Meet the Maker - Thanisa

By Mimosa SchmidtAugust 30, 2024

Spring is a season full of hope. For warmer weather and fresh starts. And for Farmers like our friend Thanisa from Wattle Gully Flower Farm it is a time for big hustle and serious prep.

We are so inspired by her work as founder and first generation farmer and excited by the warm change in the air.

This spring we wanna get back into the garden and make magic happen so we picked her brains on flower-wisdom and how she got to where she is.

Tell us about your work?

My name is Thanisa (she/her) and I’m the founder/flower farmer of Wattle Gully Flower Farm. I also work as an urban farmer at CERES Joe’s Market Garden in Coburg

What inspired you to become a first generation farmer?

I started farming because I’m obsessed with food and was curious about how food is grown. From there I went into studying food sustainability and wanted to get into farming because I want to address issues including food sovereignty and the climate crisis in a practical way. I started growing organic, cut flowers when I learned that more than 50% of flowers sold in Australia are imported and sprayed with nasty chemicals.

How did you learn the skills and get started growing?

I learned farming skills from working on other organic farms prior to starting my own farm. I also learned from other farmers, we have a pretty tight knit community of small scale growers and we are constantly learning from each other.

What does a typical day at Wattle Gully look like?

I usually start off with weeding, using tools - gotta get the weeds before they are too big and out of control, prepping beds for new planting, plant seedlings, fertilising plants, check for pests & diseases. On harvest day - I harvest flowers early before the heat of the day then spend the rest of the day making up bouquets and prepping for markets.

What is your favourite thing to plant/grow?

Icelandic poppies! They’re my favourite flower. I love watching them pop in the vase and their papery petals look unreal!

As we move from winter into spring, how are you preparing your fields and what are you planting & why?

I’m waiting for the field to dry up a bit more before I shape all my beds, put down amendments and start planting in them. I have also been busy dividing my dahlia tubers while it’s wet outside and taking cuttings to build up my dahlia stock as I’m planting over 2000 of them this year. I’ll be planting zinnias, dahlias, cosmos, snapdragons and other summer flowers. Most of them have a long growing season so I need to plant them in Spring for Summer & Autumn flowers.

What is your favourite time of year at the farm?

Around March-April. It’s when the summer and autumn flowers are flowering at the same time. It’s a beautiful time of year and the weather is perfect - not too hot, not too cold.