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.
Episodes
27 episodes
OGPod Episode 27: James talks... Maximising Protected Cropping Space
In this episode, James dives into the topic of protected cropping and share ideas to make the most of the space that you have in an organic system. He talks about the role of protected cropping through the seasons, rotations, balancing lo...
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59:51
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, R...
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1:10:45
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 ste...
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1:31:12
OGPod Episode 24: James talks...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...
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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 a...
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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 ...
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1:33:36
OGPod Episode 21: Edwin Brooks and Ed's Veg
James speaks to Edwin Brooks of Ed’s Veg in Hampshire. Ed has a wide range of expertise but today the conversation focuses mainly on his year-round salad production. Ed and his team produce 150-200kg of mixed leaf salad a week, primarily for...
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1:27:28
OGPod Episode 20: Hamish Evans, Sammy Elmore and Middle Ground Growers
James speaks to Hamish Evans and Sammy Elmore of Middle Ground Growers on the edge of Bath. In four seasons, they have grown the business from nothing to a turnover of over £200,000. We discuss how they set their goals and worked backward fr...
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1:08:53
OGPod Episode 19: Rebecca Laughton and the Landworkers Alliance
James speaks to researcher, policy expert and campaigner, Bea Laughton. Much of the conversation focuses on her work for the Landworkers Alliance. We discuss the latest Horticulture Across Four Nations report, including addressing import sub...
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1:12:45
OGPod Episode 18: Adam Payne and Awen Organics
James speaks to Adam Payne of Awen Organics in Pembrokeshire. Adam is no novice and is now putting his experience to work in a relatively new venture in West Wales, where he has been leading in establishing a 25-acre organic veg farm from th...
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1:08:22
OGPod Episode 17: Jim Aplin and Hotchpotch Organics
James speaks to Jim Aplin of Hotchpotch Organics in Worcestershire. We talk about Jim’s experience of developing a growing system with next to no infrastructure where crops moved every year as part of a much larger arable rotation. We discus...
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1:16:54
OGPod Episode 16: Kate McEvoy and Real Seeds
James speaks to Kate McEvoy from Real Seeds in Pembrokeshire. We talk about the gradual growth of the business over many years, growing seed for home gardeners, the importance of open-pollinated seed and incorporating seed growing into marke...
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1:32:36
OGPod Episode 15: Ed Hamer and Chagfood Community Market Garden
James speaks to Ed Hamer of Chagfood Community Market Garden in the Dartmoor National Park. CSAs or Community Supported Agriculture is very much the focus in this one. We talk about Ed’s split growing site, leaning into the restrictive natur...
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1:34:18
OGPod Episode 14: Pete Dollimore and Hankham Organics + The Montessori Place
James speaks to Pete Dollimore, previously of Hankham Organics in Sussex and now an instructor at The Montesorri Place. Pete is an absolute fountain of knowledge, particularly about protected cropping, which is so important to many organic grow...
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1:36:36
OGPod Episode 13: Rita Oldenbourg and Adam Beer and Pitney Farm Market Garden
James speak to Rita and Adam from Pitney Farm Market Garden in Somerset. Rita and Adam are fresh from winning Young Organic Grower of the Year and hopefully our conversation gives you a flavour of why. We talk about their decision to mechani...
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1:33:54
OGPod Episode 12: Jayne Arnold and Oxton Organics
James speaks to Jayne Arnold of Oxton Organics in Worcestershire. Oxton Organics has undergone a number of transformations over the years and James and Jayne discuss this, but the bulk of the conversation focuses on Jayne’s experiments with ...
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1:23:07
OGPod Episode 11: Alice Rixon a.k.a. The Veg Lady, Chettle
James speaks to Alice Rixon a.k.a. The Veg Lady, based in Chettle, Dorset. We really wanted to hear from someone at the start of their growing journey to talk through the challenges and thinking of starting out with their own horticult...
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1:17:01
OGPod Episode 10: Jean-Martin Fortier
Back to today’s episode, James speaks to Jean-Martin Fortier. And boy did we manage to pack a lot into this one. James ended up speaking to JM on his phone outside the packing shed at FQT farm so the sound isn’t perfect but hopefully the con...
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1:19:26
OGPod Episode 9: Connie Hunter and Tom Booth and East Neuk Market Garden
In this episode James speaks to Connie Hunter and Tom Booth from East Neuk Market Garden. We talk about how they have developed their site and growing systems over the last 6 years, the particularities of their climate on the East Coast of S...
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1:30:33
OGPod Episode 8: Laurence Jarrett-Kerr and Soul Farm
In this episode James speaks to Laurence Jarrett-Kerr of Soul Farm. Laurence started the business 6 years ago and has grand plans for the years ahead. We chat about combining home-grown veg with bought in produce, managing costs and some dee...
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1:24:11
OGPod Episode 7: Rosanna Catterall & Signe Jensen and Knepp Market Garden
In this episode James speaks to Rosanna Catterall and Signe Jensen from Knepp Market Garden. We discuss establishing a production horticulture enterprise in the middle of a substantial rewilding project, growing on heavy clay, aligning crop ...
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1:09:36
OGPod Episode 6: Ashley Wheeler and Trill Farm Garden
In this episode, Jame speaks with Ashley Wheeler from Trill Farm Garden. Would you believe they have been going for 14 years now? We talk about how they have adapted their growing systems over that time, experimenting with field scale (altho...
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1:33:38
OGPod Episode 5: Phil Sumption
In this episode, James talks to Phil Sumption, a man of many hats (grower, researcher, adviser, writer and editor). We discuss how Phil got into organic horticulture, his portfolio of roles in the sector, his reflections on the history of or...
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1:10:39
OGPod Episode 4: Iain Tolhurst and Tolhurst Organics
Today, we have a wonderful conversation with Iain Tolhurst a.k.a Tolly of Tolhurst Organics. It’s a long one but there are so many gems in here that I couldn’t possibly leave any of them out. The whole point of this podcast is to share knowl...
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1:44:16
OGPod Episode 3: Calixta Killander and Flourish Produce
We have a belter of a conversation with Calixta Killander of Flourish Produce in Cambridgeshire. Calixta spent a number of years in the US, studying and growing before coming back to the UK to establish Flourish where they grow in the region of...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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1:17:17