Over the years I’ve turned to online courses to dig deeper into all sorts of different topics ranging from creative photography to marketing to copywriting. Online courses can be a great way to learn more about a particular topic from the comfort of your own home.
I’ve spent more mornings than I can count perched at the dining room table with my laptop and a big mug of coffee scribbling notes as I watch online course videos. I’ve applied so much of what I’ve learned through these courses, and our little farm business has benefited tremendously from these unique opportunities.
During our original brainstorming session for the Floret Online Workshop, I reflected back on which online courses were the very best and made a long list of the things I loved and wanted to incorporate into ours. I also noted where many online programs fell short so that we could avoid these common mistakes when setting out to write and film.
Here are the six main features of the Floret Online Workshop that I’m most proud of:
First and foremost, this is truly a workshop
Unlike some online courses where the instructors upload a few videos and PDFs and then walk away, the Floret Team and I will be right there alongside you throughout the six-week course. Through the Floret Learning Community (our private online forum) we will be posting discussion prompts and discussing the course content. Plus, Jill and I answer student questions every week through our Q&A sessions.
Printed course book and sample 1/4-acre cutting garden plan
Even though the workshop is in a digital format, I know how important it is to have a physical copy of the course materials at your finger tips. There’s no need to use a ream of paper and an entire box of ink cartridges to print out the course materials—we send them to you in the mail! We poured so much love and intention into our jam-packed, 250-page printed course book filled with handy resource guides, step-by step tutorials, favorite plant lists, and worksheets which will save you so much time and energy.
In addition to the course book, you’ll also receive our sample 1/4-acre cutting garden plan to help take the guesswork and overwhelm out of garden planning. This large-scale printed plan comes complete with a seed starting schedule, bed layout, and our favorite cut flower varieties chosen to provide a season’s worth of flowers and foliage.
Lifetime access
I’ve signed up for a number of online courses only to later learn that access to the content expired after just one year. But in the Floret Online Workshop, you have lifetime access to the content so you can go back and re-watch the video tutorials season after season. Plus, you receive all of the new videos and worksheets that we add to the course over time.
Connect with our team
You’ve probably heard me gush about our amazing team. I’m so lucky to get to work alongside an amazing group of smart, funny, generous, talented, and kind people every day. In the Floret Online Workshop, you have full access to Team Floret during the six-week course.
Over the years, we’ve welcomed a number of very successful farmer-florists to the farm to help teach and support students at our on-farm workshops. Many of these all-stars have returned to help share their flower farming experience and expertise with participants. Collectively they represent diverse zones and climates from the arid desert to extreme mountain elevations to the hot, humid climates of the south. They also bring expertise with various farmer-florist business models, including urban and rural markets in all different regions of the country.
See an entire growing season
One of the limitations of our on-farm workshops was the fact that attendees were only able to see the farm in one moment of time, limiting what we could demonstrate to participants. For example, we couldn’t show how to plant tulips or harvest dahlias and other high summer flowers at our spring workshops. Past attendees would also tell us that they wished they had taken better notes or gotten a little closer to see our demonstrations. The video tutorials in the Floret Online Workshop solve those problems!
We filmed the course over an entire growing season, so students can see the farm tasks in spring, summer, and autumn. I am a visual learner, so I learn best by seeing something done, ideally more than once, for it to sink in. Our short video tutorials will allow students to learn at their own pace and revisit them over and over if they want.
More than a course: a community
The Floret Learning Community is an online forum where students can connect with other in the course, discuss learning material, ask questions, post progress photos, share ideas, and connect with other flower lovers. I love seeing the connections, new friendships, and professional relationships that have been made among students. Plus, it’s always fun to hear about Floret alumni reunions and other in-person events planned by workshop participants!
If you’re ready to follow your flower dreams, I’d love to have you join our Class of 2021. Enrollment for the Floret Online Workshop will be open October 5–9, 2020. Learn more here.
Philipia on
Hello Erin, You speak to my my roots! Growing food has always been a priority, but the garden of flowers bring me great joy!
I purchased your two books “ Floret Farms, Cut Flower Garden and A Year in Flowers ”, both brilliant and a great resource!
Love your videos that you are very generous to share.
Working on saving for your online workshop, I may not be able to do it this year. I certainly appreciate the monthly payment plan, as it is in American dollars.
Thank you Erin and Chris, for sharing your great quality of a product and promoting local farming.