Beautiful flowers are a by product.

Dahlias growing on the Farm

Sometimes the job title flower farmer is not accurate, yes I grow flowers and yes I am often seen with armfuls of them however, these beautiful blooms are a by product of what I am fundamentally doing on the farm - looking after the soil.

‘Soil Protector’ or ‘Mulch Manager’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, nor would you know that I sell flowers. And if my social media and website was full of photos of soil you may scroll straight past.

However, in my my humble opinion, looking after your soil is the most important job for a grower or farmer of any kind and scale. For plants soil is the giver of life. A healthy happy soil leads to healthy happy plants and great quality flowers.

The plants are equally important to the soil they capture the sun and use the energy to create vital nutrients that it can be ploughed back into the earth

Farming regeneratively has led me to grow my knowledge on soil and to reading an excellent book that all growers and farmers should read ‘Dirt to Soil’ by Gabe Brown.

In this book Brown outlines five principles of soil health for regenerative agriculture:

1. Limited Disturbance: No-till or minimal tillage.

2. Armor: Keeping the ground covered.

3. Diversity: In plant and animal species.

4. Living Roots: Keeping roots in the soil as much as possible.

5.Integrated Animals: The importance of integrating animals.

Its a simple concept and its not brand new. If you look to nature there is never just one species of plant, there is never bare soil and animals are always a part of the habitat.

I have integrated these principles into how the farm is managed and if you have ever heard me speak at an event you may hear me hugely simplifying how I farm down to ‘ the farm is a closed system - its own mini ecosystem that starts with the soil.’

I will continue to share the what and how of the way we farm on here, in the newsletter and on social media. And I am always so happy to chat to people about what I am learning, what has worked well and what has been more challenging.

I am currently testing different timings for cover crops, different ways to succession plan, making the best quality compost and mulch. As well as this I am researching the different cover crops I can use in Winter, combination planting for better production and how to manage creeping grasses.

If you have a group that would like a talk that includes how I manage the soil on the farm or you are interested in knowing more or continuing the conversation drop me an email on Hello@gatheredatdusk.co.uk