I have about 12 sotok of land in a small village.
Right now it’s mostly empty after winter, but I want to turn it into a small flower business.
I already tried growing chrysanthemums before, and now I want to take it more seriously.
No big budget, just doing everything step by step.
If anyone has advice on starting small with flowers, I’d really appreciate it.
by BreakfastUnited5439
23 Comments
I’m just starting and still figuring things out.
What would you plant first on this kind of land?
Any advice or ideas would really help.
12 satak is 0.12 acres or ~5200 sqft
I would start by going to your local flower shop and asking them which flowers are they having a hard time stocking and which ones customers love and prefer…. Plus you might make a good business friend to buy your flowers… then i would plant those plus some easy perrenials or wildflowers that require zero taking care of so you can focus on the specialized flowers that are in demand but also have a section with reliable easy ones… good luck fellow human you are living my dreams
Have you checked to see if there are any subreddits for Chrysanthemums or flower nurseries, etc.? If you are in the U.S. there are University or County Extension Agents who may be able to help you. Maybe do an internet search for governmental resources for start up businesses.
How can you just look at a picture and know it’s in Europe?
General info on growing climate of Ukraine:
[https://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-ukraine-plant-hardiness-zone-map-celsius.php](https://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-ukraine-plant-hardiness-zone-map-celsius.php)
Start with 10 easy cool annuals and 10 easy warm annuals. Plant metre wide hedge of tall grass (wheat or barley or if you want really tall sorghum) around your perimeter as a windbreak. Stake all of your beds with at least a stake every metre or so. You can tie in your flowers with twine to keep them from flopping. If you can get your hands on some old fencing like page wire or cattle panels you can use them as permanent growing mesh. Have a place like a basement to cool and condition your flowers. If you don’t have anything you can get an old freezer or fridge and put it in a north facing shed and use ice or freezer packs to bring the temperature lower.
I’d plant potatoes, pumpkins, kale, chrysanthemums, look up walipini, how much does a hectare cost where you are? Are you aware of pfaf.org, permaculture?
Are you near the fighting? I have heard that the electricity is only on for limited times. Are you able to acquire vehicle and heating fuel? Can you obtain food? Just curious. I know a family who escaped the Ukraine to avoid the war zone.
Good luck!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke
Its native to north america but its makes a small sunflower type flower and you can eat the tubers too. Maybe you can find something like this in Ukraine
There may be grants available to help you, but I have not read this info to know details:
[https://www.bdo.ua/en-gb/insights-1/information-materials/2025/state-support-for-agribusiness](https://www.bdo.ua/en-gb/insights-1/information-materials/2025/state-support-for-agribusiness)
Are there a lot of similarly-sized plots around yours? Do you know your neighbors? Will you sell at a road side stall, farmer’s market, or directly to shops?
We grow cut flowers and make a living from it. Started very small and now we’ve grown to several acres of flowers. They can be profitable if done well. But very high labor needs. I recommend growing a few easier to grow types and expanding from there.
Not to seem to obvious but aren’t sunflowers native to Ukraine? They are hearty and drought resistant and most importantly aren’t planted for a few weeks. They are finished by July.
You may want to consider which plants thrive in your hardiness zone and soil conditions before investigating which flowers/vegetables are most marketable in your area. Only saying this as you said you had a minimal budget, So I’m guessing no greenhouses, sustainable irrigation or addition of fertilizers..
Bulbs are a good starting point. Iris, gladiolas, lilies, daffodils, tulips, hyacinth, and hostas will all multiply over time if left alone and can be spread out to grow and multiply faster, or thinned out and some of the bulbs sold. People pay good money for flower bulbs. You can cut flowers to sell as well. This will redirect energy that would have gone into seeds back into the bulbs, which will result in faster growth and bigger bulbs.
Plants that grow tubers like dahlia, begonia, and daylillies will multiply like bulbs, but you might have to dig them up at the end of the season and store them somewhere if it gets too cold where you are.
Anything that grows from seed in one season, like sunflowers, magnolias, or celosia, can just be seeded according to the distributor recommendations.
Whatever you decide to plant, familiarize yourself with the most common diseases of that species, so you can see symptoms and treat them, before your money starts dying, instead of after.
Are you in Ukraine or Bangladesh?
Sotok seems to be a Bengali unit of measurement
I’ve heard edible flowers pretty good business if you’re around big wealthy city
keep going big dawg
Sunflowers will grow well in your area and are an easy sell. People love to cut their own.
Gladiolus and dahlias also grow well from tubers planted in spring. I saw lots of people growing those to cut in Germany.
Maybe once you get established somewhat, look into hibiscus. Zones 4–9 & there are several varieties you can grow vertically. They are short stability as cut flowers in arrangements, but are used in the more ‘high-end’ expensive arrangements.
The roselle variety, used for tea, can grow a bit over 3 meters tall
We live in Wisconsin another cold climate and planted cosmos and zinnias last year and they did great. We sold some to wedding venues and at flea markets.
Rabbits and quail for meat.
Chickens for eggs and meat.
Run the chickens under the rabbits and quail. Rabbits and quail in wire mesh cages with the chickens underneath. Maintain good water and feed. For the land, I would grow some supplementary feed for the animals and grow some fast yielding veg like bok choy and herbs like coriander. Blueberry bushes, fruit and nuts. If you’re starting a business, flowers could work if you can sell them. You’ll have minimal earnings in winter so consider having animals to bridge the gap.