Community Highlights: Meet Linda Bradley of Purple Tuteur Farm

Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Bradley.

Hi Linda, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
In preparing for retirement from a career in technology, I wanted to do something that gave me discipline, exercise, and a community. I’ve had a lifelong love of flowers and gardening, so a small farm seemed like a good fit.

We purchased the property in 2007 and I worked on the house and the soil in my spare time. I researched a few ideas and did a trial of an organic vegetable grower’s school, added blueberries and figs, and an irrigation system.

The results of the grower’s school made it a no-go, but I noticed how much my eyes kept going to the few flowers we planted with the vegetables. They made me smile. I started researching more specifically about growing flowers commercially.

I joined the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG), took an on-farm class in Virginia at a flower farm called The Gardeners Workshop, and took on-line training from Floret Flower Farm in the Skagit Valley of Washington. I also took a class offered by Clemson for New and Beginning Farmers.

The Clemson class was more general but helped to shape a business plan. In 2017, the Purple Tuteur Farm business was started.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been challenges, yes. It takes time to build a customer base. In the beginning, we had lots of flowers left over.

It takes time to master growing enough flowers to have them every week. Early on, there were gaps in our bloom periods. We could not offer as much as we do today.

A flower cooler is essential to the business. Not having one is like not having a refrigerator in your kitchen. You can cook, but it is not efficient.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a specialty cut flower grower located in Blythewood SC. We sell bouquet subscriptions to homes and businesses, wholesale flowers to a few florists and event planners and we sell market bouquets, as time permits, at the Lake Carolina Farmers Market.

We are known for our fresh, long-lasting, and beautiful flowers. As a local grower, we are able to provide flowers that are not available from traditional sources. Today, about 80% of the flowers purchased in the US are imported. Most imports come from South America and are brought in through Miami.

They are then shipped to wholesalers and from there to the retailers that we typically purchase from. As a result, they are old when we buy them. These growers are limited to varieties that ship well which limits the selection tremendously.

We grow 50 – 60 varieties of flowers over the year which gives us a lot of biodiversity in our environment. Some varieties that ship well are included, like Peonies and Tulips. Ours are fresher and last longer than the shipped versions.

What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The adage is true – do what you love and you will never work a day in your life. Although this is incredibly hard work, it is the most joyful thing I have ever done. Flowers make people happy and they appreciate receiving them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Purpletuteur.com
• Instagram: @purpletuteur
• Facebook: @purpletuteur