Interview with NextGen: ELISE MARCH

Where do you work and what is your role?

I work at Ball Australia in a grower position and as a lead grower on weekends. I take care of compartments two and three or otherwise known as the fog area. This area of the nursery is the starting place for all the freshly stuck cuttings from our mother stock and de-flasked Tissue Culture area before they progress through to the next stages of the production growing line.

How long have you worked there and how has your role progressed in that time?

I have been at Ball Australia for 15 months now. The first six months I was an assistant grower then I progressed to running my own compartments, and later to running the weekend watering with a small growing team assisting me.

What or who inspired you to choose horticulture?

Watching Burke’s Backyards as a kid through the 90’s would have to be a standout influence of why I have chosen the path of horticulture as an adult.

What do you enjoy most about working in horticulture?

I enjoy the sudden challenges horticulture can bring with the change of seasons, the environments that need to be managed and the different stages of plant development across a range of varieties

What are your ambitions within the industry?

My ambitions in the horticulture industry is to one day design sustainable gardens for the city of Melbourne.

What is a typical day like for you?

My day starts out having to walk in and around my area, assessing what needs to be done and prioritise the tasks that have to be covered off for that day. This can include watering, checking root development, movement between my own and other compartments and forward planning for the coming days of the week. I also need to plan a day in the week when I do an afterhours chemical spray.

As I manage a wide collection of varieties, It is really important I review and analyse the different plants requirements, where they are at with their growing stages and what is needed to ensure their growth development is not compromised. I find it really satisfying to get through each day’s job list and know that the plants under my care are strong and healthy.

Why should more young people choose horticulture as a career?

The horticulture industry is continually changing and adapting, reusing old methods and generating new ones with the changing of seasons. For young people it is never going to be an industry that stays the same. There are many different avenues and new technologies now that provide greater control, quality outcomes and improvements on how we manage the environment we work and live in – horticulture has such an exciting part to play in all of this with the added enjoyment of getting your hands a little dirty, what could be better!

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received on your journey?

“Why not try it?” – A constant comment said to me by others and myself. It is my reminder to keep at it as we continue to trial new methods of growing and producing many different seed varieties, vegetive propagation and tissue culture lines.

Are you/have you studied a horticultural course?

I’m currently studying a Diploma of Horticulture at Chisholm through night classes, so I can continue working full time.

What was/is the most enjoyable element of your study?

I really enjoy learning about the sustainable options that are becoming more widely taught and available throughout the horticulture industry. It really is a changing time and there are so many positive ‘new thinking’ ideas out there.

Tell us a bit about you; what you enjoy doing and where your passions lie.

In my life outside work, I have a real passion for anything outdoors. Whether that be 4x4 driving and camping adventures up into the high country or getting salty down at the coastal environments at all the fantastic beaches we have. If I am sitting inside, I love to design clothing for myself and friends using preloved materials, there are such endless options. And my go to comfort is cooking up a storm in the kitchen.