I am thinking about starting to grow my own fruits and veggies. I am also in the process of starting my own business making homemade soaps and candles, etc... For this I need dried flowers. Would it be worth my effort to grow my own plants/flowers to dry myself or should I just buy them?

That's so great that you are starting your own business

laura

Heidi...
I dry my flowers , and it's SOOO easy and will save you a ton of money!
Here is just a sample of what I've dried this summer..





Use silica gel mostly, but dry some by just hanging upside down.

Wow Cindy.....that's great.....I never really thought about drying my own flowers before but after seeing your pictures I'm thinking I should.......it's like a little lightbulb just went off in my head........glad you shared your pictures.

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Hi heidi!

thats going to be soo much fun for you and good luck in the buisness! for encouraging thoughts..i ONLY buy handmade soaps and condles and such..and frequent all the farm markets for buying gifts for those close to me! Good Luck!

there are lots of flowers which you can grow which will help you in this. also if you have some freinds with gardens..you can see if they could let you snip some blooms. i know that candles rolled in lavender nibs are amazing..and that a violets are very generous with petals. you definatly want to keep the costs down, yet it may be a good idea to go to your local florist for some of their dried petals.

wow!! grep parrot...i LOVE your dahlias!! i have never seen any so well preserved before!! that is the result of silica gel? i too dry flowers...only air dry though. if i had known you can do dahilas so perfectly...yummy! and roses are my FAVORITE! this year i dried a peony..a dark pink one..it turned out great! also i dried many hydrenga blooms. i have a press and i am forever nipping bloosoms from the gardens i work in. i built myself a big flower/leaf press..large enough for a horse chestnut leaf. this winter i will be busy making homemade paper with my petals.

the fun never stops when yer one with the sun!

Good Luck with the biz! I'm also starting a business next spring. As far as your own plants , if your business is at your home or you can have gardens at your business just an hour or two 3-4 times a week should be enough. Put down some weed block and mulch too keep weeds down. Here's some easy things to grow for soaps

• Calendula
• Lavender
• lemon grass
• Mint
• Eucalyptus

I'm sure there's lots more but these are easy ones (Especially if I can grow them). I grow all these except for lemon grass but I don't make anything. I have a friend who I give my stuff to in exchange for her soaps.

Yep! I love the stuff. And it lasts forever! Just put it in the oven for awhile when it turns pink/white and take it out when it turns blue again. Cha-ching! It takes seveal days to dry flowers, some over a week. But, if you are impatient you can dry them in silica gel in the microwave. They don't keep the color very good when they are nuked, so I always just fill a big plastic bowl up with gel and flowers and shove it under the couch for a week or so.


Cindy