Spring and Summer flowers and cultivating healthy soil: Victoria Field Day at Wattle Gully Flower Farm

Enjoying a sunny day with clear skies on the outskirts of Melbourne, we held another great YFC Field Day, this time at Wattle Gully Flower Farm. Farmers Thanisa Adams and soil scientist Ian Mot (Vital Soils Services) gave us an excellent exploration of flower farming and the soil sustaining it!

With a group of about 25 farmers and allies, after introductions and acknowledgement of Country everyone headed straight into the fields to begin learning about soil composition from Ian.  Assisted by handy diagrams, Ian explained the vital signs necessary to cultivate healthy soil.

Next, Thanisa dove into the details of choosing Spring and Summer flowers to plant, prepping beds and selling at local markets. She also described her motivations to become a flower farmer after learning that most of the flowers we buy in the shop are grown overseas using industrial methods, and that such a joyful thing like gifting flowers should be done differently!

After enjoying a potluck-style lunch with many tasty dishes, as well as pastries provided by local baker Boulangère Tarts & Pastries, we continued with discussions with Ian about the best types of natural fertilisers and mulching techniques to apply to your specific farming context.

Thanks so much to Thanisa and Ian for sharing their highly practical knowledge and experiences of growing flowers and cultivating healthy soil. Thanks as well to Alex for leading the organisation and coordination of this event.

This event was held on Wurundjeri and Taugurang Country and made possible thanks to Small Grant funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s Climate Smart Agriculture Program.