Organic standards are often viewed as rules that prevent certain inputs. But rather than focus on what we can’t do, what do we do?
"One teaspoon of healthy soil contains more micro-organisms than there are people on the planet." Soil Association
Fertility
The bulk of our fertility comes from the beach literally a stone’s
throw from the fields, in the form of storm-washed seaweed. This
is collected every winter, applied as a thick mulch and allowed to rot down.
This is then turned in before planting. We also use green manures –
these are fast growing plants such as Phacelia, Mustard, Tares and Clover,
which are used to cover any bare soil and prevent nutrients from washing away.
Some of these plants also fix nitrogen in their roots, from the air. Composting,
an essential part of any organic growing system, views organic wastes as a
resource.
We operate a strict rotation of annual crops, whereby no one crop family returns
to the same patch of ground more than one in five years. As each crop family
has differing nutrient demands, the soil benefits from as many different crops
as possible.
Most of the fields we use have a residual weed burden from the previous use as bulb fields. Plants such as Oxalis appear to be resistant to herbicides, and have proliferated in the fields, causing a considerable problem. Weed control measures include mulching, hoeing and hand weeding. The important stages are in crop establishment – after this the crop tends to shade out most weeds.
Crop rotation plays its part here also – all crops have different leaf architecture – thus potatoes, with dense foliage, are known as a ‘cleaning crop’, whereas onions, with upright and narrow leaves, are known as a ‘fouling crop’. A balance of crops again has benefits.
There are only 6 pesticides permitted under organic standards, all restricted and viewed as a last resort. In conventional horticulture around 500 are permitted, many with unknown human health effects.
Pests and diseases only become a problem when they get above their natural levels. Eradication of pests or diseases is neither physically possible nor desirable. We manage the land to provide a wide range of habitats for plants, birds and animals; these natural predators help us greatly. Hence leaving space for wildlife is not just an act of goodwill – it’s central to organic growing. This is especially important for our fruit crops, which obviously we cannot rotate.
The rotation of vegetables helps prevent build up of any one pest and/or disease in any one place. Where outbreaks do occur, we would resort to spraying a plant tonic such as nettle or comfrey as a very last resort. Organic growers can use, under strict regulation, small amounts of ‘natural’ chemicals such as copper and sulphur; we choose not to, so as not to upset the ecosystem.
‘The health of man, beast, plant
and soil is one indivisible whole.’
Lady Eve Balfour
Due to careful soil management, we create a good start for plants. Healthy
soil means healthy plants, which are less susceptible to pests and diseases.
We agree with the adage ‘feed the soil, not the plants’.
Organic growing is a systems-based approach to farming and growing
that works. It is realistic, resourceful and moves closer towards sustainability.
Come and see how it works in practice.
The Soil Association have also founded a network of Organic Demonstration Farms. To visit one near you, see their website.
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