into the wilds...

...of my vegetable garden! Blog from June 2012

Spot the edibles!

I have been interested in the Fukuoka approach of  'natural farming' since harvesting a bumper crop of delicious carrots hidden in the grasses as a wwoofer at the beautiful Borgo Floreani in Friuli, Italy. However never got it to work on purpose...

Imagine my joy / horror when I returned to the farm after a month to find that nature has had its wonderful / wicked way with my 'experimental' garden plot! The gooseberries and blackcurrants were being eaten up by the surrounding meadows and elbow high thistles, wildflowers and couch grasses had taken ahold across the whole area. I figured it would only be a matter of time before the mildew set in, so knocked back the 'plants in the wrong place'..

To my surprise I found that the fruit bushes were really lush, pest free and fruiting really well. In the grasses were the fattest leeks and healthy looking beans! And the comfrey has really come into its own since last time I saw it! Imagine! The garden was also full of bees and alive with flowers and a rich diversity of plants (admittedly I had sown phacelia, red clover and mustard as green manures and to try to supress the weeds).

On the otherhand...the wild strawberries have disappeared and the rhubarb is looking a bit sorry for itself.

I think I still have a bit of a battle on my hands to stop these plants in the wrong place taking over.. especially against the couch grass which has an evil pernicious root!

So despite all these wonderful discoveries and the joy of finding vegetables in among the weeds. I also need to admit that I just planted my squash plants into a black plastic mulch for fear of the weeds taking over while I am away adventuring! This nomadic farming business is hard work!

Back to Ferry Farm!

Conservation grassland on the farm

I have come back home to Ferry Farm for a few weeks. A 180 acre 'conventional' arable farm in the East of England. My family have farmed in this area for three generations, over 100 years. Over that time, things have changed a bit. 'The powers that be' have pushed and pulled and squeezed. What used to be a diverse, mixed farm producing food for local people, with low levels of external inputs, now grows three crops, spends thousands on chemical inputs every year and produces commodities which are expected to compete on a global market. All in the name of cheap food. But who really benefits?

The more I learn, the more I realise how hard my family have worked to keep this place going. And I don't blame them for making the decisions they did, they just responded the best they could to the situation. I also realise the deep connection my Dad has to this land, to caring for the soil and love for nature. He has also  taken some brave steps over the last few years to reduce tillage, lower chemical use and apply some organic composts.

But it upsets me to think that the way we are farming is probably still damaging natural ecosystems, soil and water and depleting resources for future generations. I am also disturbed that we are feeding a completely unsustainable global food system that works for markets over humans and nature.

I am inspired by those farmers who through sheer determination, refrained from going down this path despite the pressures to do so. Farmers like Arthur Hollins (at Fordhall Farm - another incredible story I hope to come to later on in the summer!).

I am also interested in the alternatives to the globalised food system that are popping up all over the world and the opportunities that comes with greater consumer awareness and interest in food provenance.

But I think it is also important to remain objective and continually question assumptions about what is right and wrong.

For now, I am taking some time over the summer to learn a bit more about what my Dad does here, hopping on my bike to visit and work on other farms and ponder the most valuable (in environmental and social as well as economic terms) options for the future of Ferry Farm and the reality of that for me and my sisters and how we live our lives. 

In this blog I am hoping to scribe my musings from this journey. The good and the bad. The opportunities and the challenges as it is!

Be warned I also intend to traverse the organic vs conventional debate. I feel it is often too polarised, which does not allow for meaningful engagement from either 'sides'.  In my heart I feel like organic is 'right', But the reality is more complex than that, and I am interested to explore and share those learnings and thoughts from a more objective stance. So I may say things you disagree with!

Here we go...!