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Organic Colours in Leitrim

Ali Corcoran discovered there's a market for organic cut flowers.

As a trainee at the Organic Centre in Rossiver, Co. Leitrim, I took for my personal project the growing of annual cut flowers. My aim was to follow through the season, sowing, planting, finding markets and recording my procedures and observations. I had never worked with flowers before. So this was my first experience as a flower grower.

Sowing seed was straightforward. Using Sinclair seed compost in modular trays, with two-inch deep cells, was the best method. However some seed was sown in flat trays, which caused problems. The seedlings got stressed, and pricking out was very laborious. Some of the plants I potted up into 9cm. pots. This resulted in large, strong plants when it came to planting out. Harden off flowers as you would vegetables. Don't let the plants become stressed or there will be no flowers!

Plant out after the last frost. I planted out around the end of June, but I was running a bit behind myself. The beds were about 1m by 30m. The flowers were planted in blocks several metres long resulting in around five varieties in each bed. There were four beds in total. The spacing varied from 6in to 24in for some varieties. The closer spacing encouraged mould, so opt for a wider spacing even if it's not recommended. The previous year's application of FYM and compost was relied on for fertility with good results.

Support

Plant support and protection is extremely important. Even if the site is sheltered, rain or even a heavy mist will weigh the flowers down. After planting I covered the young plants with a 'tunnel cloche' of fleece. This protected them from wind and rain, as well as offering some extra heat. By the time the cloche came off, a double row of flowering Jerusalem artichokes had grown up to become a very effective windbreak for the rest of the season. These have the added bonus of producing flowers that can be added to your bouquets.

In terms of plant support within the rows there are many options. Single flower support was necessary for the sunflowers, however a closer planting might have helped them support each other. Bamboo poles every 6 - 12 ft. along the bed with twine running between them worked fairly well. Make sure the poles and twine are secure, as I discovered that swaying poles and sagging twine make for twisted flower stems and very difficult harvesting.

Insect pests didn't pose a serious problem, the ladybug larvae seemed to keep what greenfly there were under control. Mould was the most obvious problem, and wider spacing and regular weeding would have rectified this problem easily. There is such a wide variety of flowers to choose from that there is no need to struggle with difficult varieties.

Harvesting

When the flowers are blooming and ready for harvest, the essential tools are either a strong flower scissors or secateurs, clean buckets, and rubber bands. For the harvesting process everybody will find their own way. I harvested flowers of the same variety then bunched them together and placed them into buckets in the field. Then I brought them up to the packing shed, wrapped them in newspaper, and left them to 'condition 'or recover for a few hours in clean water.

Most flowers are picked 'in bud' or just after opening. Mixing flowers at different stages in the bouquet prolongs the vase life. Test run some of your own bunches, a vase life of a week should be the minimum. The time you choose to harvest is up to yourself. Choose the time that fits best into your day. I harvested both in the morning and the evening. There didn't seem to be a huge difference. Just make sure the dew has dried in the morning, and the sun is low is the evening. However if it's a dry evening and the forecast is for rain the next morning, harvest the flowers then!

Marketing

Making up the bouquets was the most difficult and time-consuming part of the project. It took patience and an eye for colour and design. However I enjoyed it. And it did get easier. My bouquets were fairly simple, with two colour schemes, pastels with a white or yellow filler, and hot colours with a green or yellow filler. As the Organic Centre already sold to restaurants and shops, I had a ready market to supply. The bouquets were priced at £5, £3 and £2 each. The smaller bunches were sold in a shop. Although under-priced they were a good way to test the market. Personal callers choose the largest bunches. Customer preference was for pastel combinations.

As for what to grow, choose varieties that are easy, but not always readily available. Any dried flower variety is ideal as they have a very long vase life. Growing perennials as well would be advisable. They provide early and late flowers. Alchemilla mollis was my stock yellow filler, and I only needed a few plants.

Commercial flowers in combination with another enterprise, such as vegetables, herbs, or crafts would be ideal. As with anything new they take time and care. They are a joy to work with, and the flower patch in the field was always remarked on. They provide a high return, once a suitable market is found. For those thinking of organic flower growing 'Flower Farmer' by Lynn Byczynski is essential reading.