Our Organic Range
Certified by The Soil Association, we have been growing fruit and hops organically since 1988. During this time we have worked with both industry and research centres to develop systems to reliably produce a crop year on year; whilst we fully subscribe to the ethos, spirit and regulations of organic production, we aim to bring consistency and predictability to bear using 'science and technology' rather than 'muck and magic'. Organic systems normally rely on crop rotations - fertility is rotated in whilst pests and diseases are rotated out. This is not an option with perennial crops such as apples or hops as they will be in the ground for many years, so novel approaches have to be adopted to protect the crop and maintain and enhance the soil's natural fertility.
Climate change is resulting in increasing production challenges; increased temperatures are resulting in additional pest generations over the growing season with all the associated crop damage and pesticide resistance problems that one would expect. Add to this consumer desire for residue free produce, and we are increasingly using projects such as our Organic Concept Orchard as a test bed for new technologies that may be rolled out into the conventional sector.
Our Organic Apples
We primarily produce dessert apples organically. From the old favourites like Worcester Pearmain and Egremont Russet, to the more modern Estival, Early Windsor and Pinova, we aim to market varieties at their prime over a three to four month period.
Our Organic Hops
The family grew about 20 hectares of hops at Marden for over 80 years. From the late 1970's onwards however, this rapidly reduced as the hop gardens reached the end of their lives and replacement became uneconomic; a situation mirrored throughout the English industry.