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CROP Flower Farm

@cropraglan

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Longlasting Blooms. Raglan based flower farm, offering beautiful and seasonal flowers and foliage, both fresh and dried. Owned and operated by Nicky.

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Dahlia Diaries Episode 14: the new flower field and preparing the soil.

We’re moving the main dahlia growing patch to a corner of the old vineyard, which is very exciting because I’m no longer competing with dozens of trees, their shade and their roots.

Now that the area is marked out, the focus shifts to the soil. Good soil is the foundation for healthy plants, and it’s much easier to get right before anything goes in the ground than to fix later. Here’s what I’ve used:

Soil test: for home gardeners a balanced slow release fertiliser will do fine, but at a larger scale it pays to know what nutrient balance you’re working with. I recommend contacting Nicky @cropraglan who has created a fantastic soil test and analysis service as well as in person workshops.

Compost: with our free draining silty loam I don’t actually need compost, and I didn’t use any in our first year at this property. I use it for the dahlias because it makes them easier to dig up at the end of the season, since I’m digging and selling tubers. Trucked in from @biorichcompost .

Sea wool pellets to add more organic matter and help with moisture retention @sustaina_grow .

Blood and bone @tuihomeandgarden.

Irrigation @think_water.

Waratahs & weedmat from local farm stores.

When is it time to plant? traditionally it’s Labour Weekend, and we can go earlier here in Gisborne. Colder areas often wait until November. I wait until the soil averages about 15 degrees and the last frost has passed.

The field’s nearly ready, so we’ll talk planting on the next episode. Pop your burning planting questions below.

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You can’t have a dahlia garden without some wedding whites 🤍👰‍♀️ What are your best white varieties? These are the whites I’ve managed to grab for the coming season.

Can’t wait to see these blooming in the garden (pics from the accounts tagged):

📷 1. Ryecroft Jan @stonecropflora
📷 2. Ryecroft Jan @britebloomsflowersnz
📷 3. Boom Boom White @budsandblooms_nz
📷 4. Boom Boom White @cropraglan
📷 5. Small World @twigandvinefarms
📷 5. Small World @floretflower

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Love the flower community, and the fact we are able to all support each other!! Love of flowers over rules the competition!

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The flavor you love… is at risk of disappearing.
Vanilla — Why it’s at risk
• Vanilla comes from a delicate orchid flower
• It blooms for just one day
• In most places, it must be pollinated by hand
• This makes it one of the most labor-intensive crops

👉 On top of that:
• Climate change brings storms, drought, and unstable yields
• Pests and diseases are increasing
• Farmers are struggling with low profits and hard work

#agriculture #agriculturelife #vanilla #vanillabean #vanillaplanifolia

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The Plant That Produces Its Own Heat — Skunk Cabbage
Skunk cabbage is a thermogenic plant — it produces its own heat.
• It can reach temperatures up to 20–30°C, even when it’s freezing outside.
• The heat melts surrounding snow, creating a visible hole in winter.
• This warmth helps it bloom earlier than other plants.
• It also releases a strong smell (like skunk) to attract flies for pollination.
• The plant burns stored energy through a special process (like fast respiration).
• Instead of storing that energy, it releases it as heat.
• This keeps its flowers active in cold conditions.

🌍 Why it’s important
• Gives it a head start in early spring 🌸
• Attracts pollinators when few other plants are available
• Shows how plants can adapt to extreme environments

#agriculture #agriculturelife #uniqueplants #plant #plants

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Why Farmers Plant Different Crops Together
Farmers don’t mix crops randomly — it’s a smart strategy called companion planting or intercropping, and it has powerful benefits:

🌿 1. Natural Pest Control

Some plants protect others from pests:
• 🌼 Marigolds repel harmful insects
• 🌿 Basil protects tomatoes
• 🧄 Garlic deters many bugs

👉 Less chemicals, healthier crops

🌱 2. Better Soil Health

Different crops use and give nutrients differently:
• 🌿 Legumes (beans, peas) add nitrogen to soil
• 🌾 Others (like corn) use that nitrogen

👉 Soil stays fertile naturally

🌞 3. More Efficient Use of Space

Plants grow at different heights and depths:
• 🌽 Tall crops = shade
• 🥬 Low crops = ground cover
• 🥕 Deep roots + shallow roots don’t compete

👉 More yield from the same land

💧 4. Improved Water Use

Mixed crops help:
• Reduce evaporation
• Improve soil moisture retention

👉 Saves water 💧

🐝 5. Attracts Pollinators & Good Insects
• 🌸 Flowers bring bees & butterflies
• 🐞 Beneficial insects control pests

👉 Stronger ecosystem

🛡️ 6. Reduces Risk

If one crop fails, others survive

👉 More stable income for farmers

“Three Sisters” planting:
• 🌽 Corn (support)
• 🌱 Beans (add nitrogen)
• 🎃 Squash (covers soil, blocks weeds)

#agriculture #agriculturelife #plant #plants #plantbasedlife

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Broccoli — The Vegetable That Is Actually a Flower

Broccoli is a flower in the early stage of development. The green head we eat is made of hundreds of tiny unopened flower buds.

• The broccoli head is called an inflorescence (a cluster of flower buds).
• Farmers harvest broccoli before the buds open.
• If it stays in the field longer, the buds bloom into small yellow flowers.

🌿 Plant family

Broccoli belongs to the Brassicaceae (cabbage) family, which includes:
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Kale
• Brussels sprouts
• Mustard

🌍 Origin

Broccoli was first cultivated in Italy more than 2,000 years ago and later spread around the world.

🧬 Interesting agricultural facts
• Broccoli grows best in cool weather.
• Heat can cause the plant to flower too early (bolting).
• It is rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber, and antioxidants.

#agriculture #agriculturelife #broccoli #broccoliplant #broccolli

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Some of places I’m looking at shopping at where I want to stock up on varieties that I don’t have. Will also be looking at buying from the @_flowercurator_ only available to locals. Yes you can buy NZ grown tubers!!! #NZgrowndahlias

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Phytophthora: The Disease That Kills Plants in Days

Phytophthora is a destructive plant disease caused by a water-mold (oomycete), not a true fungus.
It attacks the roots, stems, leaves, and fruits, and in wet conditions it can destroy a plant in just 2–7 days.

⚠️ Why It’s So Dangerous

✅ Spreads extremely fast
✅ Loves wet soil and humidity
✅ Attacks many crops
✅ Causes sudden wilting and death
✅ Can survive in soil and water for a long time

🌱 Crops Commonly Affected

🍅 Tomato
🥔 Potato
🌶 Pepper
🍓 Strawberry
🥒 Cucumber
🥑 Avocado
🍇 Grapes
🌳 Fruit trees (root rot)

🔍 Symptoms (Easy to Recognize)
• Leaves suddenly wilt even when soil is wet
• Dark brown / black spots on stems near soil line
• Roots become soft and rotten
• Plant collapses quickly
• Fruits may show brown rot patches

💧 How It Spreads

🌧 Rain splash
🚿 Overwatering
🌊 Flood irrigation
🧤 Dirty tools
🌱 Infected seedlings
🦶 Soil on shoes and equipment

✅ Prevention (Best Solution)

⭐ Improve drainage
⭐ Avoid overwatering
⭐ Use raised beds
⭐ Rotate crops
⭐ Remove infected plants fast
⭐ Disinfect tools
⭐ Use resistant varieties if available

🧪 Treatment (If Detected Early)
• Remove infected plants immediately
• Apply fungicides specifically against Phytophthora:
metalaxyl, mefenoxam, phosphorous acid, copper-based products
• Reduce irrigation and increase airflow

#agriculture #agriculturelife #plants #plantdisease #plantdiseases

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When someone orders wild flowers, there’s a little hop and skip in my workshop.
It’s the little things -
The wild flowers that I gather from along the estuary near my home that I add
The crooked stems and curls
The aromatic herbs like scented basil, dill and bergamot
The tall spiky perennials
The smaller vintage style blooms
The memory of yesterday, my childhood, my mum’s garden
The many mixed colours, antiques, whites and brights
The thought and feelings evoked when styling this design
The pretty of it all
…

#iamwildabouteve #undoubtedlybeautifulflowers #playdatewithflowers #raglanflorist #wildflowers

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Why Some Fruits Become Seedless?

Seedless fruits exist mostly because of human selection and plant science, not because nature decided it.

✅ 1) Natural Mutation

Sometimes a plant naturally produces fruits with tiny, undeveloped seeds.
Farmers noticed this and started growing those plants more.

📌 Example: some grapes and oranges.

✅ 2) Hybrid Breeding (Most Common Reason)

Many seedless fruits are made by crossing two different varieties.

The fruit grows normally, but the seeds cannot fully develop, so you get a seedless fruit.

📌 Example: seedless watermelon.

✅ 3) Triploid Genetics (Seedless Watermelon Secret)

Seedless watermelon is usually triploid (has 3 sets of chromosomes).

➡️ Because of that, the plant is sterile, meaning it can’t make mature seeds.

But it still forms fruit if it’s pollinated.

📌 That’s why seedless watermelons still need bees nearby 🐝

✅ 4) Parthenocarpy (Fruit Without Fertilization)

Some fruits can grow without fertilization.

So the fruit forms, but seeds don’t.

📌 Example: bananas, some cucumbers.

✅ 5) Hormone Influence

Farmers can use plant hormones (like auxins/gibberellins) to trigger fruit growth without full seed development.

🍌 Examples of Famous Seedless Fruits
• Banana (almost always seedless)
• Seedless grapes
• Seedless watermelon
• Seedless oranges / mandarins
• Some cucumbers
• Some pomegranates (soft seed types)

⚠️ Important Truth

Seedless fruits are NOT automatically GMO.

Most are made through:
✅ natural mutation
✅ selective breeding
✅ hybrid crossing

#agriculture #agriculturelife #seed #seedlessfruit #seedlessgrapes🍇

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