Uploaded July 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
I recently had a conversation online about farm planning, and I realized that an idea that I focus on, is that the Without a plan for success - can your achieve success? I see a lot of people asking each other how much they sell? What price someone else sells for? How large bouquets should be? But it is very rare that people have conversations about how much they personally need to sell and how much their flowers cost them.
So, today, I want to walk through the way I think about farm planning, to find the answers to my personal questions on the farm. By focusing on the end goal and then breaking down the steps needed to achieve that goal, I find that it can make the planning process so much easier.
Let's talk about - can I be a market flower farm business, and if I can, what is it going to take?
Heres the post i originally wrote:
A good thing to consider before going to sell at a market, is how much you need to sell to make it worth your time. A market takes a lot of set up, prep, packing and driving - our market day is 8+ hours, but only selling for 5. So, what is your time worth? If it's $20, then that costs $160+.
Then there is the market fee. Mine is $50. You will also have smaller expenses like gas, vehicle, insurance, ect.
So, if I was to ballpark the cost of the market at $250, then I need to figure out how much I need to sell to cover that cost. This needs to be a percentage added to the cost to produce your bouquets - this is just your retail cost, not your product cost.
So, in my case, I'm spending 2 full labour days to pick, process, and arrange the bouquets for the market. So, 16 hours at $20, is costing me $320 in labour.
And then there is the product cost. How much time I spent to grow the plants to the point that they are ready for harvest, how much money I investing into seeds and supplies. The cost of purchasing coolers, and the electricity to run it. The time spent doing my accounting, and marketing. The everything, lol. And honestly, I don't have the numbers figured out for that yet, but its easy to guess that it is more then the $320 to pick and arrange.
So, final math tally. My break even point for the market is somewhere near $1000. More then that, and I'm starting to make a profit. Less then that, and my business is slowly bleeding out.
Now, my numbers aren't helpful as exact numbers for anyone else, since it's all going to be relative. Someone could grow less, and therefore have less cost. Someone could be faster or slower then me. It's all relative.
But, HERES THE MAIN POINT, if I bring less to my market then $1000, then I'm never going to be able to be profitable. And, if I think there is no way a specific market could cover my costs in sales, then I'd also be setting up my business to fail. So, while it's important to know how much you COULD make - but it's also essential to know how much you NEED to make.
__________
Ian and Serina of YOU CANT EAT THE GRASS feel that every small change can make a big difference to the world we live in. Every garden planted leads to a better future. We hope to inspire and motivate others to make positive changes in their lives by sharing our journey towards greater sustainability as we build our family farm. It's hard work to build a life worth living, and completely worth it!
Contact us at: iancolbeck@gmail.com
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I recently had a conversation online about farm planning, and I realized that an idea that I focus on, is that the Without a plan for success - can your achieve success? I see a lot of people asking each other how much they sell? What price someone else sells for? How large bouquets should be? But it is very rare that people have conversations about how much they personally need to sell and how much their flowers cost them.
So, today, I want to walk through the way I think about farm planning, to find the answers to my personal questions on the farm. By focusing on the end goal and then breaking down the steps needed to achieve that goal, I find that it can make the planning process so much easier.
Let's talk about - can I be a market flower farm business, and if I can, what is it going to take?
Heres the post i originally wrote:
A good thing to consider before going to sell at a market, is how much you need to sell to make it worth your time. A market takes a lot of set up, prep, packing and driving - our market day is 8+ hours, but only selling for 5. So, what is your time worth? If it's $20, then that costs $160+.
Then there is the market fee. Mine is $50. You will also have smaller expenses like gas, vehicle, insurance, ect.
So, if I was to ballpark the cost of the market at $250, then I need to figure out how much I need to sell to cover that cost. This needs to be a percentage added to the cost to produce your bouquets - this is just your retail cost, not your product cost.
So, in my case, I'm spending 2 full labour days to pick, process, and arrange the bouquets for the market. So, 16 hours at $20, is costing me $320 in labour.
And then there is the product cost. How much time I spent to grow the plants to the point that they are ready for harvest, how much money I investing into seeds and supplies. The cost of purchasing coolers, and the electricity to run it. The time spent doing my accounting, and marketing. The everything, lol. And honestly, I don't have the numbers figured out for that yet, but its easy to guess that it is more then the $320 to pick and arrange.
So, final math tally. My break even point for the market is somewhere near $1000. More then that, and I'm starting to make a profit. Less then that, and my business is slowly bleeding out.
Now, my numbers aren't helpful as exact numbers for anyone else, since it's all going to be relative. Someone could grow less, and therefore have less cost. Someone could be faster or slower then me. It's all relative.
But, HERES THE MAIN POINT, if I bring less to my market then $1000, then I'm never going to be able to be profitable. And, if I think there is no way a specific market could cover my costs in sales, then I'd also be setting up my business to fail. So, while it's important to know how much you COULD make - but it's also essential to know how much you NEED to make.
__________
Ian and Serina of YOU CANT EAT THE GRASS feel that every small change can make a big difference to the world we live in. Every garden planted leads to a better future. We hope to inspire and motivate others to make positive changes in their lives by sharing our journey towards greater sustainability as we build our family farm. It's hard work to build a life worth living, and completely worth it!
Contact us at: iancolbeck@gmail.com
__________
SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram | instagram.com/you.cant.eat.the.grass
Facebook | facebook.com/you.cant.eat.the.grass
Website | youcanteatthegrass.com
__________
SUPPORT US
Check out our Merch
you-cant-eat-the-grass.creator-spring.com
Join this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCuTlZUnykBqH1uwkZocGmzw/join
Amazon Wishlist
amazon.ca/hz/wishlist/ls/154ZZAF87RH62?ref_=wl_share
Paypal
paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=WR6SQY6E24PW6
__________
OUR AFFILIATES (we get a % of sales when you use our links)
West Coast Seeds - a great Canadian seed source!
bit.ly/3u0ydFe
Growing For Market Magazine - 25% off any new subscriptions with this link
growingformarket.com/?aff=2&coupon=ycetg
Our Amazon Favorites:
Affordable LED Grow Lights
amzn.to/3fZFAo8
Heavy Duty Storage Shelf
amzn.to/3H1U42F
Our Camera
amzn.to/3qZrl99
Our Mic
amzn.to/3u4kCNc
