The Organic Grower Podcast (Organic Growers Alliance)

In this episode James will be talking to Andy Dibben, head grower at Abbey Home Farm in Gloucestershire. Andy oversees an incredibly complex and well-honed system and manages to speak about it with clarity, passion, and honesty.

This episode covers year-round crop production, growing in 1000sqm of glasshouse, cover crops, issues of scale, and Andy's top tips for growing parsnips and cauliflowers.

More about Abbey Home Farm: https://www.theorganicfarmshop.co.uk/farm/

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

In episode 2 of the Organic Grower Podcast, we hear from Kate Collyns, founder and grower at Grown Green in Wiltshire.

Kate set up the business in 2010 following a two-year Soil Association Horticultural Apprenticeship and now grows a wide range of vegetables, herbs, salads and flowers for her local market. Kate always has something interesting to say and this conversation is no exception. We talk about taking on more land, buying a tractor, crowd-funding, juggling a wide range of crops for wholesale accounts, growing leeks and a whole lot more. There’s a ton of great insights in this one, so sit back and tune in!

More about Grown Green: https://growngreen.wordpress.com/

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

We have a belter of a conversation with Calixta Killander of Flourish Produce in Cambridgeshire. Calixta spent a number of years in the US, studying and growing before coming back to the UK to establish Flourish where they grow in the region of 35 acres of vegetables, all sold direct. And boy, has she gone far in a relatively short space of time. We talk about crop diversity, green manures, resting the land, working with restaurants, the importance and challenges of scaling the business, continual investment and improvements, and differences between growing in the US and the UK. It’s inspiring stuff, so let’s get to it.

To learn more about Flourish Produce head to their website: https://www.flourishproduce.co.uk/

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

Today, we have a wonderful conversation with Iain Tolhurst a.k.a Tolly of Tolhurst Organics. It’s a long one but there are so many gems in here that I couldn’t possibly leave any of them out. The whole point of this podcast is to share knowledge among growers so if it takes you a few bites of the apple to get the end then so be it - it will be worth it! We talk about many of the things Tolly is well-known for, including woodchip and green manures but I was also keen to get him talking about the other side of the coin, which is sales. We also discuss Tolly’s longevity as an organic grower (nearing 50 years now) and his advice for new entrants. His perseverance shone through when he agreed to go ahead with the interview despite having a stinking cold. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

In this episode, James talks to Phil Sumption, a man of many hats (grower, researcher, adviser, writer and editor). We discuss how Phil got into organic horticulture, his portfolio of roles in the sector, his reflections on the history of organics over the last few decades, as well as the development of the Organic Growers Alliance and The Organic Grower magazine. Later on in the episode we talk about his new book The Organic Vegetable Grower, his take on new entrants, issues of scale, and the importance of making space for part-time growers. Phil has a unique birds-eye view of the sector and there’s lots of ideas for you to wrap your brains around. So let’s get to it.

Phil's book, The Organic Vegetable Grower,  is published by The Crowood Press: https://www.crowood.com/products/organic-vegetable-grower-by-phil-sumption

Phil's website: https://www.philsumption-biocomms.com

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

In this episode, Jame speaks with Ashley Wheeler from Trill Farm Garden. Would you believe they have been going for 14 years now? We talk about how they have adapted their growing systems over that time, experimenting with field scale (although Ash questions whether that’s the right term!), setting up a new veg box scheme as an established market garden, all things radicchio and Ash’s reflections on the viability of small-scale growing in the current socio-economic context. Oh, and a bit about the importance of life beyond the farm, too. There’s a ton to take away from this one so let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

In this episode James speaks to Rosanna Catterall and Signe Jensen from Knepp Market Garden. We discuss establishing a production horticulture enterprise in the middle of a substantial rewilding project, growing on heavy clay, aligning crop planning and sales, combining no-dig and min-till systems side by side, running a market garden as employees and Rosanna and Signe’s top tips for growing beetroot and garlic. This one is jam packed with useful insights and experiences so let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

In this episode James speaks to Laurence Jarrett-Kerr of Soul Farm. Laurence started the business 6 years ago and has grand plans for the years ahead. We chat about combining home-grown veg with bought in produce, managing costs and some deep thoughts on profitability and entrepreneurship. The perennial issue of scale also features prominently as we dig in to Laurence’s plans to grow the business, having recently secured £350,000 of community investment. It’s a thought provoking one for sure so let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

In this episode James speaks to Connie Hunter and Tom Booth from East Neuk Market Garden. We talk about how they have developed their site and growing systems over the last 6 years, the particularities of their climate on the East Coast of Scotland, farming as a couple and their recent forays into collaborative farming with nearby business Falkland Kitchen Farm. There’s also some top tips for dry-farming tomatoes and quick and easy pea supports. It’s such a rewarding conversation with a couple who are doing great things so let’s get to it. 

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

Back to today’s episode, James speaks to Jean-Martin Fortier. And boy did we manage to pack a lot into this one. James ended up speaking to JM on his phone outside the packing shed at FQT farm so the sound isn’t perfect but hopefully the content more than makes up for that. We talk about the limits and sweet spots of human-scale market gardening, training new-entrant growers to do the work required, a deep dive on profitability and running market gardens as businesses, the importance of markets and stimulating market demand, state-level support for farming and local food, his latest venture running a farm-to-table restaurant, small-scale resilience in the face of climate change, compost and a whole load more. JM has done a huge amount to inspire a generation of market gardeners and hopefully our chat gives a taste of that. So let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

James speaks to Alice Rixon a.k.a. The Veg Lady, based in Chettle, Dorset. We  really wanted to hear from someone at the start of their growing journey to talk through the challenges and thinking of starting out with their own horticultural business. Alice talks about how she is setting up the growing space (where she’s combining polytunnels, market garden and field-scale from the get go), the things she’s chosen to invest in early on, the particular arrangement she has with her landlady and the vibrant food and farming scene she is helping to build, long-term financial planning, trying to build a market and learning what it wants, her involvement in the Universal Basic Income for Farmers Campaign. She is passionate about the route she has taken and hopefully you get plenty of insights and inspiration from the conversation, so let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

James speaks to Jayne Arnold of Oxton Organics in Worcestershire. Oxton Organics has undergone a number of transformations over the years and James and Jayne discuss this, but the bulk of the conversation focuses on Jayne’s experiments with green manures. Jayne talks about the benefits of green manures, establishment, undersowing, species selection and seed mixes, key dates and methods of termination. We also get onto Jayne’s LWA-funded trials into bio-stimulants and her attempts to save seed that is adapted to her local conditions. It’s a wonderful conversation with lots of ideas for things to be doing right now so, let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

James speak to Rita and Adam from Pitney Farm Market Garden in Somerset. Rita and Adam are fresh from winning Young Organic Grower of the Year and hopefully our conversation gives you a flavour of why. We talk about their decision to mechanise much of their operation and how this feeds into their goal of year-round production, direct wholesaling and growing as much food as possible while maintaining soil health and providing a livelihood. It’s a very wide-ranging conversation with loads of nuggets and take-aways that I’m sure will give you lots of food for thought, so let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

James speaks to Pete Dollimore, previously of Hankham Organics in Sussex and now an instructor at The Montesorri Place. Pete is an absolute fountain of knowledge, particularly about protected cropping, which is so important to many organic growers. At Hankham Organics, Pete oversaw production in 7000m2 of glasshouse - an incredible opportunity but one with an endless learning curve. We delve deep into irrigation systems, managing fertility, dealing with the peaks and troughs of production, timings, the hungry gap, tomatoes and more. Towards the end of the episode, Pete reflects on his more recent experience of running a small min-till market garden with the help of a few dozen teenage students at The Montesorri Place School. 

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

James speaks to Ed Hamer of Chagfood Community Market Garden in the Dartmoor National Park. CSAs or Community Supported Agriculture is very much the focus in this one. We talk about Ed’s split growing site, leaning into the restrictive nature of the CSA model, dealing with and sharing risk, the importance and challenges of communicating with customers/members, the benefits of hard copy newsletters, member recruitment and retention, dealing with crop failures, surviving without cold storage and calculating value in CSA models. We also speak about Ed’s recent travels around the US, where as part of a Churchill Fellowship, he visited 25 CSA farms to see how things compare across the pond and see what lessons could be brought back to the UK. Later on, we get into the nitty gritty of growing carrots and discuss how woodland coppicing has allowed Ed to integrate biochar and woodchip into the growing operation. Ed spells everything out with so much passion and with such clarity that I’m sure you’ll find this one a joy to listen to, so let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

James speaks to Kate McEvoy from Real Seeds in Pembrokeshire. We talk about the gradual growth of the business over many years, growing seed for home gardeners, the importance of open-pollinated seed and incorporating seed growing into market gardens., We delve deep into growing peas and beans for seed, economics of seed vs veg, what you need to think about on top of actually growing seed when you run a seed business and the scope for more small-scale seed companies. Later on, Kate discusses her use of movable caterpillar tunnels with some really great tips so hang for that. I know lots of you will find this conversation really valuable so, let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

James speaks to Jim Aplin of Hotchpotch Organics in Worcestershire. We talk about Jim’s experience of developing a growing system with next to no infrastructure where crops moved every year as part of a much larger arable rotation. We discuss why Jim opted for a 4-wheel compact tractor over a 2-wheel tractor and how he developed spacings and techniques to suit. More recently, Jim has moved to a new site, now with buildings and protected cropping, and he talks about the challenges and lessons learnt. We also delve deep into squash production, markets and the importance of spring plant sales to his business. Towards the end we discuss Jim’s involvement in the OGA (Organic Growers Alliance) of which he is a very eloquent advocate! 

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

James speaks to Adam Payne of Awen Organics in Pembrokeshire. Adam is no novice and is now putting his experience to work in a relatively new venture in West Wales, where he has been leading in establishing a 25-acre organic veg farm from the ground up. We talk about the farm’s long-term investments in infrastructure and machinery and attempts to scale the business quickly. We discuss developing a strong and diverse market, building a good team and designing efficient growing systems. We also discuss Adam’s dreamy pack shed, delve deep into agretti growing and end on the topic of farming with young children. It’s an inspirational story so let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

James speaks to researcher, policy expert and campaigner, Bea Laughton. Much of the conversation focuses on her work for the Landworkers Alliance. We discuss the latest Horticulture Across Four Nations report, including addressing import substitution, increasing supply and consumption of UK-grown vegetables, price challenges and the true cost of production. We also discuss public sector procurement of organic veg, particularly attempts to get more organic veg into schools in Wales. We move onto identifying and overcoming the barriers to the growth of agroecology, matters of scale, including building appropriate skills, knowledge and funding for new entrants on medium and larger scales. Towards the end, we focus on the opportunities opening up in the current political context and what individual growers can do to effect change. There’s so much food for thought to mull over here over Christmas, so let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

James speaks to Hamish Evans and Sammy Elmore of Middle Ground Growers on the edge of Bath. In four seasons, they have grown the business from nothing to a turnover of over £200,000. We discuss how they set their goals and worked backward from there to achieve their rapid scaling up. We touch on how they built up a 180-strong veg box scheme, the different production systems they have developed from small-scale no-dig to field scale mechanisation and the benefits of their collaborative farming model. There’s a fascinating conversation about their hugely successful crowd-funder, which helped to finance the project. Towards the end we discuss the merits of their unexpected turn toward producing for national wholesale. If you wait until the end, Hamish also treats us to a poem about the soil. So let’s get to it!

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

James speaks to Edwin Brooks of Ed’s Veg in Hampshire. Ed has a wide range of expertise but today the conversation focuses mainly on his year-round salad production. Ed and his team produce 150-200kg of mixed leaf salad a week, primarily for wholesale markets. We drill down into propagation, planting, varieties, irrigation, fertility, harvest schedules and techniques and much more. We also discuss the development of a field scale operation at a nearby site, which is helping to expand and diversify the enterprise. Towards the end, Ed also talks about his international work as a campaigner and activist with The Landworkers’ Alliance and La Via Campesina. If you are thinking of honing or improving your salad growing this year then this conversation is an absolute must and even if you’re not, Ed is full of interesting ideas, so let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

James speaks to John McCormick of Helen’s Bay Organic just outside Belfast. It was a real privilege to speak to John, who is entering his 34th year on the site. We speak about dealing with clay soils, particularly in spring and methods he’s developed to get production going earlier. We discuss rotations, compost, green manures, weed control and John’s large collection of machinery, which he uses to great effect. Our conversation also touches on business skills and the benefits of direct retailing and John shares his advice for keeping customers happy for the long term, so let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

James speaks to George Bennett of Sandy Lane Farm. George came back to the family farm after a career in IT and has built something pretty special. We talk about going to scale and building a growing operation and sales infrastructure that allows them to run an extremely slick 400-strong veg box scheme and on-site farm shop. George discusses implementing and improving processes and systems throughout the farm, harnessing the natural environment as well as opportunities provided by data analysis and technology. We go into detail about Growing Good, a sales platform and software package that George co-founded. We also discuss the farm’s social media, which really sets an example for the sector. George stresses the importance of delegation and talks about finding great people to make the machine work, even when he’s not around. There is so much gold in this one, so let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

In this episode, James shares his thoughts on running a successful plant sale. It's jam packed with tips and tricks for you to put into practice. Buckle up, reason number 1 to run a plant sale is...

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

In today’s episode, I speaks to Michael Fitzsimmons of Cinderwood Market Garden in Cheshire. Michael is a breath of fresh air - incredibly open, honest and clear in his thinking. When I approached him I didn’t know he was about to take a step back from growing so the conversation came at a really interesting point in time, full of food for thought for all of us as growers. Cinderwood is such an interesting case study of a market garden founded with one foot in the growing world - that’s Michael - and one foot in the culinary world - that’s his business partner, chef Joseph Otway. We talk about how the business has developed to cater for chefs, mostly in the Greater Manchester area, and all the opportunities and challenges that presents. Michael goes into detail about crop planning, logistics, communications and pricing, as well as a deep-dive into celtuce and onions and garlic production on a small scale. It’s a really wonderful conversation and I’m really grateful to Michael for opening up about so many things, including how he thinks of himself as a weed - I love it. So, let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

In today’s episode, I speak to Ruth Hancock from Fresh and Green Vegetables in Devon. Ruth’s business is 22 years old so she has a huge amount of experience of organic veg production as well as earning a living from doing it. In many ways, Ruth has kept things simple by developing a 75-strong veg box scheme that operates weekly through most of the season and fortnightly through the late winter and spring, minimising the need to buy in produce from elsewhere. We talk about lessons learned from running a veg box scheme over two decades both in terms of dealing with customers and growing the veg. Ruth has some important reflections on pricing and financial viability and the challenges that small-scale, organic growers can face when they under value themselves and the fruits of their labour. We end on another critical topic, which is looking after your body. Ruth is also a yoga instructor, which she sees as pivotal to her longevity as a grower and hopefully she might get you thinking about your body as your most important tool. So, let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

In this episode, James dives into the topic of protected cropping and share ideas to make the most of the space that you have in an organic system.  He talks about the role of protected cropping through the seasons, rotations, balancing long-season repeat-harvesting crops with quick-growing catch crops and the importance of aligning your crop plan with your sales plan. James also goes into detail about how you can underplant, intercrop and relay crop to maximise production and revenue undercover.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/