3 things we learned during our first farmer’s market season
This year was our first year selling at the Leesburg Farmer’s Market, and, honestly, we didn’t really know what to expect. It turned out to be a really great experience and we’re looking forward to being back at the market next spring.
So what did we learn this year?
Getting to know the farmer’s market customers was really the best part of the season. At first, we just sold mixed market bouquets that we assembled back on the farm and brought to market. But we realized we liked offering customers the chance to build their own bouquet. That way, while they were creating something unique, we could also share more about our flowers, how we grow them, and why we got into the flower farming business. And we got to know a little about our regular customers, too!
The Leesburg Farmer’s Market is a collection of supportive farmers and makers and we met got to know cool people from some great local places, including our market neighbor, Fireside Farm; our daughter’s favorite, Kochany Wellness; and Chef Eloy’s Kickin’ Salsa (which we are really missing this winter!)
Each week was different and sometimes we had to adjust our expectations on the fly. We typically harvested flowers twice a week and we did not always know what types of blooms we were going to have for our bouquets. While we can’t control the weather (darn early frost!), we are going to do a better job next year of succession planting to ensure we have a wider variety and more flowers to bring to the market each week.