There’s only eleven days until Frome Blooms sets up stall at the Frome Independent market, and I have a lot to do. It’s going to be the first time I’ve set up my flower display ‘in the real world.’

My loose style of agile planning for the garden and Frome Blooms website has to now become a bit more ‘waterfall,’ by which I mean structured with one thing following another, and heading inexorably towards the goal, which is to set up a lovely looking flower stall. I had a practice run this morning, and want to display lots of bouquets in vintage vases, something like this…

Working backwards… or starting with the splash at the bottom of the waterfall, the plan looks like this.

The main goal: Set up a market stall at Frome Independent market to publicise Frome Blooms. Secondary objective is to sell lots of flowers and plants. Basic ‘success’ is to cover the cost of the stall (£47)!

Timing: Market day, Sun 4 June, arrive 6.30 -7am.

Plan of action: Set up Frome Blooms flowers stall with a 3x4m pitch at Frome Independent market. The stall will sell flowers, vases, plants and postcards of flowers, also bouquet garni and spare seeds. The stall will offer ‘pick-a-posy’ so people can choose their own bouquets.

Things needed for the day:

• Branding: A big sign, leaflets, cards
• Floral display: Tables, buckets of flowers, vintage vases, cellophane, ribbon, tape, boxes and bags.
• Plants display: Salad baskets, potato bags, herb pots.
• Prints for sale: postcards, greeting cards
• Bouquet garni for sale
• Spare seeds for sale

To do list and countdown to market day

Sat 3 June

Pack up salad boxes, herb pots, strawberry pots and potato bags.
Check weather forecast, cross fingers.
Cut the flowers (last minute), lightly trim and put in buckets in boxes.
Checklist for display: Signs, tables, cards, iPad.
Confirm transport.
Early night.

Fri 2 June
Make & refrigerate Bouquet garni
Look at what flowers and buds are available in the garden, remove any bugs or damaged stems, and ask fate to be kind. Don’t panic.
Get tables, stools, parasol and plant stands together

Thur 1 June
Print leaflets & cards
Review checklists, weather forecast, and have a little worry about how it will go on the day.

Wed 31 May

Pack up vintage vases & finalise the Frome Blooms leaflet & cards (draft version below)

Tues 30 May
Packaging preparation – Boxes to take stuff to market, decorative wrapping for bouquets, bubblewrap for vases and bags for plants.

Mon 29 May
Today’s bouquet
Social media marketing
Review and update checklist
Sun 28
DAY OFF – meet friends for lunch then go to Wells

Sat 27
DAY OFF – a little light weeding, and prepare lunch for Sun

Tomorrow
Daily Bouquet

Get materials to make a big sign.
Prepare ‘seeds for sale’ (put spare seeds into small envelopes, label, and box up).
Print postcards and plan a display.

Today
Daily Bouquet – done

To do: Post bouquets to customers,
Sort out transport for market day.
Investigate taking payment on the day on ipad via paypal.

Plant strawberry baskets,
Plant out new cutting flowers.

It’s a plan, and it’s looking do-able, I hope! The weather is out of my control, and I can’t make anyone buy anything, so it’s possible that all this effort will end in disappointment, but you can only fail if you try, and if you try you might succeed, so I’d better crack on with it!

I hope your garden plans and plants are all coming along nicely.