Hi, I'm Jo, born and raised on The Garlic Farm and recently returned to the family business in the role of Impact Lead, responsible for all our social and environmental impact. I'm here to tell you about our new project, The Garlic Lover's Garden.

Growing up on The Garlic Farm, we learned how to grow garlic - lots of garlic. I remember cold December days, my brother driving the tractor while my sister and I sat on the back of the planter, methodically dropping garlic cloves into the soil. Summers were then filled with cleaning it, plaiting it, selling it, and, of course, eating plenty of it. Although I love to cook with garlic, the seed was sown long ago, and I’ve spent much of my life expanding my growing knowledge into the other vegetables that make up a traditional English garden.

It has always been a dream to grow more than garlic at the farm, and that dream is becoming a reality. If you’ve visited recently, you may have seen cattle and goats grazing in the meadow next to the shop and restaurant. They’re taking the first steps of creating The Garlic Lover’s Garden, a 1-acre organic market garden designed to grow produce for our restaurant and shop. The cows and goats have grazed the grass down and, in the process, left some fertiliser. Next steps are to delineate our growing areas, create our beds, add compost, and wait for spring to plant out crops. Beyond supplying fresh, seasonal produce, the garden will be a space for education - hosted workshops, courses, and tours to teach no-dig gardening, composting, fermentation, preserving, and more.

Naturally, the garden will be organic and aligned with our Soil Association Organic Certification, and it will be no-dig. No-dig gardening preserves soil structure, sequesters carbon, maintains mycelial networks, and helps retain moisture. We’ll enrich the soil with compost rather than disturbing it.

Front and centre, garlic will be planted throughout the garden, with many varieties showcased alongside crops such as beans, kale, salads, and herbs. We hope The Garlic Lover’s Garden will be a place for everyone to enjoy, learn, and thrive. Fancy getting involved? We’ll host open days where you can get your hands dirty and learn with us. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you updated on all the Garlic Lover’s Garden activity, just sign up to our newsletter and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.