Turning Flower Farming into a Side Hustle | What You Need to Know
Can Flower Farming Be a Side Hustle?
Flower farming is scalable, meaning it can become a full-time, income-generating business or a side hustle that brings in extra income.
But here’s the catch—compared to other side hustles, flower farming requires more time, energy, and patience. If you’re looking to make money fast, this isn’t the right hustle for you. While it can be profitable, it takes hard work and consistency to make it so.
That said, for someone who loves growing flowers, there’s nothing more rewarding than turning that passion into income.
A side hustle is more than just a job—it’s a flexible way to earn income that fits around your life without leaving you completely exhausted. To make flower farming viable and profitable, you’ll need to manage a few key areas well.
In this post, we’ll share exactly what it takes to make your flower farming side hustle successful—but first, let’s take a walk down memory lane.
Falling in love with flower farming
When I first started flower farming, I was a stay-at-home mom with two toddlers. I had just finished getting my bachelor's in accounting, but watching the stress of my husband working in accounting made me balk at the idea of going down that path. Yet, the financial and emotional pressure of being a one-income household was stifling.
Selling supplements or yoga pants like other mom friends wasn’t enticing to me—sales alone wasn’t my passion. Though I could have chosen an “easier” side hustle, I wasn’t just looking to just make money—I was excited to explore my newfound passion for growing specialty cut flowers while earning extra income.
We were between a rock and a hard place, but it takes pressure to create diamonds, right? With my husband’s support, we dove headfirst into flower farming.
Here we are, going into our ninth growing season.
We leapt into flower farming and haven’t looked back.
If you’re taking the time to read this blog, I’m guessing you’re looking to flower farm as a side hustle—or maybe you’re trying to regain control of an existing flower farming business to bring it back to side hustle status.
Whether your goal is to lessen financial strain or earn extra money for a vacation, you want to do it in a way you’re passionate about. I get it. I was there.
Flower farming, as I said in the beginning, is scalable.
The problem? It can also gobble you up.
If not kept in check, flower farming can become a money pit and a time suck. It can take over.
We weren’t looking to keep flower farming in the side hustle zone, but it quickly grew and became demanding—fast. We share more about that in our blog, More Advice for Flower Farmers, where we talk about the lessons we learned the hard way.
Hindsight is 20/20, so I’m sharing what we learned to help you better manage and keep your flower farm as a profitable side hustle.
Let’s dive into the key areas you need to manage to keep flower farming in the side hustle zone!
Flower farming can quickly become overwhelming if it’s not managed well. We’ve learned a lot of lessons the hard way—about time, profitability, and avoiding burnout. If you want insights on how to keep your flower farm sustainable, check out More Advice for Flower Farmers for what we wish we knew sooner!
Managing the demands
Keeping Flower Farming Manageable as a Side Hustle
Flower farming is demanding, there’s no denying it. However, there are ways to keep the demands at bay and make it more feasible as a side hustle.
Start Small
Start small with both the number of crops you grow and the variety of offerings you provide. For a new grower, this is something I highly recommend—even if you plan to take flower farming beyond a side hustle.
There is an intense learning curve with flower farming, even on a small scale. Starting or keeping your flower farm small allows you to stay flexible, which is essential for balancing it as a side hustle.
Even if you have acres of land, I’d recommend starting with no more than a quarter acre, especially if your focus is on growing annuals. You’ll be surprised by how much time, energy, and resources even a quarter acre of cut flowers demands—especially if planted intensively.
To put it into perspective:
We started with just 1,600 square feet and were able to:
Handle a weekly farmers market in the summer
Dip our toes into weddings
Offer a bouquet subscription
That small space was incredibly profitable, but it still took a lot of effort as we learned the ins and outs of growing, designing, selling flowers, and running a business.
The beauty of growing cut flowers? You can pack a lot of plants into a small space while still achieving incredible yields.
Keep It Simple
Along with limiting space, limiting the number of varieties you grow will help keep your flower farm manageable. Focus on crops that are:
Impactful yet easy to grow, such as sunflowers, zinnias, and cosmos
Fast-growing and easy to start, as crops you can direct sow or start indoors quickly will be more profitable
Another way to simplify your operation is to keep your growing and selling season shorter. Sticking to varieties that thrive in your frost-free season can save you time and money, since you won’t have to worry about managing low tunnels or high tunnels.
What’s Next?
Determining the ideal length of your growing and selling season is the next key area to manage. Let’s dive into it.
Managing Time in a Flower Farming Side Hustle
Maintaining a flower farming business as a side hustle first requires knowing how much time you can—and are willing—to commit to it.
Determine Your Time Commitment
Unlike other common side hustles, flower farming follows nature’s timeline, not yours. Even if you have free time in January, you can’t weed the field months in advance. Your farm’s needs arise in real-time, often during the peak growing and selling season.
Since flower farming is still a business, even as a side hustle, you need to be clear about how much time you’ll commit daily or weekly to meet its demands.
Set a Schedule
Creating a schedule that works around your other responsibilities will help you better budget your time.
When we started, I often used the last few hours of sunlight after Graham got home so I could plant or seed sow while he watched the girls. These days, I’m not only running the flower farm, but I also help at the family’s accounting office, all while maintaining a work-life balance.
Time is limited, so I had to become more intentional with my schedule to stay productive. While we keep a weekly schedule, we also adjust daily because farm needs shift, and life happens.
Without a plan, it’s easy to become a wanderer, bouncing between unfinished projects. Prioritizing tasks and sticking to a plan helps ensure that work actually gets done.
Increase Efficiency
It’s easy to lose track of time in the flower field. While “dirt therapy” is wonderful, getting caught up in the moment can cut into profits. What feels like an hour of work can quickly turn into three if you’re not careful.
To stay on track, consider:
Setting a timer to stay focused and avoid overextending on a single task
Investing in tools that improve efficiency and cut down labor
For example, weed suppression used to be a losing battle by hand—so we invested in silage tarps and weed cloth to dramatically cut down on time spent weeding. Likewise, planting transplants used to take hours, but after investing in an auger drill, I can plant an entire row in an hour instead of three or four. With two people, the progress is even more impressive.
These small investments don’t break the bank but pay back tenfold in time saved.
Want to Work Smarter, Not Harder?
Silage tarping was one of the best decisions we made for increasing efficiency, reducing weeds, and making flower farming more manageable. If you’re looking for ways to save time and effort, check out our full guide on How We Use Silage Tarps to see how it can transform your farm!
Managing Finances in a Flower Farming Side Hustle
The goal of a side hustle is to generate extra income while balancing it with your existing life demands—whether that’s another job, children, or school. To make it truly profitable, you need to closely manage your finances and avoid common pitfalls.
Avoid Debt
Once you go into debt, you abandon the spirit of what you set out to accomplish with a side hustle.
Flower farming can quickly escalate—what starts as a few packets of zinnias and marigolds can turn into needing walk-in coolers and high tunnels. To keep it sustainable as a side hustle, avoid maximizing output at the cost of large infrastructure investments. These big purchases can create a runaway-train situation, leaving you financially strained instead of profitable.
Set a budget for your start-up costs—and stick to it. Do not go into debt to lift your business off the ground.
To put it simply:
If you start going into debt, you may not recoup those costs that season—or for a few seasons.
The vacation you were working toward? It just got sidelined by the farm.
Worse yet, you may have added more financial strain on your household.
Focus on Profitability
The difference between a hobby and a side hustle is profitability. Profit isn’t just about sales or gross revenue—it’s about what’s left after expenses.
For example:
Selling $10,000 in flowers doesn’t mean you’ve made $10,000 in profit—profit is revenue minus expenses.
Overspending can quickly eat into profits, especially when you’re running your flower farm part-time.
Tracking expenses, setting a budget, and monitoring sales will help you turn your passion for growing flowers into a profitable business.
What Can You Realistically Earn?
Side hustles typically generate an extra $1,000 per month, though flower farming is seasonal.
Many new flower farmers can aim for $10,000 to $15,000 in annual sales.
With careful budgeting, this can translate into a healthy profit.
Mindful Spending Matters
It’s easy to overspend on crops, tools, and trends. Just because a $30 dahlia is the latest must-have variety doesn’t mean it will make you more money than a $5 dahlia.
Before making a purchase, ask yourself:
Does this higher price actually add enough value to justify the cost?
Will I recoup this investment in my first season, or will it take years?
You might feel at a disadvantage starting out without fancy equipment or trendy flower varieties, but overspending and going into debt puts you at the real disadvantage.
Want to Start a Flower Farm on a Budget?
You don’t need to spend a fortune to start a profitable flower farm. If you're looking for practical ways to get started without breaking the bank, check out our guide on Starting a Flower Farm on a Shoestring Budget.
Managing Boundaries in a Flower Farming Side Hustle
Setting boundaries can be challenging—especially for those of us with nurturing spirits, which describes many flower farmers. We love to please, create beauty, and make others happy. But learning to say “no” is one of the most important skills you can develop.
Relearn the Power of “No”
We need to channel our inner two-year-old self and rediscover the power of “no.”
Keeping flower farming as a side hustle means structuring your products and sales outlets around your strengths and lifestyle. Just because someone asks you to do something doesn’t mean you have to say yes—especially if it doesn’t fit within your:
Ideals
Capabilities
Willingness
Boundaries Shape Your Business & Customer Base
Having clear boundaries prevents you from becoming overwhelmed while also helping you attract the right customers.
For example:
If you don’t want to design wedding bouquets, you don’t have to—maybe a farm stand at the end of your driveway is more aligned with your goals.
Or if you love custom floral work, you may decide to focus on intimate weddings rather than farmers markets.
Boundaries Protect Your Schedule & Work-Life Balance
Without boundaries, flower farming can easily bleed into every area of your life, creating imbalance and chaos. Saying no is just one part of setting limits—you also need to protect your time, focus, and energy.
Consider these small but impactful steps:
Turn off notifications for farm-related messages during personal or work hours.
Compartmentalize your flower farm, life, and other responsibilities to stay present in each task.
Stick to your priorities and avoid distractions that pull you away from your goals.
Setting firm boundaries isn’t just about protecting your time—it’s about shaping your flower farm into something sustainable and enjoyable.
Don’t be afraid to set those boundaries. Your business—and your well-being—will thrive because of them.
Conclusion: Keeping Flower Farming a Sustainable Side Hustle
A flower farming business can be a great side hustle, but it requires diligence to balance its demands alongside everything else in life.
Flower farming is not your average side hustle—it requires time, planning, and adaptability. If you’re not careful, it can take over your life rather than conforming to it. However, by staying focused on your goals, profitability, and boundaries, you can keep it manageable, fulfilling, and profitable.
When done right, flower farming enriches your life and the lives of those around you. Through the gift of growing and sharing your blooms, you’ll not only bring joy to others but also generate extra income doing something you love.
We are looking forward to sharing more blooms with you soon.
Jessica & Graham
FAQs About Flower Farming as a Side Hustle
1. Can I start a flower farm while working full-time?
Yes, many flower farmers begin as side hustles while working full-time. The key is to start small, choose manageable crops, and focus on efficiency. Read about choosing the right varieties for your flower farm dream here.
2. How much time does a flower farming side hustle take?
It depends on your scale. A small garden for bouquet sales might take 5–10 hours a week, while larger setups could require more. Smart planning, like succession planting and streamlined workflows, can save time. Learn more about crop planning basics in our guide here.
3. How profitable is a flower farming side hustle?
Flower farming can be profitable, especially when focusing on high-demand flowers like dahlias, sunflowers, and fillers. Many farmers earn between $1,000–$5,000 in their first year, depending on scale and markets. Learn how to start a flower farm on a budget in our guide here.
4. What crops are best for a flower farming side hustle?
Choose easy-to-grow, high-yield crops like zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, and snapdragons. These flowers are popular, productive, and low-maintenance. Learn more about what flowers save us every year here.
5. How do I market flowers as a side hustle?
Start small by selling to local markets, florists, or through social media. Word-of-mouth is powerful, so create stunning bouquets and share photos to build your brand. Check out part 1 of our marketing series here.
