AUG/SEP 2023
A BACKYARD OF POSIES
PRESTON’S URBAN FLOWER FARM Words by Rachel Unicomb Photos supplied by Kristi Sattlecker
In a world where people are increasingly conscious about buying local and minimising their environmental impact, there is one area we typically wouldn’t think about in these terms - the flower industry.
While there is always going to be a place for imported flowers, we are fortunate that there has been a boom in small-scale growers in Australia, who focus on sustainable, environmentallyfriendly blooms with a field-to-vase mentality.
The fact is, nearly half the flowers used by the floral industry in Australia are imported; we import around 10 million stems for Valentine’s Day alone! It can also be really difficult to know where your flowers are actually coming from, as unlike other products (such as food), there are no country of origin labelling requirements for flowers.
In and around Melbourne there are an increasing number of micro flower farms. Some supply direct to florists, others sell at farmers markets or in their own floristry shops. Micro flower farms vary in size, but typically have a growing space of less than an acre. These are often started by people who already live on a farm, who have space and want to diversify their income. But you don’t have to own a farm to grow flowers; urban flower farms are also springing up, in smaller suburban properties.
In the pursuit of a more sustainable flower industry, there is a growing number of micro flower farms popping up.
Like any product that has travelled thousands of miles to get to your door, there will be implications for quality and the environment. Think of the carbon used to transport them; they will have been refrigerated throughout this process, and then sit in quarantine before they even hit the shelves of our wholesalers, let alone your kitchen table.
Australia also has incredibly strict biosecurity laws, so all flowers that are imported are sprayed with methyl bromide or placed into buckets of Roundup to kill any pests. The fungicides are terrible for the environment when initially sprayed, but can also be harmful to the florists who are handling the blooms every day.
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Kristi Sattlecker is one such grower, who is running an urban flower farm right on our doorstep in Preston. Her growing space is only around 150 square metres, which is relatively tiny compared to many other farms, but it’s amazing how much can be grown in such a small area. Her journey began as she and her partner were keen to buy an acreage. While researching potential sources of income, she came across an episode of Monty Don’s My Dream Farm, where he interviewed two ladies in the UK who started a
