Flower farming tools + equipment that save you time and money (SFFF65)
Running a flower farm is beautiful, rewarding, and also really tough on your body. Between hauling heavy buckets, prepping beds, and tackling weeds, it’s easy to feel like the work never ends. That’s why choosing the right tools isn’t just about convenience—it’s about protecting your body, saving time, and ultimately creating a more profitable farm. Over the years, I’ve learned which investments actually pull their weight and which ones just collect dust.
Below you’ll find some of the game-changing tools and equipment that have made life on my one-acre flower farm more efficient, more manageable, and more profitable.
Tractors and Skid Steers: Are They Worth It?
When I first started farming, a tractor felt out of reach. I farmed without one for several years and didn’t realize just how much harder I was making things for myself. Carrying compost by hand, pushing wheelbarrows across the property, dragging supplies… it wears you down FAST. Once we bought our first very old and very used tractor, everything changed.
You don’t need to spend $75,000 on a brand-new Kubota to reap the benefits. I’ve bought multiple used tractors in the $5,000–$15,000 range that are still working hard for us. Add in a skid steer with attachments like forks or a flail mower, and you suddenly have a powerful set of tools for moving soil, flipping beds, and handling the endless heavy lifting that comes with farming. These pieces of equipment have saved my back and added years to my farming career.
Time-Saving Tools for Bed Prep and Irrigation
Efficient bed prep is one of the biggest struggles for small-scale flower farmers. It’s repetitive, physically demanding, and time-consuming. A tilther has been a huge help for me inside the hoop houses. It gently incorporates compost and amendments into the top inch of soil and creates a perfectly smooth seedbed. That small step makes transplanting easier and improves soil health over time.
For irrigation, I love wobbler sprinklers for their uniform coverage. Traditional sprinklers often leave dry patches or soak some areas more than others, but wobblers create an even spread. Combined with hose reels mounted up high in our hoop houses, watering has gone from frustrating to seamless. No more kinks, no more dragging heavy hoses the length of a 96-foot tunnel.
Simple Tools That Make Farm Life Easier
Not every game-changing tool comes with a big price tag. Some of my favorite investments have been the simplest. Wire weeders, for example, are incredibly effective at knocking down weeds at the thread stage without tearing up your soil. A rolling rack for moving buckets of flowers into the cooler has replaced the endless back-and-forth of carrying them by hand. And our John Deere Gator gets used every single day to move flowers, tools, and supplies around the farm.
These small but mighty additions don’t just save time—they make the work more enjoyable. Farming is still labor-intensive, but there’s no reason to make it harder than it has to be.
Power Tools With Big Impact
Battery-powered tools have earned a permanent place on our farm. A steel combi system lets us switch between attachments like a string trimmer, pole saw, and scythe, making it versatile for everything from bed cleanup to trimming back saplings. A hedge trimmer has become my go-to for flipping beds of eucalyptus or perennials quickly, and a small handheld chainsaw makes cleanup jobs less intimidating.
One tool that really surprised me was a battery-operated backpack sprayer. After years of pumping by hand, switching to a battery system created a more consistent spray and drastically reduced fatigue. It may not sound glamorous, but trust me—it’s worth every penny.
Choosing the Right Tools for Your Farm
The truth is, you don’t need to go out tomorrow and buy every tool I’ve listed. Building up your collection takes time. My best advice is to focus on the tools that will give you the highest return on investment in your current season. Maybe that’s a rolling rack to save your back during harvest, or maybe it’s a used tractor that changes the way you manage your fields. Evaluate the cost not just in dollars, but in hours saved and labor reduced.
Most of these tools pay for themselves quickly, either in reduced labor costs or faster production. A little upfront investment can mean less stress, more energy, and a more profitable flower farm in the long run.
These are just a handful of the tools and pieces of equipment that have transformed my farm, but there are plenty more where that came from. To hear the full breakdown of all 18 tools I recommend for small-scale flower farmers, listen to Episode 65 of the Six Figure Flower Farming Podcast. It’s packed with tips, real-life examples, and honest advice to help you save time, money, and maybe even a few sore muscles along the way.
