Angela Turner was deep into ‘Gilmore Girls’ when her husband, Carl, asked her a poignant question; “What is the last thing you really enjoyed doing?”
See, after 15 years in the music promotion business in Nashville, Angela had gotten out of that business and moved back into Lee’s Summit, but she just didn’t have a new mission to tackle. Not yet.
“I went to Carl and said, ‘I want to flower farm.’”
Angela began studying flower farming with Erin Benzakein of Floret Flowers, one of the nation’s leading ‘farmer-florists,’ a term used to describe those who specialize in both growing and designing with seasonal flowers. From her six-figure salary back to $9.50 an hour at a local horticulture business, Angela’s journey began anew, and in 2018, Bel Fiore Farm and Floral was born.
Bel Fiore (pronounced BELL - FEE - OAR - EE) operates out of the Gardens at Unity Village, with Angela’s main growing area a quarter-acre. Using intensive and sustainable farming methods, they are able to grow commercially cut flowers in a small area which supplies their weekly bouquet offerings and subscriptions during their growing season of April to October, along with weddings and events.
Now enjoying a burgeoning business and entering her fifth growing season, Angela says Bel Fiore’s new goal is lofty but achievable; they want their own land.
“I want to have the ability to invest in perennials,” she said, adding her desire to have a barn and studio for events. Currently, her walk-in cooler is at a third location.
As her career has moved full-tilt to flower farming, Angela has a few ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ for those of us wanting to start our own flower or vegetable garden; good bugs vs. bad bugs and keeping a journal are chief among her suggestions.
Do: Be intentional.
“Always start small and know at the very beginning where you want your garden to be,” she said. “A lot of our local garden centers carry cut-flower varieties. If you’re starting a vegetable garden, don’t think you have to grow all the things. You can say, ‘I’m going to grow just three varieties of tomatoes, a few peppers, a squash, and tomatillos, mix in a few herbs and flowers for pollinators.’”
Don’t: Go crazy on tomatoes.
“You don’t need 12 tomato plants. You’ll have so much fruit you won’t know what to do with it all.”
Do: Take notes. “I use my planner and write notes every single day about what is going on in the garden: what the weather is like, the first bug or first bloom, reminding myself that we watered or fertilized and look back at those notes.”
Don’t: Fret about the weather. “Focus on good soil health, adding compost, not over-tilling, pitch-forking, plants that encourage beneficial insects.”
Do: Know the first frost day. “Here in Lee’s Summit, it’s around April 18.”
And good bugs/bad bugs are key. Angela says plant natives like coneflower, milkweed or grasses, and fennel or dill will encourage butterflies, ladybugs, assassin bugs (just don’t handle them!), and praying mantis, the latter especially beneficial as it will eat the potato beetles and squash bugs.
Don’t: Over clean at the end of the season. Angela says some leaves behind in the garden are healthy and provide a habitat for the good bugs. “When you create the conditions to have good bugs, they will help you get rid of the bad bugs quicker.”
“It’s continual learning. I still make mistakes like overwatering or underwatering something. I am still killing things. It is such a learning process. You have to give yourself grace and be in love with the process. If you are struggling in life, go plant a garden.”
Angela’s Pro Tips!
1. Start small. A 4 ft x 10-12 ft area is an ample space to get started. You want a full sunny spot for most vegetables and flowers.
2. Soil is everything. Don't skip or skimp on this step. Get a soil test and discuss the results with a Missouri Extension agent who will help guide you on what your soil needs
3. Add quality compost and fertilizer as recommended. My top pick is Cotton Burr Compost sold at local garden centers or for bulk delivery KC Composting in Belton. For fertilizer, I recommend the Espoma brand.
4. Put together a wish list of things you'd like to grow and then research those plants. What are each plant's needs? What pests do they battle? Are there disease-resistant varieties?
5. Visit your local garden center in early April to talk with a plant expert about your plans and to help narrow your list. I recommend starting with 2 to 3 varieties of tomatoes, peppers, squash, basil, thyme, rosemary, and then interplanting things that will attract good bugs and pollinators like marigolds, zinnias. Square Foot Gardening is a great way to approach your space.
6. With your area prepped and ready to go, head to your local garden center and pick out plant starts and easy to sow seeds like zinnias and sunflowers.
7. Water in well. Plants need water and nutrients to get a good start. Get a rain gauge so that you don't assume that rain dropped enough moisture that the plants need to thrive. At our farm we want plants to get 1-2" a week of water. Always water at the base of your plants. That will help ward off fungal diseases and get the water to the place it needs to go.
8. While plants are young, install your plant supports like stakes or cages to aid in growing. There is nothing worse than trying to tie up a tomato plant that has flopped over.
9. Take notes on your phone or in a notebook so you can look back on them next year and make improvements.
10. Most importantly - enjoy the journey!
Find them online at belfiorefarm.com/.