THE Wingham Farmers' Market is on this Saturday, February 6 at the Wingham Showground.
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We meet this month's Wingham Farmers' Market feature producers Gabriel and Fiona Poole of Pinnacle Flowers.
Gabriel and Fiona grow the beautiful flowers available each month at the Wingham Farmers' Market community stall.
The flowers are grown on their property just out of Wingham, on Gloucester Road where they have 11 acres. Two of those acres are under plastic igloos.
The covers help the Poole's to control quality. Keeping them out of the rain helps with disease management, and keeping them out of the extreme heat and cold allows them to avoid weather damage and keep growing year round.
Another thing which they have started over the past year to improve quality is to apply Island in the Stream Vermiculture's worm wee, also available at the markets, which has made a noticeable difference in how strongly the plants grow and how well they keep. Customers regularly say their cut flowers last for two weeks, even up to four weeks, and they have been able to cut chemical use by half.
Gabriel says he has been in this business for six and a half years, prior to which he was a beef and sheep farmer.
"I'm not a trained horticulturalist so I'm still winging it a bit and learning as I go" says Gabriel. "I love having more control over the marketing and supply chain with flowers, and working for myself."
Gabriel and Fiona have set themselves up as a business which markets direct to florists, now supplying mixed boxes of flowers to florists up the coast. They have 12 varieties including gerberas, carnations, lisianthus, and ornamental kale. This sets them apart from many larger growers who focus on one or two varieties and supply Sydney markets.
Bunches of flowers will be available at the markets this Saturday, as well as the popular potted gerberas which are actually ex-cut flower plants needing repotting.
The Wingham Farmers' Market is on this Saturday from 8am until midday at the Wingham Showground. New stallholders are always welcome, with site fees waived at your first market. Direct stall holder enquiries to Annette on 6550 7213. Don't forget if you have any excess produce to sell you can drop it at the community stall.
There is more information at www.winghamfarmersmarket.org.au and on Facebook.