The Organic Grower Podcast
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.
The Organic Grower Podcast
OGPod Episode 31: Jez Taylor and Daylesford Organic
In today’s episode I’m delighted to share with you my conversation with Jez Taylor, Head Grower at the famous Daylesford Organic in Gloucestershire. It is a wide ranging conversation where you’ll get a sense of the rather atypical scale and complexity of the wider farm business. According to Jez, the market garden is ‘the jewel in the crown’ of Daylesford. Jez manages the 34 acres of organic horticulture with a team of 8 plus a few more in the main season. We discuss the seasonal flow of produce with 14 different ‘in-house’ customers and the bias towards growing for chefs. Jez talks about managing a large team in the context of a highly diversified operation. We delve deep into weed management from using a treffler tine weeder to the art of hand weeding, as well as growing plentiful leeks and rocket. Towards the end, Jez reflects on how he would approach growing differently if he were on a smaller scale. I will warn you that Jez was recording on site so there is some background noise, as well as Jez’s noisy elbows. But, as ever, even though we only really scratched the surface, there’s so much food for thought that you can take into winter where I hope you will have more time to reflect on your own growing journeys.
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/