Hazel Hill Farm Veg boxes Paul’s boxes cost £10 and contain whatever is growing and being harvested at the time at Hazel Hill Farm.
are superior to intensively-grown produce from miles away. That belief, plus an unholy amount of physical labour and a little help from nature, has resulted in some success. “Getting this far has been a steep climb – at one point I thought the hard work was literally going to kill me,” says Paul. “In becoming a market gardener, I wanted a simpler existence, working closely with nature, but growing commercially is complicated, as is planning permission. You’re constantly battling the elements, weeds and pests.” The family have helped, especially Paul’s dad Oliver – also
Polytunnel also acts as a rain-water trap.
to watch nature explode into multiple shapes and colours’ a man of the earth, having run a landscape gardening wood. He then bought 20 tonnes of horse muck, which company for many years. Thanks to working with his dad turned out to be full of weed seeds! Learning from that, he since leaving school, Paul has sound knowledge and now uses mushroom compost. This holds moisture, ideal experience on which to draw. for the summer months. One of Paul’s ingenious plans has been to rig up a Although the farm isn’t strictly organic (getting official rainwater collection system using his polytunnel, enabling organic accreditation is a complex affair), Paul uses no him to pump water to the beds. This is preferable to using chemicals or pest control sprays. mains water because it’s both cheaper and “It’s a real joy to watch nature in all its more nutrient-rich. A pump generator amazing forms explode into multiple Growing tips converted by Paul to run on waste vegetable shapes and colours,” says Paul. “It can be “Spinach is an easy oil provides the power to move this water very frustrating but you certainly get grow for first-time gardeners, while a around his site. And in winter, Paul aims to more out of it than you put in if you couple of courgette harness the heat produced by the power efficiently use whatever resources plants are effective system and use it in the polytunnel. The are available to you.” producers for at least generator will also heat the beds and, next Last summer saw a fantastic array of four months and are year, the chicken huts. crops spring up in Paul’s polytunnel, easy to maintain.” All are stepping stones in Paul’s eventual including lots of different tomatoes, Paul Bird aim to function off-grid, powered by aubergine, peppers, a variety of beans, sustainable technology – a concept that’s important to him. courgettes and fabulous melons. Outside in the beds, Paul is the first to admit that he is sometimes forced to among many other crops, Paul has harvested potatoes, work on a trial and error basis. He planned and erected his leeks, beans, mangetout, carrots, fennel, butternut squash 300m2 polytunnel and barn on his own, using recycled and gorgeous purple sprouting broccoli. The veg boxes Paul produces over the summer months are diverse and tasty: having your supper cut freshly from Heritage toms local earth is satisfying and, of course, vitamin rich. Paul grows Heritage Paul is now planning to expand the land he is cultivating tomatoes in his from one to two acres and to plant fruit trees between beds polytunnel. This is an old, to act as natural windbreaks. Chicken huts will be added to robust variety of tomato house free-range birds who will assist in crop rotation and plant whose fruit has cleaning up vegetable waste. more flavour and colour compared with hybrid “My long-term ambition is to set up the farm as a thriving tomatoes sold in many business,” says Paul. “I aim to be supplying 50 vegetable supermarkets. Its ‘flaw’ is boxes per week for an eight-month season within two years that it tends to have an from next April... all while trying to remain sane! I’ve been irregular shape. You can on a course to learn about permaculture and I’m about to go grow Heritage toms from on a poultry keeping course.” seeds, starting them Why not contact or visit ‘Birdy’ at Hazel Hill Farm and inside before last frost. sign up for a veg box to support this committed gardener?
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Growing advice
“The key is fertile and rich soil,” says Paul. “This can be achieved by good composting and by using waste cardboard to suppress weeds. When the cardboard breaks down, it adds to the humus content, conserves water and shelters the soil from nutrient leaching. It gives the worms something to chew on and it’s free!”
CONTACT Paul Bird, Hazel Hill Farm, Wing, 07702 353103, www.hazelhill farm.co.uk, bramblebasher@ googlemail.com
Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 49