Planning for Profit: How Many Flowers Do You Really Need to Grow?

If your plot’s bursting with flowers but your bank balance isn’t, it’s time for a serious rethink.

There’s a common trap flower farmers fall into: growing more and more, hoping it will somehow translate into profit. But here’s the truth — you don’t need to grow more. You need to grow smarter.

This post will walk you through the exact steps to figure out how many flowers you really need to grow to hit your income goals.

Whether you’re just starting out or scaling up, this is how you build a flower business that actually works.

Why Most Flower Farmers Struggle With Profit

Let me guess — you fell in love with growing, planted all the things, harvested armfuls of beauty... but somewhere around September, you looked at your books and thought: “Where did the money go?”

You gave away too many bouquets. You priced too low. You forgot that weddings need hundreds of stems. You were drowning in flowers, but somehow still not making it pay.

The problem? You were growing without a plan. You're not Planning For Profit yet!

And before you think I’m pointing fingers — I’m not. But I’ll be honest: I’ve never been in that exact spot. I’m a planner. I’ve always worked with a spreadsheet and a structure, and that’s what’s helped me build a business that actually supports me. If you’re not a spreadsheet lover, don’t worry. I’ve built a simple system that works — and I’m going to walk you through it.

Step 1: What are you selling?

Are you offering jam jar posies? Market bunches? DIY wedding buckets? Florist stems?

Each product has a different price point and a different stem count, so this decision shapes the whole plan. If you're not sure where you fit yet, head over to my blog on finding your flower farming niche. It’ll help you align your products with your lifestyle, space, and goals.

For this example, let’s say you’re selling premium £45 bouquets — big, bold, beautiful bunches sold direct to customers or via subscription.

Step 1: What are you selling?

Are you doing jam jar posies? DIY wedding buckets? Big, bold market bouquets?

Each one has a different price and stem count — and you need to decide what you’re building your season around. If you’re unsure, start with my blog on finding your flower farming niche. It’s the foundation that makes everything else easier.

For this plan, let’s say you’re selling premium £45 bouquets direct to your customers — with 20 stems each.

Step 2: How many £45 bouquets do you need to sell?

To reach £10,000, and each bouquet sells for £45:

£10,000 ÷ £45 = 223 bouquets

That’s it: 223 premium bouquets. You’re not trying to sell a thousand roadside bunches. So over a 6 month period of a typical flower farmers season in the UK (April through to October) that's 37 per month or 8 per week.

Step 3: How many stems do you need to grow?

Each bouquet has 20 stems So:

223 bouquets × 20 stems = 4,460 stems

That’s your season target. 4,460 stems that are strong enough to cut and sell. This is your magic number — the one that turns a vague goal into a focused growing plan.

Step 4: What does that actually look like in the field?

By spreading the load across the 6 months and thinking about 3 defined "Seasons", early , mid & late season you can pick suitable crops and break down the thought process into manageable chunks. You could plan something like the below:

For this example you would need 6 beds all 1X 2 m. Your early season crops would go into three of the beds in Autumn. They would be harvested by June and then the beds could be cleared and turned for your 3 late season crops to go in ready. Meanwhile the other 3 beds would be planted up in spring time and be ready for harvesting mid summer. In total you could get a rough stem count of just over 5k from this space so well over your 4460 target (which you would need to allow for wastage )

Want my planner in Excel? My full planner with automated fields, stem counts and spacing for all the most popular cut flowers ( and locked cells - So you can't type over the formulas - it's the idiots proof version ) is available in the shop HERE.

The Big Picture: Less Growing, More Earning

Six well-planned 1x2m beds. That’s all you need to bring in £10,000 in bouquet sales at £45 each Retail.

This is the power of working backwards. No guesswork. No wasted trays. Just clarity — from seed to stem to sale.

Why This Works (Even Without Acres)

Here’s the magic: just 6 beds, well-planned and well-executed, could earn you £10,000 in direct bouquet sales. You don’t need a field the size of Wales. You need intention, spacing, and a pricing strategy that pays you what you’re worth.

What to Do Next

1. Set a financial goal. Choose a number that actually motivates you.

2. Choose your products. Are you doing mixed bunches? Events? Market sales? (Don’t forget to read my blog on choosing your niche.)

3. Work backwards. How many bouquets? How many stems? How many plants? How many seeds do you need to sow?

If you need help with the maths, I’ve built a spreadsheet that does all the heavy lifting — from tray counts to plant spacing. It’s the same tool I use in my own business, and you can grab it in the links below.

When You Grow With the End in Mind…

You’ve got the soil, the seeds, and the ambition. What you need is a system. One that connects your growing season to your income goals.

You stop over-ordering seeds, you know how many trays to sow, when to plant out, and what your patch is actually worth.

You waste less, earn more, and finally start enjoying your harvest — instead of drowning in it.

This is the shift from hobbyist to professional. From chaos to control.

That’s what turns a beautiful patch of flowers into a business that pays you back.

I’ve helped dozens of growers make that shift — and I know you can too.

Bonus Tips for Growing Smarter

• Focus on cut-and-come-again crops to maximise stem yield check out my cut & come again & pinching cheat sheet

• Use succession sowing to keep the harvest flowing all season — no gluts, no gaps.

• Include foliage — it fills out bunches and boosts your profit per stem.

• Keep a simple notebook or tracker — sowing dates, yields, and what worked (or didn’t) will save you next season.

Final Thought on Planning for Profit

If you’re loving this no-fluff approach to flower farming, make sure to subscribe and listen to our podcast — we’ve got plenty more coming.

Until next time, grow what you love, plan with purpose, and remember:

You don’t have to grow everything. Just grow what you can sell!