FLOWER FARMER'S YEAR
Welcome to Your Flower Farming Library
Grow lush designer flowers all season long with full access to an entire (growing) library of flower farming insights, time-saving tools, and behind the scenes articles.
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Growing
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WHAT IS FLOWER FARMER'S YEAR?
FFY is a *growing* library of flower farming information:
get access now!
- In-Depth Plant Profiles
- Monthly BTS Farm Tasks
- My Exact Playbook!
- Time-Saving Tools & Spreadsheets
- Exclusive Articles on Growing, Design, Sales Outlets, Photography, Marketing, and More!
- Latest Research and Trends in the Flower Farming World, but also:
- A heartfelt look at how I work and design with nature, and
- A real person having real conversations about starting a farm and business
Gena Tigert
BLoomtique Farm, @bloomtiquefarm
"Maggie is a treasure. Reading her Flower Farmer's Year is like sitting with an old friend and talking about a shared passion....that kind of friend who is doing amazing things and is strongly encouraging and cheering you on to do amazing things too. The information she shares is thorough, up-to-date, honest and easy to understand. I'm thankful to have come across this gem of the flower world. Finally, I appreciate her swift responses to particular questions thrown her way. Feels like a lifeline as most of us are doing this on our own. Looking forward to learning more as the year progresses."
ZOE HARRISON
"I love your newsletters, the way they are written, the content and especially the pictures. I have purchased your presets which I am in love with and I am a FFY member. Everything you share is inspirational. Thank you."
Jennifer Lopez
"I recently found Petal Back Farm on Instagram, I LOVE the posts, they are zen inducing. The website to the farm was listed in the bio and so I subscribed to the newsletter. That is when “Wow Factor” happened. Maggie, the owner, emailed me personally to say “Welcome!”. I sent her an email to let her know how much that meant to me, a new grower, trying to learn from someone who is doing it successfully. Again, she sent a personal reply back! Who does this?! She is a wonder and someone who is genuinely interested in helping others succeed! I joined her paid community to learn more and have not been disappointed! The farm newsletters are hilarious too! Well done Petal Back Farm, so excited to be along for the ride!"
Wende White
@gratefulgardenflowers
"Well, first of all, you are funny and that is HUGE in my world. Your photography is incredible and I took advantage of your offer for help with taking photos like you do!!!! And I ask for the Lisianthus guide and it has been a wonderful help. Those little buggers are trying my patience🤣🤣. I know good things come to those who wait but patience is something I struggle with. You are always helpful. Always funny and kind. Thank you for LOVING FLOWERS✨✨✨
Sue Rosenfield rosenfield flowers
"I’ve never met her but she is authentic to the core, I love her design, and the fact that she can navigate social media much better than me, and has the balls to write what she thinks and feels. Petal back Farms ROCKS! Oh, and their dahlia tubers are great too!"
Loran O'Rielly @notesfromroosterschapel
Maggie and Petal Back Farm are one of my favorite connections I’ve ever made in the flower farming community. Not only does she grow insanely beautiful flowers, she is a wealth of generous information and a ray of sunshine and comedy. Her tubers are top notch and I adore shopping with her every chance I get. I’d follow her for her photography alone but she makes it a no brainer on so many levels. Thanks for being an awesome flower gal, Maggie.
"I just wanted to thank you for the beautiful tubers. I am new to dahlias this year, and I ordered from several farmers. Your tubers were far and away the best quality! They have been thriving, and I am so thankful to you for bringing beauty to my garden. I am a loyal customer from here on out!"
Alysse Doty
alyssedoty.com @alyssedoty
"If you are blessed enough to get ahold of a few of Petalback’s dahlia tubers, your flowers will be the talk of the town. I purchased 4 varieties last year, and these dahlias were the healthiest and most stunning in my garden. I will certainly be setting my alarm this year to get my order in."
Jessica Slapnicka
"Petal Back Farm is a literal dream. From the folks who run it, to the presets, to the happy hour, and my all time personal favorite, the dahlia tubers. They are all around wonderful! I always look forward to seeing the beauty, comedy, truth and realness that comes from them. Plus who doesn’t love a damn happy hour?! Maggie’s newsletters are the highlights of my week! If you want to feel like your 5th grade self with the best penpal in the history of penpals then get on that newsletter list and pour yourself a drink. Thank you guys for all the love and soul you put into your farm. From one aspiring flower farmer, y’all are goals. 🫶🏼"
Bonnie Schubert
"One of my favorite parts of the growing season is that I know Petal Back is back at it again. For two seasons now I have ordered floral creations and eggs from Maggie. Her arrangements last longer than the expensive arrangements I get from local florists. I look forward to delivery days knowing the gifts of her harvest are through an act of passion and love."
Paula Tomaszewski @CountryRoadsFlowerFarm
"When I open my email and see a message from Petal Back Flowers in my inbox, I know it's going to be a good day. The newsletter is always entertaining..it's like Maggie is my head, writing my thoughts..... to me.... She keeps it real, funny and informative.....oh and her photos are gorg. Which is why I just ordered the Presets from her..... Just follow her.. order from her.... sign up for the newsletter- you won't be disappointed.... Now, how can I get some of her dahlia tubers to Canada?!?"
we're working on it :)
"Petal Back Farm is such a bright little sparkle of light in a not-always-so-light world. Whether it’s learning and loving her newsletter posts or enjoying the cheer she spreads through social media. . . I am so happy to just follow along and cheer her along from afar! Keep growing and keep going please!"
Hannah Kroll
Northwood homestead
"Your presets are absolutely stunning and VERY user friendly for someone who does not have time to learn any more things. My photos all look more professional, streamlined, and just plain gorgeous. Also I love your newsletter. I think we would be friends in real life. 😁"
me too!
Allison Dhabalt
She Blooms Flower Farm @shebloomsflowerfarm
"Petal Back Farm was introduced to me by my SIL and has been such a beautiful addition to my social feed and farm. The tubers we added from you last season arrived perfectly and grew so prolifically. We are so excited to add your Ranunculus to our farm this season as well. Thank you for sharing your creativity and unfiltered self with the world. 🩷🩷"
Viktoria Bondaruk @byviktoria
"I don’t know you personally but I have always loved following along on your instagram (suchhh beautiful photos!!!!) but recently had the immense joy of snagging some of your dahlia tubers (last year) and loved how beautiful it was packaged and how attentive you were to my questions online (and on DM’s ) :) you have so much going on but you took the time to answer my concerns about the tubers and also answer silly photo questions like “which dahlia is this?” 😅😆 You’re inspiring and amazing. Love following you and hope you keep doing what you’re doing. (Also, the dahlias grew amazingly, not surprisingly)"
Paula @Basketofflowersfarm
"I first found out about Maggie @ Petal Back Farms in 2020 when we both were taking the Floret online classes together that year. When I saw her amazing photography on her Instagram profile, I was blown away! Then when she came out whith her own presets I was SUPER excited and bought them right away! I litterally use Maggie's presets for about 98% of all our photography and it has made an enormous difference in the quality of our photos and has boosted our following and sales as well! Totally worth every penny and more! Blessings Paula 💞"
Heather Rose
"Maggie is the best when it comes to bouquets of flowers. They always look stunning and last for weeks! She has the best emails and always brings a smaller and laugh when I read them. Cannot say enough about Petal Back Farms and Maggie!"
Margaret Anderson @willowhill_florals
I just want to start with...you crack me up. I love your emails and they are unlike most flower people I subscribe to. I snort and laugh out loud when reading your stories and the way you put things into words is just not very bland. So, way to go! Oh, another thing. Your Instagram page is also my favorite flower farmer page. Seriously, the prettiest photos EVER. Thanks for brightening up my feed. I bought some dahlia tubers from you last year and added them to my already expensive pile that were all waiting to go into the soil. The one looked a bit iffy and I emailed you about it. To my surprise you sent me another one and for free, no questions, no nothing. It warmed my heart and made me say, this is great customer service! So thanks again. And keep on with the great content!
we always try to make it right!
MOLLEE Alexander
"Petal Back Farm: simultaneous emanations of structure and elegance, extraction and grace, power and finesse. A place where nature and nurture come together and magic is created."
Amy Delaney
"Website is lovely, selection is wonderful, and thankful for all your hard work to share the endless beauty and intrigue of dahlias with us."
JulianNa Traxler
For the past few seasons, I have made the mistake of buying peony roots from Walmart--only to open the bag and the root is completely dead. This year I chose to buy a peony root from Petal Back Farm, and WOW, the root that arrived promptly was beautiful! It had 3 healthy eyes that were ready to be planted. I will definitely be purchasing from them again in the future!
Samantha Wojnowiak
@wildheartsflowers_mke
"The Petal Back Farm presets are amazing!! I use them for more than just flower photos - they’re perfect for family photos, lifestyle photos, and everything in between! Highly highly recommend!"
Nichole Smith
@smiths_flower_farm
"I have ordered tubers from you and they were some of the best tubers I got last year! No kidding I was very impressed with quality and how they did through the season."
ellen Utley
Hi! I recently purchased ranunculus corms and can’t wait to put them in the ground! Shipping was super fast and the packaging is super cute to boot! We recently moved to Illinois from La Crosse so it feels special to have something in my garden from the area! Looking forward to the dahlia tuber sale!! Thanks Maggie and Matt
Leora Tanzer
I love receiving petal back farms newsletters, always makes me smile and feels like I’m reading a message from a friend! I recently ordered a peony root and it came nicely packaged with tons of eyes. It’s already sprouting leaves, only 2ish months after planting! So exciting!!
Jenny Rose
"Maggie's flowers are the ABSOLUTE BEST. They are the little ray of sunshine that I need to see on a daily basis."
Amy C
@thetrimbelleshire
"Fun-loving, relatable, and creative owner
Excellent photography inspo and presets for purchase
Great selection of tubers and bulbs for sale seasonally
Legit quality and humorous newsletters with grade-A GIFs"
Grace Holdridge
"I purchased bulbs and tubers from Petal Back Farms and am anxiously awaiting seeing beautiful blooms in the future. Maggie is a wealth of knowledge and responded to my inquire when a second shipment attired after my ground had frozen! Here's to potted peonies!!"
Laura Mitchell
"The bouquets from Petal Back Farm fill my home with such beauty! The floral designs are unique, with great floral variety and color schemes. These flowers bring me such joy and I look forward to them each week during the growing season!"
Sarah Torkelson
@rosalindred89
"I’ve purchased some very happy dahlia tubers from Petal Back Farm!!!"
I like my drinks strong and my gardens wild.
Cheers! -Maggie
I started our flower farm from scratch, all while working full time, and built it into a business that now brings in more than my fancy corporate job ever did.
I believe each of us is channeling something magical into this world, and if you resonate with me, I'm here to help you grow that seedling of an idea into that magical something. For me, that meant turning our lush garden into a business that supports our family. Now, I've created an ongoing library of the information that got me here, and I'm here to share that with you.
let me introduce myself
p.s. You can learn more about my writing style here.
I'm Maggie
Where do I start?
When do I plant?
WHAT do I plant?
Who do I sell to?
How do I sow this variety?
What spacing?
Does it need support?
Do I pinch this variety?
Can it overwinter?
When is the right time to harvest?
How do I store it?
What's the vase life of this flower?
How long can it last in the cooler?
How do I design with it?
What do I charge?
And more...
if you are.....
Where do I start?
When do I plant?
WHAT do I plant?
Who do I sell to?
How do I sow this variety?
What spacing?
Does it need support?
Do I pinch this variety?
Can it overwinter?
When is the right time to harvest?
How do I store it?
What's the vase life of this flower?
How long can it last in the cooler?
How do I design with it?
What do I charge?
And more...
- Wanting to learn how to grow flowers for a garden or a budding business
- Looking for a resource you can reliably reference
- Needing a place to quickly answer questions like:
Sign Up Below or Keep Reading!
FFY QUICK LOOK
MEMBERS FROM 20+ COUNTRIES
OVER 40 EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES
OVER 18
PLANT PROFILES
MY EXACT FARM PLAN
& TOOLS
My intention with FFY was to offer valuable information at an affordable price point. We're currently offering FFY for less than 40 cents / day (yearly plan), whooop!
P.S., As long as you keep your account active, we guarantee your membership price will never increase, even as we bring NEW features, high five!
Flower Farmer's Year (FFY)
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YEARLY MEMBERSHIP
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$14 USD / Month
$140 USD / Year
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FAVORITE FEATURES
what's exciting?!
FAVORITE DOWNLOAD
Seed Sowing & Planning Spreadsheet
sow!
FLOWER FARMER's YEAR
New Dashboard
Plant Profiles, BTS Farm Tasks, Tools & Downloads, and exclusive articles are all easily accessible via the new dashboard. You can preview the dashboard here (note the links only work for active members). This library continues to grow each month!
grow!
A hands down member favorite! This spreadsheet is the heart of our operation. I've used many planning spreadsheets and while they all had great features, none had everything I needed. So, I created my own with intense calculations. I'm confident you won't find another one like this: it calculates sowing AND transplant dates based on your unique climate, accounts for hardy annuals, growing under high tunnels OR low tunnels, unique row spacing, and more. See this video for more.
learn the best growing practices + my favorite varieties!
Plant Profiles dive DEEP on the most-popular and profitable flowers for cut-flower farms. A desire to grow gorgeous flowers is one thing, but discerning if a particular plant is right for your climate is a whole other ballgame (the struggle is real when those Insta pictures are just so dang pretty!).
My intention here is to give you as much practical information to make these decisions. However, I'm going one step further and taking you completely behind the scenes, sharing exactly what I do too.
Plant Profiles are broken up into Nuts & Bolts (N&B) and Behind the Scenes (BTS). N&B are a collection of widely-accepted principals and successful growing practices, backed by research and leading experts in the field. BTS is just that: me pulling back the curtain and getting into the nitty gritty of how we apply this practical information on our farm.
See all Plant Profiles on FFY Dashboard Preview.
PLANT PROFILES
want a behind-the-scenes look?
Each month, I take you behind-the-scenes of what a typical month looks like for me on the farm. These posts are less research-based and more of my personal experience. They include my thoughts on the season and things I *wish* I would have known or done when I was just starting out. They include exercises and tools I use, whether industry standards or my own proprietary tools, like my Seed Sowing & Planning Spreadsheet (a member favorite)! Read more about that here.
BTS Monthly Farm Tasks
just a real conversation with a real person!
If you're used to my writing style, you know what you're gonna get! If not, you can read more about me here, but basically: I'm all about the real talk, like you know, there's actually a real person here! I'm an open book and if I share something, I don't hold back on the details (like the things people *actually* want to know):
- Exact varieties (as in, the actual names and where I source them)
- The tools, spreadsheets, and calculators I use (and don't worry, I don't just give you templates/links, I also give you my own filled in with what I actually do!)
- Pricing, design, and bloom times
- Exclusive articles on topics like harvesting techniques, sales outlets, weddings, marketing, photography, and more!
- Comment and question sections (I love hearing from you!)
ALSO INCLUDED
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ask away!
FAQs
Is the information available forever?
questions?
FAQs
What if I sign up then decide it's not for me?
No problem! We have a money back guarantee. Due to the digital nature of the content, we just ask that you email support@petalbackfarm.com within one week of signing up for 100% money back. After one week, you can still cancel at any time via your account for a recurring membership. We can also happily do this for you!
questions?
YES! While digital access is only available for active members, you have the ability to save everything to your personal device prior to cancelling. Each post has options to either print as a physical copy (people like to keep them in a binder) or save as a digital PDF. All downloads are available to save on your personal device.
is Flower Farmer's Year for you?
If you like reading in-depth articles, this is for you! If you're thinking about starting a flower farm and want to know what this looks like behind the scenes (while juggling a career, family, life), this is for you! If you're on your flower farming journey, but want to peek behind the curtain on another farm, this is for you too.
If this is you, know that I am you!
I always want to know *exactly* how other growers do things, and I'm often disappointed when I sign up for something just to get a generic answer. I'll be sharing practical information, but also the details (sources, varieties, and more). P.S., I started and run our farm business all while working full time (and our 2023 business revenue SURPASSED my fancy corporate job).
FFY is a membership, not a course.
FFY consists of written and visual content (Plant Profiles, BTS Farm Tasks, Articles, Tools & Downloads).
Plant Profiles are a collection of data, widely-accepted principals, and successful growing practices across various zones and climates, backed by research and industry leaders. I pair this with a BTS look at exactly how we apply this practical information in our unique climate and growing zone (Mindoro, WI, Zone 4, loamy sand, last frost May 15, first frost Oct 1).
I decided to break it up this way, because I think both are equally important. One without the other is not a complete story. Optimal conditions without real-life application lacks clear, actionable steps and can leave one overwhelmed with analysis paralysis. On the other hand, blindly following the instructions of another grower without understanding the fundamentals can lead to frustration when results are not the same (because the conditions were not the same).
FFY is a BTS look, not business school.
We largely focus on the growing aspect, but we'll also touch on marketing, newsletters, social media, and business. While I get into the biz details, I won't be sharing our personal financial data (based on legal advice, eh). Income from a flower farm is totally unique and depends on your revenue streams . . . anywhere from 25K / acre (Source: The Flower Farmer) to 100k+ / acre (NET!) (Source: Field & Garden Podcast Episode #28 with Jennie Love). I will be sharing things like price / stem, wedding pricing, etc., and in January we talk tips on setting up your business correctly right from the start.
OK, that's a lot of transparency, but that's how I role. I hope is this for you, but finally:
Who is FFY NOT for?
This is NOT for everyone! If you don't like reading + visual content, this is not for you. FFY is heavy on written articles, spreadsheets, and PDFs. If you are looking for videos, this is not for you. If you're looking for 1:1 coaching or mentorship, this is not for you (this is what allows me to keep it at this price point, but each post has an area for comments and questions and I ALWAYS respond, usually lengthy responses :) ). If you're *not* willing to learn how to apply information to your unique climate and get upset when things don't apply exactly to your situation, this is not for you.
Have Questions?
Feel free to email support@petalbackfarm.com!
Who is FFY for and Who is it Not for?
got questions?
MORE ABOUT ME
When it comes to FFY, don't think of me as a teacher. Although I was a a straight-A student, I never liked the format of school.
Just think of me as one of your growing pals who is sharing everything she does . . . who is a total research-fanatic nerd . . . that also likes honest conversations and good whiskey.
I didn't get straight As because I was a good student. I'm just good at analyzing data and applying the right information quickly. And I love collecting it, so I thought I'd share!
I say this ad nauseam, but I truly believe in the power of the collective and that we all have something unique and useful to share. I wouldn't be where I am today if others did not share with me.
This space isn't just for me to share with you, but for you to ask questions and share as well! I hope to see there.
