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Mallika Nair<\/p>\n
Nair began to experiment with flower gardening at the Clearwater-based Beacon Food Forest last year. \u201cI totally got captivated by it,\u201d she explained. \u201cI was having that longing to actually be on land farming more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Opening a location in St. Petersburg, where Nair lives, was the next step. She signed a contract with the owners of the land in October and began to work on the property. The growing area on the site is about half an acre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nair started to plant flowers in December and the first blooms were available a month later. Organic standards were key in the process. The Padm\u00e9 team does not use dangerous pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once some of the flowers were ready, she began to sell them to florists.\u00a0Padm\u00e9\u2019s first major event in the area was Localtopia.<\/a> which took place Feb. 14 at Williams Park.\u00a0<\/p>\n U-Pick experiences were not initially part of the plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I was going to sell flowers at farmer\u2019s markets and things like that, but when I thought about it more, part of the reason why I wanted to start this in the city was to give more people more exposure to agriculture,\u201d Nair said. \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to interact with nature in a way that\u2019s really easy and accessible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Guests are educated on how to harvest the blooming flowers and then they can create their own bouquets and arrangements. Currently, the farm is home to a variety of specialty cuts such as snapdragons, ranunculuses and anemones. The sessions are roughly a half hour long. Participants can book their experience<\/a> in advance.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be a starting point for people and encourage them to think about growing more things on their own,\u201d Nair explained. \u201cI just want people to get the opportunity, whether they want to pursue it as a job or not, at least to have it as a hobby that they can participate in and enjoy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n She hopes to grow other plants on the property to show the various options that can thrive in Florida. Additionally, Nair plans to continue to build out the farm. It\u2019s a \u201cwork in progress,\u201d she said. Infrastructure improvements can make the space more suitable for events.\u00a0<\/p>\n Local blooms can also have a positive economic impact. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 80% of cut flowers<\/a> sold in the country are imported.\u00a0<\/p>\n