Victoria Field Day – Regenerative Soil Health and Preparation for Summer Flower Market Farming
Come and join the Young Farmers Connect for a field day on Sunday 11th Oct, hosted at Wattle Gully Flower Farm in Upper Plenty, with guest speaker and agronomist Ian Mot.
Date: Sunday 11th Oct, 8.30 am to 3.00 pm
Cost: $15
Food: Potluck, with snack, coffee and tea provided
RSVP: Booking for this event is essential and ticket sales will close on Friday 9th October.
Country: Wurundjeri and Taugurang Country
Parking: Limited parking at the farm. Car parks may be available at local primary school (500m)
Social Media Handles: @wattlegullyflowerfarm; @vital_soils_services
This event is funded through a Small Grant by the Australian Governments National Heritage Trusts Climate Smart Agriculture Program.
Who’s welcome: All are welcome! This includes new, young, aspiring farmers, seasoned farmers, to agricurious allies! Please wear good shoes and sun protection and remember we will be visiting a working farm – consider your own safety at all times.
Kitchen: This is a PLASTIC FREE event, so please bring along your own water bottle/cup, plate, cutlery and mug. Please tell us when booking if you have any dietary requirements/allergies.
Event Overview:
8:30am - 9:00: Welcome, acknowledgement of Country, brief farm history with Morning Tea
9:00 - 10:00: Soil health walk and talk with Ian (existing beds, soil profile examples)
10:00 - 11:00: Live bed prep demonstration
11:00 - 12:00: Lunch
12:00 - 1:00: Flower selection & biodiversity walk with Thanisa (early spring blooms, planned summer beds)
1:00 - 2:00: Visit Ian’s workshop for fertiliser blending demonstration.
2:00 - 3:00pm: Wrap up Q&A and informal chat (Afternoon Tea)
About Us
Wattle Gully Flower Farm is a cut flower farm in Upper Plenty, VIC, on Wurundjeri Country. Established in 2020, the farm is tended by Thanisa, a first-generation farmer.
Thanisa's path into growing started with reading about food sovereignty and organic farming. She completed a master’s in agriculture, majoring in sustainable food systems, in 2018, and has since worked in school food gardens, community projects, and market gardens across Victoria. She's especially passionate about supporting the next generation of aspiring farmers.
Ian Mot @vital_soils_services is an Agronomist specialising in soil health and plant nutrition and runs Vital Soils Services. His journey into agronomy began in his family's garden, where years spent wrestling with poor soil sparked a Bachelor's and Master's in Agricultural Science at the University of Melbourne. Since then, Ian has assessed hundreds of soil profiles across Australia, working from a simple guiding question: "What does the soil need?" He now works with everyone from backyard gardeners to broadacre farmers, always starting with listening to what the land, and the grower, actually needs.
What Folks will learn & engage with during the event:
Soil structure and soil profile basics: what's happening below the surface and why it matters.
How to read and manage soil health for stronger, more resilient crops
A live demonstration of how we prep beds at Wattle Gully, from bare bed to planting ready
How flower selection supports pollinators and broader biodiversity on a working farm
Practical, low input techniques attendees can take home to their own patch, no matter the scale
The day will also be a great opportunity to meet and network with other farmers and growers from across the Melbourne (Naarm) region. We hope to see you there!
