Date: 16 January 2025. Episode 3: What you really DO and DON'T need to get started.

Hello and welcome. In this episode I bust some myths about what you do and don't need to get started growing cut flowers, plus a few things that would be ideal. If you're dreaming of starting your own cut flower business, you might be interested to hear about whether or not you really need to own your own land, what qualifications you should get, whether or not you need a greenhouse, and my thoughts on websites and social media. I also talk about resilience in the face of adversity (i.e. dealing with the British weather), confidence (or lack thereof), accepting rejection gracefully, having a sense of humour, loving the outdoors, as well as assessing your strengths and weaknesses. Plus, I discuss the benefits of a regular water supply, the need for compost bins and the blessing of some support when you really need it. It's all here.

Join me on a journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between.

Please get in touch via instagram if you have any questions you'd like me to answer on the podcast | For regular updates on instagram, checkout @henhillcutflowers | For more information about Lydia, visit the website www.lydiathegardener.co.uk | Subscribe so that you don’t miss an episode and I know that you're listening! | Please support the podcast by leaving a review/some kind words and sharing this podcast with others - thank you.

Date: 14 January 2025. Episode 2: Trial beds and supermarket seeds.

Hello and welcome. In this episode I talk about my “trial beds”: what they are and how they came about, including the massive crisis of confidence I had at the start of 2024 which meant that I ended up with trial beds in the first place. I describe the layout of the beds and explain how I created them, then I discuss how I made the paths (and what I learnt about paths the hard way!). I also talk about the challenges I had creating the beds including obstacles I put in the way myself (it’s those compost bins again!). Finally I talk briefly about some of the seeds that I used in the trial beds in 2024, and what I learnt about them that will be really useful for my 2025 growing season. Apologies for my overuse of the words "adore" and "masses" in this episode!

Join me on a journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between.

Please get in touch via instagram if you have any questions you'd like me to answer on the podcast | For regular updates on instagram, checkout @henhillcutflowers | For more information about Lydia, visit the website www.lydiathegardener.co.uk | Subscribe so that you don’t miss an episode and I know that you're listening! | Please support the podcast by leaving a review/some kind words and sharing this podcast with others - thank you.

Date: 9 January 2025. Episode 1: Braving the cold. Hello and welcome to my first episode of 2025.

In this episode I brave the freezing temperatures and take a quick walk around the cut flower plot to see what’s going on and what is surviving the chill. I also discuss my compost bays including how I set them up, constructed and positioned them and what I add to keep them going.

Join me on a journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between.

Please get in touch via instagram if you have any questions you'd like me to answer on the podcast.

• For regular updates on instagram, checkout @henhillcutflowers
• For more information about Lydia, visit the website www.lydiathegardener.co.uk
• Subscribe so that you don’t miss an episode and I know that you're listening!
• Please support the podcast by leaving a review/some kind words and sharing this podcast with others - thank you.