English These resources focus on specialist horticulture and the benefits of crop rotations and recycling green manure to build fertility without using synthetic fertiliser.
Iain Tolhurst (Tolly) – farmer profile
Tolhurst Organic is located on the Hardwick Estate in south Oxfordshire, between the Chilterns and the river Thames. The farm is made up of 17 acres over two fields and 2 acres within a 500 year old walled garden. Iain has farmed here for 40 years, Tolhurst Organic is one of the longest running organic vegetable farms in England. Hardwick was the first to attain the ‘Stockfree Organic’ symbol in 2004. There have been no grazing animals and no animal inputs to the farm for the last 33 years.
Farm System Health – Iain Tolhurst (Tolly)
Iain Tolhurst runs one of the longest running stock-free organic vegetable farms in England. In this episode we talk to him about his involvement in the Farm System Health project – which brought together international farmers who have established personal philosophies & strategies of best practice that make them successful in running healthy farms & producing healthy food. We ask him what farm system health means to him & how he relates his practices to the 10 principles of health defined in the project.
Jonathan Smith – farmer profile
Jonathan Smith grows organic fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers on the island of St Martins, about 30 miles off the coast of Cornwall. The farm comprises of 5 acres and includes 2 polytunnels. He sells directly; mainly to tourists in the summer season, and islanders throughout the year. He runs a rotational system in the tunnels – basil, cucumbers, tomatoes and winter crops, and in the fields he grows potatoes, carrots, salad crops, squashes and courgettes, then moves into winter brassicas and some chard and kale in the summer, with a few patches of herbs and flowers. He also has an area of orchard and soft fruit.
Organic Crop Rotations – Soil Association Factsheet
It is good practice to not grow the same crop family on a piece of land more than once in every four years in crop rotations. Exceptions are when a fertility-building crop such as grass/clover ley is grown for two or three successive years or when a perennial or biennial crop is grown. This Soil Association (SA) factsheet provides guidance to help you plan and manage your crop rotations.
Soil fertility management in organic greenhouses in Europe – BioGreenhouse publication
The management of soil fertility in organic greenhouse systems differs quite widely across Europe. The challenge is to identify and implement strategies which comply with the organic principles set out in (EC) Reg. 834/2007 and (EC) Reg. 889/2008 as well as supporting environmentally, socially and economically sustainable cropping systems. In this paper, written by a group of scientists of different geographical origin and with different background, the state of the art of the sector and the main characteristics of the European organic greenhouse cropping systems are described.
Cover Crop and Living Mulch Wiki – online toolbox
The wiki was was originally part of the European research project OSCAR (Optimising Subsidiary Crop Applications in Rotations), which was aiming to develop more sustainable systems of conservation agriculture and increase the diversity of cover crops and living mulches.
Mulch systems and rotational no-till in vegetable farming – magazine article based on a system being successfully trialled in Germany
Vegetable farming can be damaging to soil health and soil structure. Reducing tillage in horticultural and particularly organic systems is challenging and no-till can be the holy grail! Johannes Storch of Bio-Gemüsehof Dickendorf in Germany has been pioneering the use of mulches in field-scale organic vegetable production and has developed machinery to transplant directly through the mulch. This article by Phil Sumption (a condensed version of one published in Vegetable Farmer magazine) explains the system Johannes has created using cover crops, grass and silage as mulch, to maintain cover and plant roots in the soil as much as possible for soil health, breaking it down into 6 steps.
No-till for growers: realising the promise of soil health in organic horticulture. Part 1 – Helping growers who want to make the change – OGA magazine article
This is part one of two detailed informal articles looking at the practicalities of applying a no-till system in an organic horticultural operation and how it relates to soil health. It is specifically aimed at growers who want to make the transition to a no-till system. It focuses on smaller scale growing operations but the principles can be applied equally to larger mechanised operations.
No-till for growers: Part 2 – Soil health practices for growers – OGA magazine article
This is part two of two detailed informal articles looking at the practicalities of applying a no-till system in an organic horticultural operation and how it relates to soil health. It is specifically aimed at growers who want to make the transition to a no-till system. This article highlights some of the ways that growers can apply the soil health principles in their operations to get improved soil crumb structure and better crops. It focuses on smaller scale growing operations but the principles can be applied to larger operations – the isolated solutions will just be different.
Short-term green manures for intensively cultivated horticultural soils – GREATsoils factsheet (AHDB)
Depending on the species or species mix grown, green manures (crops grown to improve and protect the soil) can bring a range of benefits to the soil, to the cash crops grown in the rotation, and to the wider farm environment. Using green manures in intensive vegetable rotations can be particularly challenging. This case study details the main species suitable for use in high value vegetable and salad rotations and summarises benefits they can bring.
Ed Hamer (Chagfood) farmer profile
Chagfood is a community-supported market garden supplying a seasonal ‘share of the harvest’ to 90 households across the north-east edge of Dartmoor. As a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm, Chagfood’s customers become ‘members’ and commit to support the farm with an annual subscription. This subscription supports the farm with a guaranteed market and shares the risks as well as the rewards of the enterprise with our customers. In return their customers are a lot more connected to the people, the fields, the weather, and the seasons that deliver their share of the harvest each week.
Making the Most of Green Manures A Webinar for Farmers – video – Cotswold Seeds / Innovative Farmers
Green manures and cover crops can be grown to benefit the following crop primarily by improving soil quality. Ian Wilkinson of Cotswold Seeds presents this 54 minute long webinar providing a guide to green manures and cover crops for farmers. He describes how to use them, how they work and some of the benefits; focusing on nitrogen management, species mixtures, and how you sow and grow them. Ian proposes that green manures can be a very valuable part of arable rotations by improving soil quality. They can also allow for an extra income stream through grazing livestock, and benefit the environment by providing pollen and nectar, reducing erosion, encouraging water infiltration, and reducing the need for artificial fertilisers.
Agricology in the Field – Wendy Seel – podcast (some interesting insights in the first 10 mins)
Wendy Seel runs “organic, grown with nature, small scale & local” Vital Veg at North Tillydaff farm near Aberdeen. She describes the design of their growing system, ways in which they build soil fertility, attract pollinators & pest predators, increase biodiversity, & get as much diversity & variation in time, space & variety as they can. She particularly focuses on the way in which trees have been integrated & the many beneficial functions they serve. View the full farmer profile on the Agricology website.
Use Cover Crops or Green Manure – DEFRA guidance
Find out how land managers can use cover crops and green manure to improve soil health and reduce erosion and runoff.
Apply Zero Fertiliser or Manure – DEFRA guidance
Find out how land managers can improve water and air quality and protect wildlife by not applying any fertiliser or manure on their land.
Organic Matters 21: Finding alternatives to contentious inputs in organic horticulture – video footage of recent workshop held at Organic Growers Alliance conference
Footage from the Organic Growers Alliance Organic Matters horticulture conference held in October 2021.
Tour of Tolhurst Organic Farm Part 1 – video made for the Vegan Organic Network
Join Tolly and George Monbiot on their tour of Tolhurst Organic Farm. A farm which sets itself apart. Unlike many organic farms, it doesn’t use animal fertilisers, such as fish, blood or bone.
Part 2-Tour of Tolhurst Organic
Tour of Tolhurst Organic Part 1: We heard from Tolly and George Monbiot. Tolly led the tour around the walled garden growing area, the poly tunnels and the tool shed.
