Join Amy Kitchen of Sideroad Farm and Annabel Por of Twig and Brindille Flower Farm in Grey-Bruce county for a flower focused day hosted in collaboration with Grey Bruce Flower Growers and the Local Flower Collective.

We will start the morning with Amy and Patrick Kitchen at Sideroad Farm, where they have farmed with their family for 13 years. Amy will lead a tour of their flower production that supplies their markets, DIY events and wholesale florist buyers at the Local Flower Collective and the Grey Bruce Flower Growers. They also have a robust organic vegetable production, raise pastured chicken and pork, and have an active on-farm store. Her tour will include a look at her current production systems and crop rotations (including cover crop strategies to boost productivity), and a conversation about lessons learned and scaling different types of production.

Following the tour, participants can enjoy their packed picnic lunch before travelling to Twig and Brindille.

In the afternoon we will visit Twig & Brindille Flower Farm for a contrasting take on cut flower farming on a smaller scale. Annabel Por has been farming her 3 acre parcel since 2020 and practicing no-till techniques since the beginning. She will touch on the challenges and successes of running the farm as a one woman operation with over half of the production area growing perennials.  We will conclude the tour with a hands-on floral activity.

Agenda for the day:

10:00AM – 12:30PM: Tour with Sideroad Farm (805092 Sideroad 25, RR3, Markdale)

12:30PM – 1:15PM: Bring your own picnic lunch at Sideroad Farm

1:15PM – 2:00PM: Packing up and travel to Twig and Brindille Flower Farm (423475 Concession 6, Markdale)

2:00PM – 4:00PM: Tour and activity at Twig and Brindille Flower Farm

This event is also offered in partnership with the Farmers for Climate Solutions’ Farm Resilience Mentorship Program (FaRM)