Jill Shea Connecticut Flower Collective

Justine McFarland River City Flower Exchange

Jill Shea is a self-proclaimed "Jill of all trades", as in addition to managing the Connecticut Flower Collective, she is also a Flower Farmer, she works for a non-profit that creates agriculture internships for young people, and she runs her own plant installation business. She has been involved in agriculture for over 12 years and is passionate about the local flower movement across the United States.

While living in Baltimore, I discovered the city was not for me, and I missed interactions with nature. To develop my photography and graphic design skills, I examined how people interact with their surroundings and how farmers sell themselves to wider audiences.  I graduated at the beginning of the Slow Flowers movement. Having written my thesis on the effects of imported flowers on our environment, I created a guide for local florists to educate their audiences on how a shift to local, sustainable practices would change the floral industry. After five years of working on an organic farm in Vermont, our jobs took us to Virginia, where we bought 7-acres and are developing our farm.

Show Notes

1. When working together, trust the process and remind yourself why you are doing this. Everything is going to be ok.

2. When juggling many different parts of your business, take a minute and figure out what is urgent and what can wait. This will help relieve some of the stress.

3. Crop planning with other farmers can create a better business for everyone.

4. Looking at the year in review of what was grown vs sold, might surprise you. You may even see new trends, like the popularity of snapdragons.

5. By farmers working together more customers can be supplied and greater consistency can be achieved.