Farm Visit to Flower Farmer Scott!
Lila the Wonder Pup Supervises All Flower Picking
Wandering up to visit Flower Farmer Scott in Cedar Creek, it looks like any other small country house, with half-started and half-finished projects laying around, some resource pile here and there. If it weren't for the tibetan prayer flags on the porch, I might have driven right by! But as I wandered down the hill towards the back of the property, Scott's flower field came into view.... The area under cultivation isn't large, about a half an acre, but standing amongst the hip-high larkspur and snapdragons, there is an expansive feeling that encapsulates you in the majesty of these flowers as various pollinators flutter about.
Scott Harris has been farming off an on for the last twenty-five years, and for the past three he's been Flower Farmer Scott. It's easy to see why he choose flower farming. Most of the flower trade is filled with nasty chemicals, and involves shipping flowers hundreds of miles, but on a flood plane field in Central Texas, Scott can grow these beautiful flowers that look great for weeks without using chemical inputs. In fact, his soil building process isn't even labor intensive. Several of the varieties Scott grows are perennials that go dormant in the winter. Where he grows annuals, he simply tills them under in the fall and starts a cover crop to be tilled in again after the last frost.
The Dianthus has all been picked.
Flower Farmer Scott can be found Saturday mornings at the SFC Downtown Farmer's Market and Sundays at the Mueller Farmer's Market. And of course, you can find his lovely bouquets of dianthus, larkspur, and english status at Wheatsville everyday from 7:30 am to 11pm.
Before I left, Scott showed me his secret to long-lasting bouquets: put a tablespoon of white vinegar per gallon of water in the vase! It helps prevent bacteria and mold growth.
Just for fun, here's a photo of Scott's living room after a day of picking flowers:
