Alice Hornsby’s field trip to Hardwick Estate
Experiences from the Organic Growers Gathering and reflections on regenerative gardening
Organic gardening is not a new phenomenon in 2025, and the sales of organic food and drink in the United Kingdom have doubled between 2013 and 2024 (Soil Association, 2025). The origins of the organic movement are closely tied to the advancements in soil science from the end of the 19th century (Vogt, 2007), and the core of the concept still revolves around the benefits of healthy soil. As part of Kilchoan Melfort Trust’s restoration efforts, the garden aims to adopt regenerative methods that go beyond organic practices. A more comprehensive philosophy teaches us to view the gardening process within the context of biogeochemical cycles and highlights the benefits of healthy soil, which are provided through ecosystem services (Schreefel et al., 2020). Many of the practical applications highlighted by Alice are closely linked to several of these cycles, most notably the carbon and nitrogen cycles.
Plants extract carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, which will eventually reach the soil carbon reservoir. The no-dig system is designed to cultivate vegetables with minimal soil disturbance, as these harmful practices can accelerate the return of carbon to the atmosphere through excessive runoff and erosion. The use of biochar also returns carbon to the soil and improves its quality for plant growth. The nitrogen cycle is inextricably linked to soil through biological nitrogen fixation. Crop rotation is used to prevent certain diseases (e.g., clubroot) from accumulating in the soil and to rotate nitrogen-fixing legumes to replenish soil nitrogen. A healthy soil fauna improves the quality of the rhizosphere (the area surrounding plant roots), thereby increasing the plant’s ability to absorb nutrients more effectively (Ortiz and Sansinenea, 2022).
Here follows Alice’s report on her experience.
On the weekend of August 22, 2025, I attended the Organic Growers Gathering, held at Hardwick Estate in South Oxfordshire. Hardwick Estate adopted organic practices in 1975 and has maintained them ever since, with various organisations utilising the land. For example, Tolhurst Organic CIC has been using 17 acres of the land and the 2-acre walled garden since 1976.
The Organic Growers Gathering is a coming together of like-minded people to discuss the future of organic growing, uplift voices, and share knowledge and experience across the UK, supported by the Soil Association, Organic Growers Alliance, LandWorkers Alliance, and Real Seeds are just a few examples.
On Friday, I attended four talks. The first talk was “Growing for chefs” by Alex Cairns. Alex Cairns is the head grower at The Small Holding, a farm-to-table restaurant in Kent, which is currently undergoing organic certification. Alex spoke on how the space is ran, with 25 raised beds and 20 no dig beds all in varying sizes, with the decision made to grow high value crops which are harder to source and more expensive, the other side to this being that they don’t grow crops such as carrots and potatoes as they take up a lot of space and are inexpensive to buy in. My biggest takeaway from Alex’s talk was successional sowing. Due to their size, Alex and his team sow a wide range of mixed greens, salads, and soft herbs five times a month, using a combination of direct sowing and sowing in modules under cover. Whilst successional growing is something we already do here at Kilchoan, we can improve it by considering the size and rotation of our no-dig vegetable beds. I will aim to successionally sow salads and soft herbs around every 10 days, three times a month, through the end of April until September.
The second talk “Amplifying the Voice of Organic” by Rebecca Laughton from Landworker’s Alliance & Steven Jacobs from Organic Growers Alliance. In 2024, the UK Fruit and Vegetable Coalition was founded to support agroecological and organic growers. They discussed their goals for the coalition, with their main objective being to help working people access organically grown fruit and vegetables. They shared information on how to access support. Across England & Wales, there is The Food Foundation whose mission is ‘changing food policy and business practice to ensure everyone, across the UK nations, can afford and access a healthy and sustainable diet’. In Scotland, there is Propagate Scotland, whose goal is ‘to see a world where high quality, nutrient-rich, sustainable food is available to all’. Within the inner workings of the walled garden, we strive to produce organic fruit and vegetables, which are accessible to our staff. We have recently started donating to a local food charity to make access to good food easier.
The third talk was the DIY Biochar Workshop by Lottie Hawkins from Earthy Biochar, where we learned how easy it is to make our own biochar and the numerous benefits of using it in our gardens. Lottie first reviewed the history of biochar, which was first discovered in the Amazon Basin roughly 2500 years ago, where local people referred to it as terra preta, meaning “dark earth.” It was produced by piling up organic matter, animal and human waste, setting it on fire and then covering it with earth, reaching temperatures of 800 degrees Celsius. This is where the difference between biochar and charcoal becomes apparent: charcoal is produced at a much lower temperature of 450 degrees Celsius. Due to the high temperature required to produce biochar, it becomes highly porous, holding up to 5.7 times its weight in water. Another comparison is that charcoal will sink in water, while biochar will float when first placed in water. Lottie demonstrated the kiln that they had explicitly designed to produce biochar, featuring holes in the bottom to allow for a draft and secondary air holes to facilitate airflow around the sides. The kiln was then filled with sun-dried wood chips and then set alight with eco firelighters. Within the hour, it reached 860 degrees Celsius, indicating that the biochar is ready and can be extinguished with water. Biochar works best when soaked in a nutrient-rich liquid, such as a compost tea. Once absorbed, the liquid can be spread on your beds, and it will continue to release those nutrients. The overall demonstration left me quite keen to try producing our own biochar on the estate, which would help us use the wood we can’t process for firewood.
The fourth talk was held by Michael Kennard from the Compost Club and Adam Swan from the Soil Ecology Lab. Here we learnt how to make the most of your own compost and looked at samples under a microscope. I took soil samples from the walled garden compost heap, which is roughly 8 months old and made from lawn clippings, twigs, leaves and vegetable waste. When we placed soil under a microscope, we saw beneficial microorganisms. Microorganisms are vital to healthy soil; they break down organic matter, help store carbon and improve soil fertility. In our soil, we observed different microorganisms, including Testate amoebae and a beneficial melanised fungi. With regular soil testing, we can keep a record of the microorganisms we find in our soil, identify what we might be missing, and improve on that.
On Saturday, I attended the walled garden tour and three talks. The walled garden tour was hosted by Maria Jenkins, the current head grower, who oversees 2 acres within its walls. It works on a six-year rotation. The walled garden serves as an extension of the larger farm, with head grower Maria overseeing crop rotations, composting, everyday maintenance, and, of course, seed sowing. The food they produce is earmarked for three sections: wholesale, the shop within the estate and the box scheme, which can come in selective sizes with a mix of staple fruit and veg, with a small amount bought in from overseas to help keep the shop and box scheme topped up during the hungry gap over winter. Because they are on mains water, they have to be selective about what they water to help counter the rising cost of irrigation, with high-value crops being watered and stopping watering tomatoes in August. Another way they counteract the need for water is by using green manures alongside certain crops; e.g., strawberries, beans, courgettes, cabbage, and tomatoes have clover under-sown, as it helps keep the dew point high and retain moisture in the soil.
The first talk of the day was “How do we produce nutrient-dense food?” by Michael Kennard from the Compost Club. This talk went into how the quality of our compost affects the quality of the food we grow and produce. My main takeaway from Michael’s talk is that the most beneficial thing we can do to improve the food we make is to work on our soil. Michael spoke about soil first farming. The idea is that by managing your soil, you will increase the quantity and quality of the fruit and vegetables you produce. This means taking care of the microorganisms in your soil, you will, in turn, have better production. As horticulturists, we know the benefits of composting and mulching our beds, but if your compost has low nutrient content and few microorganisms, you won’t achieve much. Michael suggested using compost teas, which involve soaking a bag of rich compost in water, then soaking the bed in the water to transfer nutrients and microorganisms. We are lucky to have our wormery, bought earlier this year, which is already producing vermicompost, which we hope to add to our vegetable beds.
The second talk was “Beneficial Bugs and Positive Policies for Growers” by Vicki Hird from the Wildlife Trust and author of Rebugging the Planet. Here, we dove into the best ways to increase the number of bugs in your garden to help reduce pest impacts on growers. Vicki spoke about the benefits of diversifying crops, intercropping and beetle banks, the benefits being that by changing our horticultural habits to include these practices, we will create more access for beneficial bugs that will, in turn, help to balance out the bugs we don’t want on our plants, for example, aphids, white fly. Whilst the premises make complete sense, it isn’t realistic for those of us who work in ornamental gardens or are growing crops for a veg box system, as space is a luxury. I asked Vicki about this, and she suggested dedicating small areas to wildflowers where possible and including small piles of wood hidden at the back of a bed. Due to the nature of the work we do here at Kilchoan, we have insect homes dotted throughout the main garden area; however, there is always room to expand them.
With Sunday being the last day, I attended five talks. The first talk was “Bridging the Hungry Gap: Techniques and Planning for Crop Continuity” by Pete Dollimore from The Montessori Place. This talk covered growing to help shorten the hungry gap —the period when the supply of overwintered crops becomes limited and food stores empty. For most people, the hungry gap can run from winter through to May. For Pete and his team, they are most affected from April to June, when the stores are empty, your greenhouses are filled with seedlings, and your veg isn’t quite ready for harvest. Pete has found caterpillar tunnels to be of the most benefit, similar to poly tunnels, with the most significant difference being that caterpillar tunnels are designed to be moved annually alongside crop rotation. He also recommends fleecing the soil after the previous crop is harvested to help retain heat over the winter and reduce shock to newly planted seedlings and to direct-sown crops. Regarding intercropping, the most crucial part is record keeping, which helps maintain correct crop rotation and determine which intercropping combinations have worked and which have not. Whilst crop rotation is part of the walled garden here at Kilchoan, intercropping is new to me, and I hadn’t really considered it due to concerns about its impact on crop rotation. Still, after learning more about it at the OGG, I am hopeful of trying intercropping in 2026 by including salads and other quick-harvest crops.
The second talk of the day was “Growing More Seeds in your Market Garden” by Kate McEvoy from Real Seeds. Kate discussed the importance of saving our own seeds and the best way to do so. Kate advised avoiding cross-pollination, especially within polytunnels; ideally, use only one cultivar per tunnel. How to choose which plants to save seed from, from taste, to slow bolting, to how good it looks, are all essential factors. But my main takeaway from Kate’s talk is how important it is for us as gardeners to save seeds. The positive effect we can have by doing so is that it helps biodiversity by preserving heritage seeds, keeps costs down and gives the grower more control. Seeds will also adapt over the years to their climate. With this in mind, we are buying some of our seeds from Scottish growers.
The third workshop I attended was a willow-weaving workshop by Lisa Dear, where I learned the traditional skill of working with willow. Weaving is an ancient craft used across the world, from making fishing nets to making baskets so tightly woven they can hold water. In more modern times, they are less common to see; however, in gardens, a woven structure can add beauty and structure. In 2025, I used hazel, coppiced on site, to create a framework within the walled garden. One of the central values of using wood like willow or hazel is its pliability and branching growth habit. I don’t need to use any other materials to hold the structure together; simply by twining them together, the structure will hold. By using this renewable resource, we limit costs, reduce our climate impact, and gain the added benefit of a beautiful structure.
The Fourth talk was “No-Dig – small scale, high output” by Charles Dowding, who discussed the benefits of no-dig in a small-scale garden and its impact on production. The first comment Charles made was that the term No-Dig does not mean there’s no digging involved; it’s just limiting the amount you do to reduce damage to the soil structure and the organisms living within it. Using a 50/50 mixed compost of woody material and green organic matter, Charles mulches his veg beds once a year, once the allotted crop has been harvested. There was discussion on the long-term use of no-dig, which relieves the need to crop rotate, something that, on paper, sounds possible. Still, I’m hesitant to try it myself, especially given that the beds at Home Acres, Charles Dowding’s garden, have been no-dig for over 25 years.
The fifth and final talk I attended was “Intercropping in the market garden” by Dom Van Marsh from Wye Organic. He shared his experiences with intercropping in a market garden, offering a guide on dos and don’ts and which plants get along well and which don’t. Dom suggested growing lettuces alongside peas, as the peas provide more shade, which reduces bolting, and broad beans planted between potato rows, which give the potatoes extra nitrogen. Listening to Dom’s talk, combined with the other discussions I heard throughout the weekend, I think the premise behind intercropping is something I am very keen to try and practice, especially with short-lived crops like salads, which also aren’t particularly prone to diseases.
Alice is a skilled gardener on the Kilchoan garden team, and her primary responsibilities are the walled garden and vegetable production.
Links
https://organicgrowersgathering.org/
https://hardwickestate.co.uk/ethos/
https://www.soilassociation.org/
https://organicgrowersalliance.co.uk/
https://landworkersalliance.org.uk/
https://realseeds.co.uk/
https://foodfoundation.org.uk/initiatives/uk-fruit-vegetable-coalition#:~: text=The%20UK%20Fruit%20and%20Vegetable,four%20nation s%20of%20the%20UK.
https://www.propagate.org.uk/
https://www.earthlybiochar.com/
https://www.compostclub.online/
https://soilecologylab.co.uk/
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/blog/vicki-hird
https://www.trillfarmgarden.co.uk/
https://themontessoriplace.org.uk/team-member/pete-dollimore-grower/
https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/
https://www.lisadearbasketry.com/
https://www.wyeorganic.co.uk/
REFERENCES
Ortiz, A. and Sansinenea, E. (2022) ‘The Role of Beneficial Microorganisms in Soil Quality and Plant Health’, Sustainability, 14(9), p. 5358. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095358 (Accessed: 30 October 2025)
Schreefel, L. et al. (2020) ‘Regenerative agriculture – the soil is the base’, Global Food Security, 26, p. 100404. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100404 (Accessed: 30 October 2025)
Soil Association (2025) Value of organic food and drink sales in the United Kingdom from 2008 to 2024 (in billion GBP). Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/300093/organic-market-value-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/ (Accessed: 30 October 2025).
Vogt, G. (2007) ‘The Origins of Organic Farming’, in W. Lockeretz (ed.) Organic Farming: An International History. Wallingford: CABI, pp. 9–29.