.

I mean, when you go to to save your daily tubers, they like shrivel up.

If you don't, you know, they shrivel up before your eyes.

So they need, they need moisture.

So, you know, it's really dry.

But yeah, they do well.

And so I've sort of had to think in the busiest time of season where I'm cutting fresh flowers, I'm also having to cut flowers to dry.

So I have to get myself targets.

Even though I look better.

I don't really want to deal with you.

I want to get these fresh babies out the door.

I have to be quite strict about still cutting those dried ones because otherwise I find myself with not enough.

I run out.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So I want to talk to you about like the business side of things and how you set up your business model in the beginning.

Yeah, I was really fortunate that I was searching around for some help with the business side and I got, I saw a program with that was being run by the NSW Department of Primary Industries, which was, it was called the Business Resilience program.

I think they're still running it.

This was the pilot.

So it was the first year they ran it and it was helping farming businesses.

So just as a little flower farmer, I managed to get through the interview and and get on that program and it was incredible because it was, it was the way that it worked is you had a business coach, but you were a small group for other farmers in NSW and we all visited each other's farms.

We supported each other.

But then I had this business coaching which was just incredible.

I was very nervous about how to manage the finance side of things and they helped me get a accounting program and gave me a little bit of training in that helped me.

Really get my business plan sorted.

So that was an amazing resource and I would suggest that people look around for things like that because that gave me a great start and to have a business coach to work with because your family and friends get tired of hearing about your business.

You know what I mean?

What's so good if someone's being paid to listen to you?

So that was incredible.

And that's, and that was sort of really helped me look at it as a business and being with farmers.

I found the farmers were incredibly resourceful and looking, we're looking for other opportunities on the land and they were really generous given that I was just this little flower bomber and they had, you know, cattle and that cropping and but it was really great from a farming perspective and also with things like health and safety and looking at risks and that type of thing.

So that was great.

That was my first sort of that was how I guess I really got that got established with bookkeeping and that type of thing.

Yeah, fabulous.

Yeah.

And your business coach?

Were they from a flower farming background or just purely farming?

Knowledge.

Yeah.

No, no, she was she agricultural knowledge, business knowledge, Yeah.

So no.

And that was good.

It was good.

It wasn't flower based as such.

They all came, visited the farm and gave me suggestions on things and they were obviously a lot bigger scale and they showed, you know, they had suggested opportunities and things like that.

So, yeah, it was a really great opportunity for me to set myself up to be thinking with that thought of margins, profit margin, time and energy, how I'm using my resources, you know?

Yeah, because time, your time and your money are probably the most important things when you're with your business, establishing a successful business.

So yeah, yeah, wonderful.

And saying this, I know so many people get into it and then just don't really think about, and especially woman, I think we're so used to doing a lot of things around our homes and in our general life that we don't get paid for.

So, you know, starting a small business, you just go, OK, well, don't worry about my time, I'll just try and cover these costs.

But I think it's, yeah, something that is so important to do and to really have that in the background and to look out for something like this.

I know.

Have you started a mentoring program?

I'm part of it.

So after I had that, I was looking for something else that was a bit more, I guess, to do with flowers as well.

And and I really missed having a business coach.

And once that was over, I, you know, I had to go back to talking to other people.

And so IA really good friend of mine, Emily, another flower friend of mine.

She was part of the SBA, which is the floral business activator, actually.

Yeah, it's 2 New Zealand women.

You've had Christy from Nourish Gardens on your.

Podcast.

Yeah, yeah.

It's super inspiring.

She's got a teaching background and Julie who whose business it is, she's got a coaching background and they're both farmers in New Zealand.

And so they've set up this floral business activator, which is also kind of a coaching program.

And so it's mainly New Zealand flower farmers, but they branched out to Australia and so I joined that and that's, that's like an amazing program for business as well.

They're extremely generous with their information and the intent really is to promote the industry and to promote local flowers and raise a profile of yeah, yeah.

So that's been amazing, being part of that.

And I've been wanting to get more people on board just because I think it's such a needed thing.

We sort of start, we, there's so much information now too.

And are you being told put your perennials, perennials in?

No, don't waste money on perennials.

You know, and there's so many different ways to do things.

And it really helps to actually talk to people that have done things.

Yeah, real people and make those sort of connections.

And we sort of, we have catch UPS, like monthly catch UPS online and yeah, it's really just sharing really.

Yeah, great.

Do you find it translates to the Australian market well?

Absolutely.

It's the same issues.

I mean it's slightly different.

I don't think there's as many imports in in New Zealand.

You'd know this.

You'd probably be more aware of of this.

I've, I've done a couple of weddings in New Zealand and I found it really hard to get good flowers, but they have a different system.

They have great small growers.

I mean, I was way down in the South Island, and I think there's more around than what they was, but they have this system where you have to jump online and buy online from markets, so you're not really seeing what you're getting.

And I think that they probably do have quite a lot of imports like roses and things like that.

I don't know if there's many big flower farms around anymore.

So, yeah, they probably have the same struggles as us, but it is completely different in the way that florists buy flowers there to how we do, especially in Victoria.

We're so lucky that we get to go.

We've got, you know, Epping market and then we can go to our wholesalers who also have markets and then we can go to small growers.

So we've got so much choice where I found, yeah, that was a.

Huge struggle for me in new.

Zealand, yeah.

So that's why I just asked that question.

I felt like it was quite a different, different market.

The way that they do things is very different, but.

It feels, yeah, it feels similar with the, I guess a lot of, I think a lot of them are probably selling direct to.

Florists.

Or or no, they're they're selling retail as well.

OK, yeah or direct exactly.

So they might be cutting out that part of.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I think that's what's happening because, yeah, generally they're talking about their florists and they're talking about direct.

I know from talking to Julie that a lot of those sort of medium growers are retiring and people aren't picking up the farm.

So that's going to create more imports coming in just to fill that gap.

So yeah, that's it.

We have the same problem here.

There's been, there was a guy who used to grow violets and sell them at market and they're just amazing.

The way that he picked them was incredible and he died and now no one's taken that over.

So that's something that's missing from the market now.

There's all these little things that I think you know, breeders too, Some breeders, you know, pulling out and breeders are so important anyway, I'm totally getting off track so.

Right.

Look, overall it is, it is a similar they, they certainly have similar climate issues.

They've got, you know, they've got the same like business partner, Mother Nature that we have.

So, yeah, so they're still going through a lot of the struggles and also just trying to find that identity, you know, as a small grower and their place, you know, in the market and business, a lot of business, you know, how to establish themselves as business.

So I found the.

It's really relatable, yeah.

Great.

How have you found your community and your relationships with florists?

How has that grown?

Yeah, well, I, I mean, I was really fortunate with how I kind of went in and had a really supportive florist and I did sell exclusively to them for three years.

So that was incredible.

It worked really well with my lifestyle, just having to go to work, dropping off flowers and and then do my retail inside.

But I did find that I wanted to start serving my local community, like more local.

So the Township that I was living in and I was thinking, I really do want to give them my flowers.

I love the fact that they've travelled 10 minutes and so I did speak to my local supermarket there and got in there.

So actually that's one of the, my local communities incredibly supportive now and I sell most of my flowers through there.

I still find that there, I still have and I'm still doing wholesale.

The florists here in Canberra are incredibly supportive.

I don't think there is the supply that you have in Victoria.

I mean for us here, the flowers are coming from Sydney.

And one of the reasons I know I was really successful with my florist is quality.

And I think this is a really important piece for small growers is the quality piece.

If you have that, you keep your standards really high and have a really, you have those flowers that are that don't travel well, you're really complementary to other things.

You're not sort of competing with the same flower even, and that makes it easier to sell your products.

Yeah, yeah, I would agree with that.

So what kind of flowers have you found that sell really well for you to florists?

Things like ranunculus, I think they're harder to get with the climate.

You know, Poppies, ranunculus, my spring things, things that are a little bit different that they wouldn't normally see.

I'm trying to think of I can do really beautiful giant delphiniums here.

They just grow like giants, which, you know, they they have to transport.

I have to transport in the van.

Yeah.

They've had a few broken tops.

So sad.

Those sort of, you know, Fox fives things are a little bit different.

A little bit.

Yeah, I think florists really appreciate that.

And definitely my florist appreciated different things.

So that was, yeah, that's they're the sort of things, I think things that are just a little bit harder to get.

So I think you need to be a little bit strategic.

Dailies, yes, but then florists don't want to use dailies in everyday work necessarily, especially in the hotter months.

So amazing for event florists, but you have to accept that a retail florist may not want to use those.

So it's a different sort of market.

So I mean, look, things like zinnias are great.

You just have to be aware that zinnias are easy to come by.

And so you might, might not get the same stem prices other things.

So it's yeah, yeah, I find it.

Are these are these all things that you've just learnt through the years or were these things that your business mentor helped you with and that the FBA has helped you with?

I've learnt it, yeah.

So it is.

The biggest way you learn the most is actually on your own farm and in your own community because it's so different.

I mean, even what I learnt about my climate, it's huge.

And it was only once I put that weather station on there I realized how cold I was getting.

I don't know you.

You could be too farms away from me in your climate.

And I know from looking at other people's weather stations near me, they're entirely different.

So really I got in there and tried and you know, I think if you look at South Arms that have that longevity, small growers, they've done the work, they've actually, they've experimented, they've had values and also with business wise as well, they've taken risks, they've been brave.

And it's not like A1 size fits all.

It's such a just so different for every single person.

So yeah, I've learnt, I've just tried.

I just have because I'm passionate about growing.

That's been great because I'll probably grow, will try different flowers that other people won't.

And there is a lot of, if you look at your stem value and your profitability, yes, there are a couple of crops that really do bring in your the money.

And so I know a lot of people are shrinking what they grow, but I, I think it's kind of great to try new things and have that variety as well.

And if you're in climate, you might find something that absolutely thrives that other people aren't growing.

So I do think that experimental pace is important.

And yeah, I mean, you do have to look at what's it costing me and what's it bringing in at the end of the day, because you need that.

You need that, otherwise you're going to give up.

And do you sort of budget for that every year?

Do you put a little piece aside and go, OK, this is my experimental money versus like what I need to kind of survive?

Do you do that or it's just something that sort of organically happens?

It's probably more organic for me because I'm not much of A spreadsheet person.

I definitely keep records, but I possibly not in traditional ways.

Yeah, I find, I find my camera is great because I'm like, yeah, I plant that.

Oh, I'll just have a look because I try and take as many pictures as I can.

Hot tip, just take pictures when you plant things, when you harvest things, because you can always go.

When did I, you know, when did I do that?

And you can go back and look on your camera roll.

Yeah, yeah.

And look, I do.

My diary is filled with notes of what I'm doing, but it's not.

I'm not like someone who for me, the time investment in sitting in front of a computer and doing spreadsheets is not like it just doesn't, it's not my thing.

I definitely, I'm not saying that I'm yeah, I'm not, I'm not saying that I'm not organized and not, there's not a lot of thought that goes into that.

And there is record keeping, but it's a little bit more in line with where I'm at.

I'm like super, super busy with life as well.

Like I've got my job, my part time job, I've got a family.

And so I have to do what works for me.

But yeah, look, I every single season I will grow something new because I like the thrill of it.

Like I can't not grow something new because it would be like same same it.

Makes sense.

What are you growing this season that's new?

This season now, now what am I trying?

I was going to try some of the different status, the one that's the smaller one trying.

Yeah, you know, it's called I'm really bad with names too, but I'm also trying stock that's branching.

I've never done the branching stock and stock grows really well here.

So I'm going to try that stock because I think that would be a bit of a game changer with my I love my bunches of renunks, just I find it difficult that there's no scent there.

So I love stock because I feel like that's complete package that bunch of flowers for.

Spring, have you grown stock before?

Yes.

OK, I was going to say stock.

Water doesn't always smell.

Yeah, that's true.

That's true.

I like to get my stuff in and out like I will pick and off it goes and then hopefully people change their water.

But yeah, control that.

That's.

Not your worry.

Yeah, right.

There is some stinky, there's some stinky stuff out there we've got to keep.

Those buckets clean.

I wanted to talk to you about your recent workshop with Christy from the BA.

Yeah.

What happened there and what was the thought behind it?

Yeah, OK.

Well, I actually attended a flower farmers workshop in New Zealand a couple of years ago.

I just wanted to spend some time with my business without home, you know, just without destructions.

And I also kicked a sort of ticked a thing off my bucket list of travelling overseas by myself.

It's not really overseas, is it?

But what do you?

Think no, it is overseas.

It is so I did my solo travel as a woman.

Yeah.

Good.

So I went over and did that and it was incredible just to spend time working on my business with other like minded women.

And so I was really keen to bring that here.

So I think I twisted Christie's arm though she loves, she just loves, you know, the business aspect of it.

So it wasn't really difficult.

And so we hatched a plan to just host a workshop on my farm for members where there's a few, there's quite a, there's the, the growing members in Australia of the FBI, but also anyone else that wanted to join.

So we had about 12 flower farmers, all different stages.

Some people were just starting out, some people had been going a while and just wanted to refine.

And we just talked the business of flower farming.

We talked crop planning, we talked sort of the finances, pricing, marketing, all of those things in a weekend.

It was just an incredible opportunity and really lovely women.

A very sort of sharing and nurturing environment was my we had beautiful food and yeah, it just, it was supposed to kind of give everyone a bit of time off their farm to reflect and make changes that they might need to make.

So, yeah, nice.

And I know that you're wanting to come to MEFGIS maybe next year.

Is that something you want to share?

Yes.

Absolutely.

Plan.

We've started our planning.

We've had our first committee meeting.

Oh, great.

Sounds fancy.

It's not.

It was a couple of us.

So actually it was at the workshop.

I was saying how much FOMO I had about seeing Growers Ave.

and seeing everything there.

So I said it to Christy at the time.

We have got to go on an excursion and trip to Melbourne and so we're going to do that so and the new New Zealand crowd are going to come too.

So great where you don't just.

Need to come and look at Growers Ave.

You need to be part of Growers Ave.

Well, yeah, look, I'm sure everyone would be happy to, to, to do anything to contribute.

Yeah, we're going to try and see some flower colour.

Troops together soon, yes.

OK, well you let us know.

Everyone's really enthusiastic and you know, we love, yeah, we, we the people that are involved in the FBA and people, you know that my flower friends, we just love immersing ourselves in anything to do with the industry.

Yeah.

I think it's a really important part.

And actually I had to meet up with local growers on the weekend, just our local growers.

So it's a big part of the community part is huge.

I think just finding, you know, finding your people that can help you and support you so, so you're not a lonely small business owner.

So I was going to ask you, what value do you see from this kind of Cross Tasman relationship?

There's so much value.

I sometimes find and find sometimes those friends, flower friends that are a bit further away sometimes are great too because they've got a different perspective and it can be challenging sometimes in your own area if you want to run an idea because you're a little bit worried about sharing too much.

So I found with my New Zealand friends, we can, you know, share really openly.

They're in a different market with me.

But I think this collaboration is amazing for the industry as a whole.

The whole point is to promote little growers.

I mean, we are all just small growers.

We're not huge, but to get out, it's sort of a movement.

I mean, I know you're very much about that.

But it is growing in momentum and New Zealand and Australia are very got so many similarities.

And so it, it really does that connection works.

And yeah, I think it's lovely.

They want to come to Melbourne.

They're super keen.

Yeah, yeah, a lot of them do come anyway.

Yeah, there was a huge New Zealand contingent there this year.

I was really surprised and lots of people from around Australia, which I was really surprised at too, they really take the time to come and yeah, so many people stopped and had chats at Growers Ave.

which was very cool.

I just want to touch on one little point that you said before about the importance for you about working on your business and not in your business.

I think that was something great.

And you know, is there anything you want to say about that?

Just these times that you've taken out to go to these workshops, they build these relationships, you know, How has that changed your business?

Yeah.

Look, it doesn't matter how many flowers you grow if you don't have anywhere to sell them, you there isn't a business.

So it is so important to invest in that time of working out those you know who, who am I selling to?

What do I want that to look like?

And I think one of the things in the industry is it can go any way you, there are so many opportunities.

And I found this since I started, there are just so many opportunities.

You don't have to do what someone else is doing.

You can definitely look at previous growers to see what they're doing and what looks like is working.

But there's just, if you do the work and really look at what people want in your community, look at gaps in your community, you'll be able to find even there's just things we haven't even thought about in this industry where you could, there's this potential.

So it's huge essentially to be able to make a living from flower farming, even a tiny farm.

And my farm's not big, but I can make, I can make a profit from it by farming it really well-being very intentional about how I do the business part.

And then really far, like even the crop planning is so important.

And then not being shy of looking at your numbers because it can be easy not to look at your numbers and be telling yourself, oh, this is what I'm making or it's going OK.

So I would say if I was going to give some advice to people that were thinking they would actually want to make a profit from it, it's not just, oh, I'm going to grow some flowers and it'll be lovely and we'll see.

It's OK.

It can pay for it.

It can pay for my gardening hobby.

I would say, you know, have a business bank account straight away.

See, be real.

What, what am I spending?

Get an accountant, an accountancy program.

You know, it'd be good to have an accountant, but if you can't do that, have it the program there so when you sell to a florist, you can see throughout the season, OK, what was I making per stem?

Like actually delve into it.

What did I spend?

What did I make per stem?

What were my big sellers?

Because that's what's going to keep you in the industry, that's what's going to make you successful.

Just even growing beautiful flowers and you know that looks great and you're giving them to your community.

It won't feel, won't fill your cup if you are absolutely exhausted and you're doing it at your own expense.

So which is sad, but it's true.

Like if you want it to be and it is absolutely a rewarding and, you know, such a feel good thing to do, but you can get burnt out by it.

So yeah, I think just be really The thing is being really intentional about how you spend your time and how you spend your money.

Yeah.

Because we can all get really.

And I do it too.

Like that new thing that looks amazing and that flower that you saw that someone grew and then you try it and go, Oh my gosh.

OK, well, that wasn't, you know, that was when I thought you got to try.

You do actually try, but you just don't over invest.

You just don't too much there.

So yeah, you really need to, you have to do that.

And look, it can be boring, but I find when you're doing it with other people and doing it like in a coaching, that coaching way and supportive way, it's actually not so bad.

Yeah.

You know, it's part of the business you have to do, but if you like, that's why I love doing the business retreat because that's what you're doing.

You're actually looking at your business so hard sometimes when you're in amongst the season and you're picking flowers and you're exhausted to be thinking about that part.

So yeah, winter's a good time to sort of be reflecting on on your business and stuff.

But look, I don't have all the answers and I'm this.

Is great advice.

Any.

Advice.

Yeah.

As I go as well, and I could be for far firmer on myself too.

So, yeah, yeah.

So I wanted to ask you what's been your big biggest success?

Biggest success, Gosh, I think, I feel, I feel like actually being brave and doing this has been the success part.

Like this is not I've been and then making a business out of it, making it sustainable has been, is really, that's probably my big success that I'm still here after what, five seasons or what?

I think it's something like that, that I'm still doing it and I still want to do it and I'm still looking for new ways of doing it and more opportunities within it.

And I know it's going to evolve and change and it's, but it's been good.

It's been great.

So and biggest learning curve.

Biggest learning curve has probably been just staying in my own lane, just just, you know, my business, although I'm very collaborative, my business is my business and and that's on lots of different levels, if you know what I mean.

I've got yeah, I've got to keep my eye on the ball in my zone.

And I think it's important, like we were saying before, but actually your own farm is where you're going to learn stuff.

So you can look around, you can see what's going on in in other farms.

But they don't have your climate, they don't have your capacity.

They don't even have your your vision or goals.

So what do you know, just sort of thinking about the vision and goals and that type of thing.

Yeah, that would.

Be yeah, great.

And do you where do you see yourself in five years?

What is What's your ultimate goal for this full time or taking over the whole farm?

Look, interesting at the moment.

Look, I, I'm trying to get my, my big country garden established.

I feel like my farm is the cutting garden of my big garden.

And so that part's done, but I'm really hoping to get my hands back in the soil in the garden capacity.

I know my husband is loves that in the middle of the horse arena, I put a Rose Garden and kind of an area where we can have AG and T at the end of the day, or we can I have my party there every year so I can share it with my friends and family and appreciate, you know, how far I've come sort of thing.

But I, I just want to continue to get a bit get braver.

I want to possibly run workshops and things like that, but I'm not sure.

I'm just seeing how that looks, how that's going to look for me and what fits with my life.

And yeah, whether or not that is something I want to do.

Because you don't have to do it all, do you?

You don't have to.

Not if they, you know.

So it might not be something I do, I'm not sure.

But I really am loving the business aspect of it and working with other people and I love the collaboration side, so and the local community.

That's been really, really rewarding.

So yeah, we'll see.

Watch this space.

Yeah, well, I wanted to.

I'm going to change this question up because normally I ask what three things would you take if you had to leave your farm quickly.

But I've decided I'm going to say, what flower would you take if you had to go to a desert island and you there was the only like flower that you could take and you're repopulating this desert island.

That is a tough that is so because I have said it all my favorite.

So I'm like every week, this is my new, this is my favorite.

It is so hard.

I'm going to save.

Humanity with this flower.

Well-being, do you mean saving sanity with this flower?

Because we know that flowers, you know, add to quality of life.

So I look, I'm going to choose this is so cruel.

I'm going to choose the binocular.

I'm going to, I'm going to take because because it's going to have a comb.

So it's going to keep going and I might even get a few more because without it, we're going to perish.

I think it's just one of the most beautiful things that comes in spring and reminds you of the flowers and all the good stuff that's coming.

So I'm going to, I'm going to go with that for longevity and, and just just well-being.

And what three things would you take from your farm if you had to leave quickly?

Well, I would take a vernacular comb, I'd take a tube dahlia tuber, and I'd take some seeds because like as I said at the beginning, I can't, I actually can't survive without a garden.

I absolutely love growing and I want, I would want to, wherever I ended out, I would need to be growing something.

So I think that would cover all bases.

And do you have a favorite tool?

I do, I love the diva for planting, but my dad, who I should mention has been incredibly supportive of my journey and he actually established a vineyard when I was a child.

So I feel like he probably that sort of, he was really inspiring with that.

Well, he did that with his full time job too.

And he's always looking.

He's quite brilliant in his inventions and just the way he does things.

He's got a brilliant mind.

And so he made me, my mum and I were actually planting ranunculus and we were putting our Divas in doing 66 holes in each row and we were saying, gosh, there's got to be a better way.

And then we were thinking it'd be great if you had like a big stick with all your Divas on it.

And so he's just, he course we mentioned it to him.

I sell a lot of Divas in my shop, so I had some in the workshop and so he went off with with my six Divas and made me a diva a big and it's space.

So he's got a bit so I can still space at 20 centimeters.

Yeah, it's awesome.

I'll put it on my stories when he says so people can see.

It's like it's super dangerous looking.

I store it really carefully because it's just like this big stick with spikes, but efficiency and like that's one of the big, big things that creating efficiencies, leaning up your business and stuff is so important and that and he's really great helping me with that.

So yeah.

Fabulous.

And do you have somebody who you think is an unsung hero in the industry or even in your world?

I think there's lots of people doing amazing things and I'm constantly inspired.

I think like generally I'm going to say the florists that are embracing like that, florists that I, that supported me to begin was incredible.

And then local, local customers like that are saying, we absolutely love your stuff.

That's like huge.

And I'm so appreciative of that because there's other choices and they're choosing local.

So that's amazing.

And then sorry to say another one, but I'm just going to say, yeah, just going to say family, the family that support us, the people that are behind the scene without like crazy dream, like my husband has, you know, just totally supported me with this, this venture, you know, and, and my dad too, my mom has planted.

And you do find that on a small farm, it's like there's a whole workforce behind there that aren't getting paid, that are just also believing in the dream.

And that's really, really, really special as well.

So I'm so grateful for that because without them it would be impossible.

Yeah.

And is there anything I haven't touched on that you wanted to speak about today or?

Share about.

Your journey.

I don't.

I think I feel like I'm probably sorry.

I've probably, I've probably said a lot, but no.

Yeah, that's what it's about.

You mean?

Yeah.

Yeah, I think, I think it's, I think I've covered most bases.

But yeah, thank you to you for doing what you're doing for the industry.

And it's a, it's a, it is a special industry to be a part of, isn't it?

We're lucky aren't.

We Yeah, yeah.

We're very lucky.

I meet amazing people like I'm constantly, you know, people say they have trouble making adult friends and you don't in this in this like being part of the gardening world and then being part of flower world.

It's so easy to find like minded friends.

Yeah, and I just think the more people that get into it, the stronger we can be.

And yeah, and I'm so grateful to people like you for sharing your stories because it really does help strengthen the community.

So thank you for my pleasure.

Thanks, Beck.

I hope you loved hearing Belinda's story as much as I did.

Her courage to start small, follow her passion, and turn it into a sustainable business is a reminder that flower farming isn't just about growing blooms.

It's about resilience, creativity, and community.

If you enjoyed today's episode, please share it with a friend, leave a review, and don't forget to follow us on Instagram at Dish the Dirt Podcast for more grower stories.

Thanks again to Belinda from The Flowering Field for joining me and to you for listening.

Thank you so much.

Until next time, keep celebrating the beauty of local flowers and being blooming fabulous.