The Dirt on Flowers

Shelby Wallace started with cedar-fence raised beds and 500 tulip bulbs—and turned an accidental flower-growing hobby into a business built around subscriptions, farmers markets, and workshops while teaching fourth grade. In this Dirt Bag Coffee Chat, Lyndsay and Shannon talk with Shelby about why she’s keeping her farm intentionally small, how a devastating Lisianthus season led her to rethink watering and crop plans, and why tulips are worth growing even when they’re a lot of work. Shelby also shares how family and friends help make the farm possible, how she decides what to say no to, and the patient, consistent marketing that brings customers back year after year.
Learn about todays guest Shelby Wallace: Website, Instagram and Facebook
Get your early bird tickets for DirtCon 2027
Learn more about- Barn2Door, Summertime Seed Co, and Homegrown Reach
If you want to dive in deeper with us each month, join our membership group - The Dirt on Flowers Insiders! So if you love the podcast and want to dig deeper with us, head over to www.thedirtonflowers.com/membership to join now.
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Lyndsay @wildroot_flowerco
Shannon @bloomhillfarm

The dahlia dig is finally moving faster—and this year, Shannon’s crew is handling it without her. Lyndsay and Shannon swap notes on what’s making the dig easier, from labeling consistency to numbering pallets so tubers are easier to find later. They also unpack a striking claim circulating online: $40,000 from just 800 square feet of flowers, and why farm income depends on far more than a catchy number. Plus, a coaching conversation with Charlotte Smith sparks a rethink of self-serve flower stands, while Shannon shares a practical trick for repairing a dahlia tuber with painter’s tape.
Learn about todays guest Shelby Wallace: Website, Instagram and Facebook
Get your early bird tickets for DirtCon 2027
Learn more about- Barn2Door, Summertime Seed Co, and Homegrown Reach
If you want to dive in deeper with us each month, join our membership group - The Dirt on Flowers Insiders! So if you love the podcast and want to dig deeper with us, head over to www.thedirtonflowers.com/membership to join now.
Did you love today's episode?
Take a screenshot and share it in your IG stories. Don't forget to tag @dirtonflowers!
Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!

Head to www.thedirtonflowers.com to sign up for our newsletter and become a Dirt on Flowers insider!
Want to learn more about your hosts? Follow us on Instagram!
Lyndsay @wildroot_flowerco
Shannon @bloomhillfarm

A ghost photo, a bride throwing flowers, and a hard-earned goodbye to dry-storing tulips: Lyndsay and Shannon head to the flower-farmer graveyard to bury the crops, habits, and business advice they’ve outgrown. They talk about why big social followings don’t guarantee a profitable farm, how saying no to customers can protect your business, and what changed when they stopped treating long hours as proof of success. Along the way: flower-farming “fantasy” versus the real work, the pressure to compare farms, and the freedom of letting go of full-service weddings—or anything else that no longer fits.
Get your early bird tickets for DirtCon 2027 and learn more by listening to episode- EP 299: Inside DirtCon 2027
Learn more about- Independent Farmer Podcast, Vitalize Seed Company, and Ampersand Bulb Co
If you want to dive in deeper with us each month, join our membership group - The Dirt on Flowers Insiders! So if you love the podcast and want to dig deeper with us, head over to www.thedirtonflowers.com/membership to join now.
Did you love today's episode?
Take a screenshot and share it in your IG stories. Don't forget to tag @dirtonflowers!
Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!

Head to www.thedirtonflowers.com to sign up for our newsletter and become a Dirt on Flowers insider!
Want to learn more about your hosts? Follow us on Instagram!
Lyndsay @wildroot_flowerco
Shannon @bloomhillfarm

A mulch lifter meant for plastic beds unexpectedly helped lift dahlias—and gave these flower farmers a new way to think about getting tubers out of the ground. Lyndsay and Shannon swap notes on what worked, what didn’t, and why borrowing a neighbor’s equipment can be a smart way to test a big investment. They also get into the hidden costs of plastic, drip irrigation and transplanting; the spray-paint trick that keeps dahlia varieties sorted during digging; and the digital field notes that save them from losing hard-won lessons in coffee-stained notebooks. Along the way: fall marketing overload, a rare weekend of real rest, and a weather forecast that could shift tulip plans.
Charlotte Smith application link- Profitable Farmer Scholarship - Pre-Application
Get your early bird tickets for DirtCon 2027 and learn more by listening to episode- EP 299: Inside DirtCon 2027
Learn more about- Independent Farmer Podcast, Vitalize Seed Company, and Ampersand Bulb Co
If you want to dive in deeper with us each month, join our membership group - The Dirt on Flowers Insiders! So if you love the podcast and want to dig deeper with us, head over to www.thedirtonflowers.com/membership to join now.
Did you love today's episode?
Take a screenshot and share it in your IG stories. Don't forget to tag @dirtonflowers!
Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!

Head to www.thedirtonflowers.com to sign up for our newsletter and become a Dirt on Flowers insider!
Want to learn more about your hosts? Follow us on Instagram!
Lyndsay @wildroot_flowerco
Shannon @bloomhillfarm

A crop can be beautiful, beloved—and still not earn its place on the farm. Lindsay and Shannon share how a look back at sales changed their growing decisions, including swapping rose lilies for standard lilies. They also unpack why Shannon’s customers couldn’t get enough of gladiolus—even when the first succession flopped—and why adorable Tweety pansies didn’t make the cut. Along the way, they offer a practical way to compare what you planted, harvested, and sold, so next year’s seed orders reflect your customers, your labor, and your actual business needs.
Get your early bird tickets for DirtCon 2027 and learn more by listening to episode- EP 299: Inside DirtCon 2027
Learn more about- Barn2Door, Vermont Compost Company, and Hunter Finn Creative
If you want to dive in deeper with us each month, join our membership group - The Dirt on Flowers Insiders! So if you love the podcast and want to dig deeper with us, head over to www.thedirtonflowers.com/membership to join now.
Did you love today's episode?
Take a screenshot and share it in your IG stories. Don't forget to tag @dirtonflowers!
Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!

Head to www.thedirtonflowers.com to sign up for our newsletter and become a Dirt on Flowers insider!
Want to learn more about your hosts? Follow us on Instagram!
Lyndsay @wildroot_flowerco
Shannon @bloomhillfarm