OGPod Episode 26: Ruth Hancock and Fresh and Green Vegetables
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/This project is part-funded by our podcast partner Ooooby, and our show sponsors ReAgTools, Vital Seeds, and the Biodynamic Agricultural College. We also rely on the generosity of listeners to keep this project going - if you like what you hear and want to hear more of it, please consider donating to our Patreon page on a monthly basis. Find out more here: https://www.patreon.com/TheOrganicGrowerPodcast
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OGPod Episode 25: Michael Fitzsimmons and Cinderwood Market Garden
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/This project is part-funded by our podcast partner Ooooby, and our show sponsors ReAgTools, Vital Seeds, and the Biodynamic Agricultural College. We also rely on the generosity of listeners to keep this project going - if you like what you hear and want to hear more of it, please consider donating to our Patreon page on a monthly basis. Find out more here: https://www.patreon.com/TheOrganicGrowerPodcast
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1:31:12
OGPod Episode 24: 5 reasons to run a plant sale and 10 tips for success
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/This project is part-funded by our podcast partner Ooooby, and our show sponsors ReAgTools, Vital Seeds, and the Biodynamic Agricultural College. We also rely on the generosity of listeners to keep this project going - if you like what you hear and want to hear more of it, please consider donating to our Patreon page on a monthly basis. Find out more here: https://www.patreon.com/TheOrganicGrowerPodcast
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1:09:48
OGPod Episode 23: George Bennett and Sandy Lane Farm
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/This project is part-funded by our podcast partner Ooooby, and our show sponsors ReAgTools, Vital Seeds, and the Biodynamic Agricultural College. We also rely on the generosity of listeners to keep this project going - if you like what you hear and want to hear more of it, please consider donating to our Patreon page on a monthly basis. Find out more here: https://www.patreon.com/TheOrganicGrowerPodcast
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1:43:35
OGPod Episode 22: John McCormick and Helen's Bay Organic
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/This project is part-funded by our podcast partner Ooooby, and our show sponsors ReAgTools, Vital Seeds, and the Biodynamic Agricultural College. We also rely on the generosity of listeners to keep this project going - if you like what you hear and want to hear more of it, please consider donating to our Patreon page on a monthly basis. Find out more here: https://www.patreon.com/TheOrganicGrowerPodcast
The Organic Grower Podcast aims to bring together organic growers from across the UK to share their skills and experiences with those looking to deepen their knowledge of the organic growing world. It will be practical in focus, getting straight into the nitty-gritty of people’s growing practices and business operations.James Butterworth, co-founder and grower at Cotswold Market Garden, will be taking us on a journey through farms and gardens across the UK to speak to growers about the work they do, delving into the most relevant topics of the organic growing world.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 and member.
UK