Fence Post Flower Farm

Fence Post Flower Farm Helping busy families plan a garden that fits their real life... the dirt on what works. Come for dirt - Stay for stories.
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This Saturday join me at Good Grounds market in Almont.Our pint jars not only hold peonies.They hold a front row seat to...
06/24/2026

This Saturday join me at Good Grounds market in Almont.

Our pint jars not only hold peonies.

They hold a front row seat to watch beauty unfold before you.

Fleeting.

Awe-worthy.

Spectacular.

Grab your own front row seat on Saturday, starting at 9:00 AM. I expect to sell out of these peony pint jars early so come see me before heading to the rest of the market.

$15 for the most beautiful flower this season.

06/23/2026

I’m a xennial flower farmer whose favorite hose setting is “Shower”... and this is the one reason I gave it up for the day...

Our raised bed got a fresh load of DRY soil this weekend.

If the soil is looking for moisture then it will pull all moisture out of the plants… thereby killing the plants or making them really suffer.

I use the JET setting on my hose nozzle so I could get the water into as much soil as possible. This resulted in a very muddy raised bed that was VERY easy to plant into.

The tomatillos and potatoes in the video show what happens when you put a good looking plant into dry soil… this is one form of transplant shock. These droopy plants for sure needed a drink.

Are you wondering what other things stress plants out and why they could be droopy or looking “meh”? I share the basics in my Seed Growing Guide - it’s not just for plants you grow from seed, it’s the most important things you have to do to give the plant a healthy start (in my opinion). Check my comment below for the link.

If you look closely at the tomatillos? They have bug damage because the plants were not their healthiest self in the weedy patch we pulled them from. This new compost, extra watering for a few days, and better sunlight will for SURE give them a better chance to grow this season.

Healthy plants need the basics and the healthiest plants fend off bugs beautifully. Grab my Seed Growing Guide -> link in comments below

06/20/2026

An update to the garden progress... June 17, 2026

The full video of me chatting is like 6 minutes.

Interested in seeing what 's growing?

Let me know in the comments below. 👇🏻

06/19/2026

Weird habits that save me from wandering the yard like a distracted squirrel - so I can actually tend and enjoy my garden

* Well my first habit is the most obvious one - it’s putting away your tools when you’re done. Shovels, gloves, snips, harvest baskets, etc. Cleaning them off regularly is important too.

* But that’s not my best tip. My best tip is to have a mailbox in the garden. It holds my gloves, snips, hand tools, clips, tripod, twine, paper, pencil, and all sorts of small garden tools inside.

* To go against tip #1 - LOL. Leave shovels around the garden so you can grab them at any time… I knew that kids + metal raised beds would mean trouble if we kept our metal hand shovels around. So I found them $1.50 plastic shovels that get left all over the garden… and are always exactly what I need for that quick trip where I didn’t “need” any tools.

* Leave quart sized yogurt containers in the garden. We use them to collect seeds, scoop dirt, and eventually collect Japanese Beetles for our chicken neighbors. I usually keep them flipped upside down, but if they get too gross to clean I just throw them away - we get a lot of use out of each one. These containers entertain toddlers who like to make “soup” with dirt, grass clippings, sticks and whatever else can be found in the garden debris. Free entertainment in my recycling bin? Yes please.

* Keep an outdoor trash can IN the garden. It’s amazing how much trash we collect. Kleenex for noses, paper towel for hands, wrapping for tools, paper plates, snack wrappers, seed packets… we always have some sort of trash. I throw out weeds that I don’t want to compost… into the trash bag. If I have a lot of weeds I’ll grab a yard waste bag, but the smaller handfuls? I just toss it into the trash can.

So what do you think? If you liked this post click the follow button!

Thanks for reading along.

~ Laura

Video: Late summer 2025

if you planted seeds tomorrow Growing from seed isn’t a slam dunk guarantee… … seeds are living things. Dormant but aliv...
06/19/2026

if you planted seeds tomorrow

Growing from seed isn’t a slam dunk guarantee…

… seeds are living things. Dormant but alive.

… weather is a living thing… It can be a beast or your best garden friend watering the garden while you enjoy lake life.

… YOU are a living thing… part squirrel, part dedicated homemaker.

If you planted seeds tomorrow… you probably won’t get ALL of these harvests ready to feature on your Instagram feed.

Yet if you plant the seeds I’m willing to bet that your chances of growing that plant will be higher than if you didn’t plant a seed at all… just based on a hunch *smirks*

Those living things above? Seeds and Weather? They have rules.

Rules that are behind every successful gardener - whether those gardeners can articulate it or not.

I spent hours devouring garden tips, tricks, and research from farmers, gardeners, homesteaders, and agricultural research.

I loved putting to practice the things that made sense to me.

I tested out the “book smarts” to create my own list of “garden smarts”.

That list of garden notes? It’s inside my Seed Growing Guide.

Where to start.

What is important.

WHY it’s important.

What to never skip.

And what is missing? The fluff - if it’s not in the book, I don’t think it’s the top priority for growing a garden from seed.

While I’m always up for a lively chat about the garden… I wrote this guide as a quick start guide so the gardener who doesn’t know what she doesn’t know… can jump right in and get growing.

I was that gardner who plopped plants and seeds in the ground and wondered what I did wrong. I always thought I was just bad at watering. Or I wasn’t consistent enough.

When you get the basics covered. When you understand that weather and seeds have a say… you start to realize that the garden can fully accommodate the imperfect, distracted, inconsistent gardener.

Pick up this growing guide - it’s easy to read from your phone, short chapters for short attention spans (or regular interruptions - mom can I have a snack).

Let’s grow something better than weeds this year.

You in?

Grab your Seed Growing Guide here - https://fencepostflowerfarm.com/product/seed-growing-guide/

06/17/2026

Our raised beds are from Planter Box Direct

Here's some info about our beds:

* We've had them since February 2024, so 2026 is our third growing season with them.

* We never filled beds 5 and 6 fully so we are taking the opportunity to get hardware cloth underneath this time so prevent voles burrowing underneath to eat my garden.

* Our beds are named North 1, North 2, North 3, North 4, North 5, and North 6... They are numbered starting 1, where we enter the garden and they are on the north side of the garden... Rocket science I know. *Smirks*

* I had a great time designing these beds, but this is the second version of spacing we've done in this garden.

* Before we had raised beds we grew in ground - 3' wide and 20" aisles... No room for carts or even buckets, definitely flower farmer tight spacing to get the maximum amount of flowers packed in.

* We were flooding in our yard so we made the choice that metal raised beds vs cedar vs in ground was the best option long term.

* The 18" height was for sure the right choice - early April 2026 the water flooded to the tops of these beds. It was wild! And our garlic, strawberries, oregano and other plants were safe and sound.

Would you be interested in a raised bed guide with which beds we considered and why we ultimately chose Planter Box Direct?

Any other questions you'd like to know about our beds or what I would recommend?

Let me know in the comments below 👇🏻

Thanks for letting me share.

- Laura

P.S. My affiliate code for is FPFF20 it should give you 20% off and Free Shipping. It's there whenever you're ready so you don't need to rush to get a sale price...this is the best price they gave me as a thank you for sharing my experience with you.

06/17/2026

5 things a gardening book won’t tell you, but I will as a flower farmer...

1- The best sunflowers for your kitchen table are called pollenless, they typically are a “single stem” variety - they come in white, yellow/orange, and red with yellow or brown faces. (okay that was about 10 things in this first point - you’re welcome)

2 - Zinnias are called “cut and come again” - that means you have to cut them (above a set of leaves - then watch the plant grow you TWO stems where you cut that one).

3 - Before you cut a single zinnia you need to do a wiggle test - you literally wiggle the zinnia stem about 6” below the bloom and see if the head goes floppy or if the flower stays sturdy with the stem. Sturdy? It’ll stand up to a vase of water. Floppy? It needs to grow up and mature a bit, give it a few more days.

4 - CLEAN VASES - clean enough to drink out of. Every vase, every bucket, every time. Your flowers will last longer.

5 - Will your flowers last longer if you change the water daily AND use flower food? Yes. Do I do it? No I totally forget and yet… my fresh cut flowers outlast the grocery store bouquet every time (minus those colorful but blah flowers that might just last forever).

Want to learn more about gardening from a flower farmer perspective? Click that FOLLOW button!

~ Laura

06/15/2026

Exactly what I’d do:

1 - I’d pick any zinnia color that looks pretty -> if you don’t like it you can choose a different color next year, don’t wait until the perfect color pops up -> pick one

2 - I’d pick a spot for my flowers -> make a choice, it doesn’t have to be perfect

3 - I would ensure the soil is healthy and add some compost -> giving your plants food makes them stronger and sturdier

4 - I’d water the soil well -> seeds need moisture to sprout

5 - I’d get my seeds and plant them -> pointy side down

6 - I’d keep the seeds and sprouts watered -> damp, not drowning is best

7 - I’d remember that it’s about 2 weeks for sprouts to turn into plants and about 7-8 more weeks for them to be big and beautiful blooms. -> unless it’s super dry (water them) otherwise relax and be patient while they grow

8 - I’d find some kitchen shears or plant snips so I can cut blooms for my kitchen table -> be sure to put them in every room of your home for the best mood booster

9 - I’d leave some for the butterflies who enjoy my zinnias -> get your camera ready

10 - I’d look up the zinnia wiggle test so I know when to cut the fresh bloom -> best time to cut for longest vase life

In Michigan we have about 2 more weeks to plant zinnias before our season gets too short to enjoy them, warmer climates have more time to plant this season.

So if you’re ready to commit to growing zinnias (and other plants) from seed

Grab the Guide here - https://fencepostflowerfarm.com/product/seed-growing-guide/

My Seed Growing Guide is more than just a helpful tool this year, it gives you my notes, cuts through the noise of the garden basics, and helps you learn how I get growing.

Let's grow something beautiful this year.

Hi it's me. I needed to go see for myself that *cue dramatic music*... that all is not lost when it comes to nutrition w...
06/13/2026

Hi it's me. I needed to go see for myself that *cue dramatic music*... that all is not lost when it comes to nutrition with frozen fruits and veggies.

My freezer is 9 gallon bags lighter right now because I decided to make some ketchup - the one tomato product my family uses the most.

I can't keep saving food at the heat of summer when I can't get to it... and then tell myself later that somehow those tomatoes and all that effort is "bad".

The tomatoes are just frozen and they will be better used when I cook them, mix them with herbs, vinegar, and make something my family eats weekly.

This account is about more than growing plants.It's about growing gardeners.If you want to learn some of the "rules" exp...
06/09/2026

This account is about more than growing plants.

It's about growing gardeners.

If you want to learn some of the "rules" explained in plain English you can grab my free growing guide here >> https://fencepostflowerfarm.com/growing-guide-seeds-2026/

I can't wait to see what grows next for you!

~ Laura

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Romeo, MI

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+15865889628

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