Add a new dimension to your beds and borders with flowering veggies
When their veggies started to bloom, these two plant lovers launched an exciting new venture.
Conrad Conradie and Louise Steenkamp are passionate about growing plants. Even when they lived in a basement apartment in the heart of London, these plant enthusiasts had a garden. “We travelled through Europe and Africa for a number of years but in our early thirties returned to Conrad’s hometown of Wellington, where we leased land on the slopes of the Groenberg mountain and started growing organic vegetables,” says Louise. “Using that produce, we supplied veggie boxes to households and restaurants in the Boland. One year, though, the demand for artichokes was so low that the plants bolted and produced the most beautiful blooms. I still remember feeling a little despondent that all that delicious produce was going to waste as we simply could not consume it fast enough!
“That same week, Mabel Steenkamp of Die Gieter, a florist in Paarl, visited us and spontaneously exclaimed: ‘Oh, Louise, I must have these beautiful flowers in my shop!’ And that’s when our flower adventure began.”
The following week, Louise went in search of more florists and she remembers well how they would run out of their shops when she arrived with her load of unusual blooms.
“Conrad and I began to see our vegetables with new eyes and couldn’t wait for the onions, carrots and the rest of the veggies to show us what flowers they were capable of producing! It’s now 15 years later and the artichoke and onion blooms are still our biggest hits.” >>
Seasonal tasks
After six years on leased land, Conrad and Louise bought five hectares of farmland just outside Wellington and started The Wild Bunch Flower Farm. “It all happened very quickly. Even before the sale had been concluded, Conrad had started planting trees,” Louise recalls.
“He chose avenues of American sweetgum
(Liquidambar styraciflua) and water oak (Quercus nigra) for their beautiful autumn shades, as well as coral trees (Erythrina coralloides) for their bright orange flowers in late winter when not many other plants are in bloom.
Then we planted a hectare of artichokes, a hectare of onions (Allium) and a hectare of annual and perennial flowering plants. We now have four hectares planted up with flowers. Starting an enterprise like this from scratch is just the type of challenge we thrive on!”
Most of the flowers and vegetables are propagated from seed, while others are grown from cuttings or bulbs. “Perennial crops can grow in the same spot for years, but annuals are sown from scratch each season,” Louise explains.
“We have a fabulous germination tunnel that is filled with seedlings in different stages of germination throughout the year. To maintain continuity, we sow seeds on an ongoing basis; this also ensures that we have sufficient flowers to pick all year round. Some of the seeds are so tiny, but months later we are amazed when the plant bears the biggest and most beautiful blooms.”
Each month and each season brings its own tasks. In spring and summer, they carry out succession sowing and planting of annual crops.
“We regularly apply mulches of wood chips and shredded vineyard shoots between the plants, which ensures that the beds remain moist and the weeds don’t take over. In autumn, we plant bulbs such as Ranunculus, Anemone, Narcissus and grape hyacinth that bloom in spring. And in winter there’s plenty of maintenance work to be done. We also make compost all year round, which is incorporated into the beds on a regular basis.”
The Wild Bunch Flower Farm supplies blooms to florists around the country. During the flowering season, the artichokes and Alliums are sent to a retailer, and they export flowers to Europe, Asia and the US.
“We deliver to florists in the Boland and Cape Town area early in the morning. Conrad does this task in summer, and I do it in winter. When our customers open their stores, the flowers are already there waiting. By 6am we’re back on the farm and then our whole team starts picking flowers for the next day. The rest of the day is taken up with planting and digging – we’re always busy!” explains Louise. >>
I enjoy picking buckets of flowers, securing them with an elastic band in bunches of 10 and delivering them to our clients. It’s so satisfying to see how they’ve been turned into works of art on Instagram that same day.
– Louise