Thank you so much for joining our flower share program! Here is some important information for all members. Our flower share program is run like a CSA program. “CSA” stands for Community Supported Agriculture and was originally used on vegetable farms. The CSA model is about connecting the consumer with the producer and investing in the inevitable ups and downs of the farm seasons. As a member you get closer to what it means to farm here in Nova Scotia and how that translates into the flowers on your table. By investing in our farm you get to experience the farm’s reality. Member’s share in the abundance of the harvest while also committing to the unpredictability of the season.

 

Most of the time we expect to have an abundance of blooms and as a member of the flower share, you get to experience that bounty! Likewise, in harder times, bouquets might be slightly smaller. Over the course of the growing season, we find that it all works out. Either way we prioritize bringing you the very best blooms we can offer. Although improbable, if there are severe losses on our farm for reasons out of our control, we may not be able to provide blooms for you that are exclusively grown from our farm. If we do have to source blooms from other local farms, we will make sure you know who is who and give credit where credit is due!

 

Email Communication

Please make sure you are providing the correct email in our sign up form. Email is our primary way to contact you throughout the season. You must add fillyerbootsfarm@gmail.com to your contact list/safe list so that you receive all of our emails. 

 

Picking up your share

Once you are all signed up and you know your schedule, it is up to you to remember to pick up your flowers. Please set reminders on your calendar or phone for each pick-up date of the season. We will also send you an email reminder when it is your week to pick up, but please don't solely rely on us. If you can’t personally make it to pick up your flowers, sending a friend instead is definitely acceptable and encouraged. With lots of members picking up flowers each month, we don't have the resources to hold a bouquet or follow up with you if one is not picked up. Any bouquets leftover at the end of the day will be donated. If you do accidentally miss your bouquet, you can feel happy knowing someone is enjoying it!

 

Pick up Schedule 

Bouquets will be waiting for you as of Wednesday at 12pm on your pick up week. They will be inside a cooler that you can access with a lock code that will be provided to you. Please respect the schedule for the sake of our amazing pick up point hosts! The schedule is Wednesday 12pm-7pm and Thursday/Friday 9am to 7pm. After Friday at 7pm, the cooler will be turned off and all remaining bouquets removed. 

 

Our Pick up locations and Hosts

Our pick up locations are:

The farm in Centre Burlington

North End Halifax

North Dartmouth

The locations in the city are both residential properties that are friends and family of ours who have graciously offered their homes to be used as pick up locations. Because these are residential properties there are a few things to keep in mind for pick ups. First, if you have mobility concerns then these properties could potentially be challenging to navigate. Our hosts have busy lives and may not have the walkway to the fridge completely clear of snow/ice etc. for the time that you come to pick up your bouquet. Also the walkway to the fridge can have some uneven terrain. When we drop off the blooms, the FYB team will do our best to make the pathway clear and manageable, but things can change over the course of three days. Our hosts also have projects on the go, so it is possible there may be construction happening near the pick up fridge. We will do our best throughout this time to keep the walkway to the fridge accessible but can’t guarantee it to be completely hazard free. Our hosts will not be held liable if there is an accidental injury from a customer trying to access the fridge. Also, please be mindful of our hosts (and host’s neighbours) vehicles in the driveway. Our hosts will not be held liable if someone damages their property or their neighbours property. If you accidentally cause damage to our hosts property, please report this to us right away and we can discuss a reasonable solution. 

 

If you have questions, concerns, or problems while picking up your blooms, please contact us directly instead of knocking on our host’s doors. They may not be home, they may be trying to get their baby to sleep, or they may be fast asleep themselves. They are providing us the space for our pick up spots but are hoping to maintain some privacy. If something is urgent, calling 902 880 3141 is your best bet. If you have no luck, try 902 989 3883. Otherwise email is always good!

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Refunds

If you forget to pick up your flowers for the week we will not provide a refund. However, if for some reason you are unable to continue with the program, please reach out to us, and we can offer a pro-rated refund depending on the time of the season.

 

There is a Storm a Brewin’

Storms are a real concern! If our pick up times change slightly due to poor weather conditions we will email everyone asap to communicate this with you. Regardless of the change made we will ensure you have 3 days during your pick up week to grab your blooms. We think even with some schedule changes you will still have lots of opportunities to get them. 

 

Damaged Blooms and Pests

We always add a few extra stems to bouquets that travel to the city to make up for any minor damage that can happen on route. Members must notify us right after pick up if the flowers have extensive damage and also send us photos of the issue. We will work directly with you to find a solution. In terms of pests, we grow all of our flowers following organic principles and do not use synthetic pesticides for controlling pests. Instead we use a combination of crop rotation, physical exclusion, biological controls (think beneficial insects, fungus and bacteria) and organic approved sprays. That being said, it is harder to control pests this way and it is possible you may receive a hitchhiker or two on your bouquet. We do our best to prevent this from happening but it is impossible to be 100% perfect. If you find a few insects on your bouquet we will not be providing a refund. If you find an infestation (we surely hope not!) you must notify us right after pick up if the flowers are infested and also send us photos of the issue. We will work directly with you to find a solution.

 

Flower care and extending your bouquets life

We do our absolute best to send you the freshest flowers picked at the ideal stage to maximize your enjoyment. All stems are kept in clean water and kept cool until arranging day. After arranging, bouquets are kept cold all the way until pick up. We do not use any flower foods or preservatives in our process. By the beginning of the flower share in February 2025 we will have completed our flower care page on our website, which gives you good general information on how to tend to your blooms. On the monthly newsletter you receive there will be more flower care info specific to the blooms you are likely to see in your bouquets.

 

Thanks so much for supporting our farm and the local flower movement! We are really looking forward to growing for you this season. 

 

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