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A showcase farm, wildlife friendly, healing the soil.
We are registered as organic with the soil association. We aim to follow permaculture ethics of caring for the planet, caring for people and sharing our resources fairly with others including future generations.
The fields
Agroforestry
The agroforestry is a field which has six rows of fruit and nut trees in between which arable crops can be grown, or the land used for grazing sheep.
We have about 20 different heritage varieties of apples, giving us a long harvesting period and more resilience to weather variation. The trees create a wind break for the field, provide habitat for wildlife and increase the variety of food that we grow on the farm.
Edible woodland
The Edible woodland is an area of 16.8 acres which was planted with around 4500 trees in 2017-18 in a project sponsored by the Woodland Trust.
The Edible Woodland is a unique model which aims to deliver environmental, economic and social benefits. Edible Woodlands are a form of perennial food production which simultaneously enacts ecological restoration. An Edible Woodland planting has the benefits of:
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Soil improvement;
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Water regulation;
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Biodiversity enhancement;
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Pest control;
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Opportunities for on-farm engagement; and
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Production of a range of saleable crops.
There are 30 different species of trees and shrubs, most of which have edible parts. We have included apples, pears, plums, cherries, hazelnuts, walnuts. There are also more unusual species such as black mulberry, medlars, sea buckthorn, autumn olives, rowan and hawthorn cultivated species. As these tree mature and are starting to produce harvestable crops, we are experimenting with ways to process and sell them, to provide income for FarmEco.
Find out more about the following crops:
Crops
Edible woodland crops
There are many fruits which are nutritious, delicious and grow well in this country that you will not find for sale in supermarkets.
Medlars
Once popular in the UK, this fruit has largely been forgotten over the last 100 years.
The small trees with their beautiful spring blossom and late autumn fruit would be a great addition for most gardens.
Sea Buckthorn
Native to the UK, these prickly shrubs can be found growing along the coast and are also used in hedging. The shrubs are either male or female, with only the female producing tart acidic berries in autumn
Autumn olive
Called "olive" because of their greyish leaves, the berries taste nothing like olives! These small berries have tiny silver speckles on them and are nice mixed in yoghurt or just eaten raw.
