If you are looking for some beautiful blooms, you can't go past Hands in the Dirt: a sustainable, spray-free, flower farm based 15km out of Warkworth. Growing a variety of flowers throughout summer, but focusing on Dahlias, all their flowers are perfectly

imperfect and lovingly grown.

Every flower seems to have their own personality and little quirks. The majority of the flowers are sold by the bucket, giving the buyer the freedom to experiment and the ability to fill up five different vases or give flowers away to friends. This year they will also be incorporating bouquets for those who are interested. As well as the flowers, Hands in the Dirt have a small, spray-free watermelon patch and all their watermelons are either juiced or sold to the public.

Aila, the owner and grower of Hands in the Dirt puts a lot of love into what she does. 

“I’ve always preferred being outdoors with my hands in the dirt. It’s what drove me, seeing life move forward. In 2016, I moved up to Warkworth with myfamily after living in Devonport for the majority of my life. Whilst in Devonport, I had a 1m x 1m veggie garden. Moving up north and suddenly having 12 acres of land gave me room experiment withflowers and watermelons. The land is so fertile that everything I grew seemed to explode into life! Over the course of three years, the flower field has continuously grown as my passion and interest increases as well.”

All of the flowers and produce are grown with sustainable and natural practices. The majority of large-scale flower farms out there use herbicides and pesticides for the treatment of bugs and diseases on the flowers which also wipes out beneficial flora and fauna.

“On our farm, soil health is the most important thing. Everything is created from the earth so nothing nasty should be put back into it. This is something I am still learning and discovering about, so every day presents a new challenge. We also have an abundance of bees and other insects living in the flower field, so we will do everything to make sure we are not harming them.

“In the end, our flowers don’t look drastically different to flowers that have been sprayed profusely. However, knowing that the flora and fauna surrounding the flower is healthy is what makes it worth it. Sustainability is a strong philosophy of ours. If I can educate or influence as many people as I can about the benefits of being sustainable, I will be doing my part to help Mother Nature.”

Hands in the Dirt can either deliver the flowers to your doorstep or you’re welcome to make an appointment to come and pick with them. The watermelons are much the same. Typically,when people order a bucket of flowers, they also order a watermelon or two! Visit their facebook page or send them a message via their instagram to get your hands on some gorgeous flowers.

Photos - Hands In the Dirt