How We Grow
We grow with respect for the soil and respect for nature. But what does that mean in practice?
Firstly we do not use pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. Instead we rely on biodiversity and ecosystem balance to keep 'pests' under control. By growing a wide variety of plants all the time, and by including wilder spaces in and around the market garden, we aim to encourage the broadest range of species as possible to coexist in the garden. While there may be surges in populations of pests from time to time, the extent will be limited by the presence of natural predators. To promote this, we interplant our crops with plants that attract and help beneficial insects, be they pollinators or predators.
In the worst cases we may suffer poor yield or even an entire crop loss. However, because we grow a wide diversity of crops this impact will be lessened because there will still be many other crops unaffected as a disease or insect that may harm one crop will not be harmful to other plant species.
Respecting and rebuilding the soil
We farm in such a way as to regenerate soil health. To guide us in these efforts we bear three key principles in mind:-
We keep the soil covered as much as possible
We disturb the soil as little as possible.
We feed the soil with as much organic matter as we can.
What does this look like in practice? We protect the soil by covering it with plants, mulch or actual (silage) covers. This prevents the increasingly heavy rain from compacting the soil structure and washing away topsoil.
We relay plant and intercrop too. Relay planting means that as one crop is coming to an end we have young transplants ready to go in as the old crop ends thereby reducing the time where the soil is bare and unprotected. Intercropping is where we grow two or more crops together in the same space. Usually this is a combination of a fast growing crop (e.g radish) with a slow growing crop (e.g cabbage). Again, this means that bare soil is quickly recovered by new growth.
We keep from disturbing the soil by avoiding digging it. This doesn't mean we don't dig at all; We have perennial weeds that can only be removed by digging them out and some crops, like leeks, need to be dug out. When we do have to do this, we then take remedial action to help the soil repair, usually by mulching with compost or leaf mulch or any other combination of organic matter.
We feed soil organisms with organic matter laid on the surface as a mulch. This is usually compost, but also includes leaf mulch, straw, grass cuttings, woodchips and hay. When larger crops like sprouts and purple spouting have finished we will shred them and leave the crop residue on the surface of the bed. These practices serve a dual purpose of protecting the soil and feeding the soil organisms. This both improves the soil structure, and the amount of nutrients available in the soil.
Recently published scientific research has indicated that healthy populations of earthworms in the soil can improve crop yields by up to 25% and earth worms thrive in soils with large amounts of organic matter to feed on. So, by putting as much organic matter as possible onto the soil We are directly improving our soil fertility and thereby the health of our crops.
This is how we regenerate our soil and respect our local ecosystems and in so doing we can bring you delicious and great tasting produce without costing the planet.
