Adding Tulips to Your Farm

If you’re looking for a little extra income or just want to want to give your property some color, adding flowers like Tulips are a great option for you. Contrary to popular belief, tulips can actually thrive here in the United States and can be extremely profitable.

Whether you have a large farming operation or a small hobby farm, adding flowers is simple and affordable, even if you want to sell the bulbs commercially. Here’s some tips to help you get started.

Start with the Basics

Try starting with just 100 bulbs and don’t do any more than three colors. The most popular are white, red and pink. Use varieties like Darwin, Breeder and Cottage, which sell well and will likely return your investment.

Plant Year-Round for Extra Profit

Natural growth can be done until the ground freezes every year. For spring flowers, have them planted by early October. That gives them enough time to plant roots before the first freeze. For flowers year-round, force planting inside works best.

Learn How to Plant Properly

Tulips need full sun most of the time. They do best in rich loam and when they are planted around six inches deep and six inches apart. Also, make sure you lift, divide and store your bulbs to produce larger bulbs to sell.

Learn How to Market your Product

Unless you already have a large client base for your crops, you’ll need to properly market your new business endeavor if you’re trying to make some money. You can start with flyers, postcards and personally speaking with local florists and grocery stores to get the word out. Starting with a promotion like adding a free half dozen with purchase of a dozen to build up your client base and bring customers back. Also, make sure you’re providing instructions on how to care for the flowers once they bring them home. Get creative!

When it comes to growing flowers like Tulips, even a small operation can earn a profit of thousands of dollars each year without a ton of work. If you’re ready to start growing and need some more land to get things going, contact one of our farmland or vacant land experts today. Visit UnitedCountry.com to get started.