IN THE GARDEN This month we

DIGGING FOR VICTORY

If you’ve despaired at anaemic-looking supermarket veg and wished you could get your growing going, March is the ideal month. Andrew & Hazel Rock created Sunnyside, their five acre smallholding, a decade ago, and they haven’t look back...

Words: Rob Davis.

>> IT WAS A RATHER FROSTY January morning when I pulled into Andrew and Hazel Rock’s driveway. The winter sun was shining, though, and the skies are blue. It was the sort of morning to remind you that whilst spring is still weeks away, it will nevertheless arrive. But it’s still the sort of morning that would have me dragging the duvet back around me in a state of torpor. “Are you still as motivated when it’s cold or wet as you would be on a nice summer day?” I asked. Andrew was putting on the kettle and offering up a slice of homemade apple cake, in the kitchen of his home between Sleaford and Grantham. For the past ten years he’s created a smallholding on five acres of land and whilst not completely self-sufficient – he reckons he’s about 80% of the way there – he manages to grow pretty much all of his fruit and vegetables, and rears his own chickens, pork and lamb. Whilst Hazel works full time in the NHS, she joins Andrew on their smallholding at the weekend, and both are fully invested in the life. “Yea. I love being outdoors. And as I have animals I’ve no choice really… they’ve got to be fed whether it’s raining or not. Having a smallholding isn’t something that I’m a slave to though, or something I do reluctantly; it’s a huge source of pleasure. Every season has its joy, and when it’s chilly, you just wrap up warm and get on with it.” Andrew’s Motivation… “I’m really passionate about traditional, mixed, sustainable farming, and about rare breed farm animals being raised in an ethical, environmentally friendly way. I absolutely love talking to people about it and demonstrating how it works in practice.” “For five years now, I have hosted training courses here for people who wanted to learn more about how it all works.” The obvious – but dated – parallel is Richard Briars and Felicity Kendal in The Good Life, because 12 years ago, Andrew and Hazel were living in Banbury, Andrew working in the automotive industry , with a good-sized garden and only a weekend interest in maintaining a kitchen garden. “My father used to grow some veg, and I had a casual interest in it, but the quality of the fresh produce was always much much better than you could buy. And having a kitchen garden seems to serve much more of a purpose than having a garden purely for visual pleasure,” he says.

“I was looking to do more of the same and so we began to look around for another plot. We’d never been to the area before but soon realised that Lincolnshire had good schools – ideal as we had a young son – and was still quite near civilisation. The A1 is handy from here, we’re not in the middle of nowhere.”

Andrew and Hazel’s property is just off the main road and covers about five acres. In the grounds is a beck of the River Slea, with bee hives on the bank and the orchard beyond. The property’s former owners kept horses so there was already a few outbuildings for storage, and space to make a proper job of Andrew’s aim towards being a full-time smallholder.

Time and space… “Growing fruit and veg can be as small or as large a commitment as you like. I never buy fresh produce and I take great pleasure in eating according to the seasons. It’s a common misconception that you need lots of space to grow your own produce. I’ve six veg beds and the vegetable garden isn’t as large as you’d think, but I’m a strong advocate of planning your crops and making the most of the space available to make sure it’s as productive as possible, as much of the year round as possible.” “I do have an orchard which produces pretty much every type of fruit as it’s possible to grow – apples, pears, plums, cherries, apricots, damsons, green gage and more obscure fruits such as medlar, quince and mulberry – and a couple of greenhouses.” >>

Andrew with Dixie, who was just a few weeks away from farrowing when we met. The couple also have six Jacob breeding ewes, plus 15 Rhode Island Red chickens and Norfolk Black turkeys.

>> “But you can do something with any amount of space, and pretty much everything you could want to, just within an acre or two.” “Keeping chickens is fairly simple, and rearing your own pigs requires a little more space, but really it’s my sheep which necessitate the extra space and all I’d do with a greater acreage is to have a slightly larger flock. Otherwise, the space I have is fine.” “Like anyone who’s self-employed, you can take the odd day off, but I never have the feeling that getting up and getting outside is a chore. I probably spend 50 or more hours a week working. My routine usually sees me going out at around 7.30am, feeding and checking the animals.” “Mid-morning is when I get my admin out of the way and then in the middle of the day jobs range from repairing fencing to working in the vegetable garden. Then, in the evening, it’s a case of shutting away the chickens and checking the animals.” “There are always jobs that don’t get done, and events like lambing or farrowing add extra work, but between having a little self-discipline and the fact that it’s a pleasure, it’s a great life.” Fruit and Veg… “It’s easy to underestimate the role that planning has in keeping the vegetable garden productive. But you grow according to what you need, maybe a little more to be able to sell any excess. As a family we grow and eat 15 sacks of potatoes a year, each sack weighing about 20kg.” “Our onions and garlic are kept in nets in the shed, carrots are planted in March, brassicas too and leeks, so this will be a really busy month. But it’ll be worth investing the work whether I’m direct sowing or making the most of the greenhouses.” “There has been a lot written about soil health and crop rotation. The composted muck from the animals is the best thing you can dig into the vegetable garden and because the beds have different vegetables in them, I achieve good crop rotation without even trying.” “The orchard is really productive too. It needs a bit of pruning once a year but we always have plenty of fruit and we freeze any soft fruit that we don’t eat immediately. So again, all year round we have really good fresh produce.” “We didn’t set out to be organic, but it’s almost a given, because purchasing sprays costs money, and spraying incurs work. The muck from the animals is sufficient!”

Keeping Chickens… “The next level up from just growing your own fruit and veg is to keep chickens. We’ve usually about 15 Rhode Islands Red and Light Sussex birds, which keeps us in eggs, and in meat in the case of spare cockerels. They’re a year-round commitment but fairly easy, and we have a few turkeys too which we breed and rear for Christmas.”

Pigs and Piglets… “At the moment we’ve five pigs, although two are due to go to the butcher in a couple of weeks. We’ve three Oxford Sandy and Black sows and a boar, again favouring rare breeds that could include Tamworths or Gloucester Old Spots. Smallholders that don’t want to breed their own pigs can buy ‘weaners’ from me at eight weeks of age in spring and fatten them up over the summer. By autumn their live weight will be about a hundred kilos, which yields about 60kg of pork; joints, chops, bacon, ham and we make our own sausages too.” “Two pigs will keep us in pork all year round. I traditionally cure my own bacon for a couple of weeks and then air dry it … and with no sense of false modesty, it really is the best I’ve ever tasted.” Spring Lambing… “Sheep are a bit more complicated. We’ve six breeding ewes – Jacobs, another traditional, rare breeds – and we’ll be in lambing from spring. The notion of spring lamb is one that has duped the public a bit. If you see new-born lambs gambolling around in the field, those aren’t the lambs that are sold as new season lamb.” “Our animals are raised on spring grass and go to slaughter at about a year old, so technically they’re hogget. It’s a myth that spring lamb is more tender. I’ve never had lamb as tender as we raise, and it’s a darker, more flavoursome meat, a real joy.”

“Keeping livestock usually elicits the question of how you feel when the time comes to kill them. It’s very thought-provoking at first but you make your peace with it because many rare breeds have become extinct – the Lincolnshire Curly-Coated pig, for instance – because it’s no longer being kept for meat.” “Raising rare breeds for meat keeps the breed alive and I have the peace of mind and the ability to vouch for the fact that those animals have been well-looked after.” Walking around the plot, all of Andrew’s pigs come over for a stroke. The sheep are a little more reluctant, but are soon coerced with a bit of food. Sadly we couldn’t be introduced to the poultry because of Avian Flu restrictions, but on the strength of meeting the other inhabitants of Sunnyside, we can absolutely vouch for the fact that it’s one big happy smallholding family, whether you’ve two legs or four. Andrew’s Courses… Andrew runs two or three courses each month, or at least he will as Covid allows. Some are half-day introductions to keeping bees, pigs or sheep, and he has an Introduction to Smallholding course too. Clearly he loves demonstrating how it works in practice and sharing both his enthusiasm and his knowledge. Three Principles… “Over lockdown I wrote a book, outlining all of the things I’ve learned and putting down on paper all of the thoughts that I’ve had as I’ve been working away!” “I called it Three Principles for SelfSufficiency and they come down to learning to do things yourself, growing and eating your own food all year round, and using the sun’s energy.” “Working with nature has become a joy for me, and with the addition of solar panels, I’m now able to generate much of the electricity we use, which aligns with an overall desire towards self-sufficiency.” “Sustainability is a fashionable concept but it’s nothing different to how households used to live, and honestly, I think it’s a better way but also a pleasure, too.” “My life isn’t one of toil, it’s a terrific pleasure; one of luxury, not compromises. I spend an hour or two each night cooking with and eating the best food I’ve ever tasted, and I measure out food metres, not food miles, which is good for the planet, too.”

n Andrew & Hazel Rock are based at Sunnyside Smallholding, where Andrew runs courses on self-sufficiency. See www.sunnysidesmallholding.com which is also where you can order Andrew’s book on the art and joy of smallholding.

JANUARY...

FRUIT & VEG: Harvest brussels, winter cabbage, kale, leeks and swede & parsnips. Plant onion seeds, cabbage and tomatoes and in the greenhouse. Sow garlic outdoors. LIVESTOCK: Chickens are an all year-round responsibility. IN FARMING: Calves weaned onto sugar beet rations, slurry spreading. IN THE KITCHEN: Use frozen summer fruits to create pies and crumbles. n

JULY...

FRUIT & VEG: Last chance to plant spring cabbages, maincrop potatoes, peas and leeks. Cut back fruit bushes. Harvest beans, broccoli, garlic and salads. Sow spring cauli outdoors, harvest main crop potatoes. LIVESTOCK: Sheep shearing. IN FARMING: Heavy lambs sent to market in commercial livestock farms. IN THE KITCHEN: Enjoy mocktails in the garden with summer fruit. n

MAY...

FRUIT & VEG: Cage fruit to prevent birds from stealing them. Prepare to harvest strawberries, raspberries and plums, freeze any gluts. IN FARMING: Spring crops and cereals sown, fertiliser applied. Spraying of sugar beet and peas. IN THE KITCHEN: Make jams, pickles and preserves, enjoy fresh asparagus, Freeze ‘bricks’ of puréed tomatoes to use all year round. n

NOVEMBER...

FRUIT & VEG: Harvest leeks, swede and brussels, and gather in the very last of your maincrop potatoes. Grow garlic indoors, herbs on windowsills. IN FARMING: Wheat drilling and ploughing, livestock fed silage. Lots of farm maintenance e.g.: hedgerow trimming is undertaken. IN THE KITCHEN: Foraged mushrooms and wild garlic can contribute to stews and soups. n

FEBRUARY...

FRUIT & VEG: Plant shallots and onion sets outdoors if it’s warm enough, plant parsnips and carrots outdoors, sow peppers and cucumbers in the greenhouse. LIVESTOCK: Begin to incubate chicken eggs under heat lamps. IN FARMING: Calving season for cows, livestock fed concentrates. IN THE KITCHEN: Utilise forced rhubarb in crumbles and cakes. n

AUGUST...

FRUIT & VEG: Scramble to gather in the last peas, beans and courgettes, lift main crop potatoes and store in a cool dark place. Pick orchard fruits. IN FARMING: Cereal harvest is well underway, straw baled for animals, silage cut for winter livestock feed. IN THE KITCHEN: If you’re still able to pick fresh tomatoes, bake them into a puff pastry tart with mozzarella and fresh basil from the herb garden. n

MARCH...

FRUIT & VEG: Plant out beetroot and spinach, sprouts for Christmas. Plant out spring cabbage & brassicas. Sow lettuce, celery, and tomatoes in the greenhouse. Harvest early crop potatoes and plant main crops. LIVESTOCK: Send off year old lambs for slaughter, purchase weaner pigs. IN FARMING: Lambing and calving. IN THE KITCHEN: Enjoy hogget Sunday lunches with early potatoes. n

SEPTEMBER...

FRUIT & VEG: Gather in orchard fruit and store apples, pears and plums. First parsnips, sweetcorn and calabrese can be harvested. Sow potatoes for Christmas indoors. LIVESTOCK: Fattened pigs sent to butcher, autumn calving of beef cows in commercial operations. IN FARMING: Ploughing and cultivating of arable land, drilling and sowing of winter wheat crops. n

JUNE...

FRUIT & VEG: Harvest beans, beetroot, autumn onion sets, rocket and other salads. Continue to harvest greenhouse tomatoes, broccoli, peas and turnips. Plant out spring cabbage, carrots and onions. IN FARMING: Silage production for livestock feed, winter crops planted. Potatoes irrigated. Cows served. IN THE KITCHEN: Enjoy summer salads, and asparagus. n

DECEMBER...

FRUIT & VEG: Harvest brussels after a frost, winter cabbage, Christmas potatoes, parsnips and swede. Work off that Christmas pudding by digging in fertiliser and manure. LIVESTOCK: Turkeys should be dispatched, plucked and hung for two weeks prior to Christmas. IN THE KITCHEN: Ensure you’ve plenty of potatoes for roasties during Christmas lunch. n

APRIL...

FRUIT & VEG: Plant out beans, spinach, winter cabbage cauli and swede as well as main crop potatoes. Plant sweetcorn, tomatoes and strawberries in the greenhouse. Herbs can be planted both indoors on a windowsill and outdoors if it’s warm. LIVESTOCK: Begin to fatten weaner pigs and turn out lambs into the field. IN THE KITCHEN: Harvest forced rhubarb and spring salad leaves. n

OCTOBER...

FRUIT & VEG: Sow winter broad beans, onions and garlic outside. Sow winter cabbage, cauliflower, leeks and swede. Harvest orchard fruit like apples and quince. LIVESTOCK: Ewes covered on bonfire night for spring lambing. IN FARMING: Commercial potato and sugar beet crops harvested. IN THE KITCHEN: Make Christmas pudding on ’stir up Sunday.’ n

This month Gates Garden Centre presents its latest outdoor leisure ranges designed to provide comfort and quality throughout the spring and summer months when you’re enjoying the garden...

OUTDOOR LIVING at Gates launches this month with the latest new brands, new styles from old favourites and on-trend accessories for making the most of your garden this spring. Inside a dedicated showroom, there are 14,000sqft of display gardens, set up for easy browsing to inspire and enhance your outdoor living space.

There’s something for every budget and taste, from contemporary rope weave, marine grade faux leather, robust teak and slate grey aluminum; to traditional and timeless rattan, wicker, sturdy hardwoods and bronze cast aluminum. All are on display, meaning you get to try before you buy.

This year the centre features ranges from several new furniture brands, as well as retaining favourite leading brands like Bramblecrest with its new styles for 2022 including a brand-new Mauritius range in marine grade open-weave twisted rope and lightweight aluminum.

Other brands include Kettler, Hartman, 4 Seasons Outdoor, Alexander Rose and Quest. Life Outdoor Living is a stylish new Dutch brand offering a contemporary aesthetic with clean lines, minimalist designs with comfort and functionality at its heart thanks to lightweight aluminium frames and all-weather upholstery.

To complement your patio furniture and extend the outdoor season Gates also offers a huge selection of contemporary and traditional solar, electric and dual-powered garden lighting, as well as gas and electric patio heaters and traditional fire pits.

Following a successful soft launch last year, Gates Garden Centre is expanding its Kamado Joe barbecue range this year to include new styles for charcoal purists as well as a range of accessories to complement.

The Kamado Joe, with its heat-resistant distinctive dimpled blaze red shell and thick ceramic walls, helps to lock in moisture, heat and that classic smoky barbecue flavour.

As an established Weber World store, Gates continues to offer the full range of Weber barbecues including gas, charcoal, electric and smokers, alongside an extensive collection of Weber accessories and sundries for all barbecues and grills. >>

Gates Garden Centre’s warehouses are already brimming, full of high quality, stylish garden furniture and accessories, ready for you to take away and enjoy, all season long...!

Above: Bramblecrest Monterey modular U-shaped sofa with firepit coffee table with ceramic top, £3,499. >> For protection from the sun or sudden showers Gates has garden shades in every size and design – some with pre-installed speakers and lighting – and huge garden gazebos with electronic shades. Add scatter cushions in this year’s colours, a decorative garden mirror, wall art or a weatherproof garden rug to complete your look and ensure your outdoor space is as comfortable and welcoming as indoors. And with matching cushion storage boxes and made-to-fit protective covers for every set, your new furniture will remain shower-proof and will look its very best, year after year. You can also buy garden buildings on-site at Gates, from a simple shed for keeping tools secure to the most elegant and spacious garden rooms and hot tub shelters… you can pick up the hot tub, too! All ranges are on show for you to compare finishes and get a real feel for the size and specification of each. The centre also offers a free UK wide delivery service for orders over £50 and there’s a ‘white glove’ service too for those who prefer to have the Gates team deliver, assemble and set up your new furniture, ready for you to begin enjoying your garden immediately. As Covid restrictions turned the nation’s focus to improving its outdoor living spaces, this increased demand created industry-wide supply issues in 2020 and 2021. However, Gates Garden Center plans very early and its warehouse is already brimming full of high quality, stylish garden furniture and accessories, ready for you to take away and enjoy, all spring and summer long! n

Top, Left: Bramblecrest Mauritius garden lounge set, made with marine grade synthetic rope and rust-resistant aluminium meaning it will last for years to come. All-weather scatter cushions available in a range of colours, £1,699. Top/Right: Supremo Melbury mini modular set with adjustable table. Keep everything within easy reach with this compact modular set with adjustable table height, £1,749. Middle, Left: Hartman Amalfi square casual dining set, use the fire pit table to keep warm, grill food, serve drinks or use the full table space, £3,299. Middle, Right: Grey square sliding roof gazebo, versatile and sturdy, 2.8 x 2.8m aluminium gazebo with textilene sliding roof panels, allowing just the right amount of sunlight through, £799. Left: Goa dining set with six cottage chairs. The stylish Goa dining set includes a smart rectangular table with six retro dining chairs, £2,999.

n Find Out More: All of the products featured here are available from Gates Garden Centre, Cold Overton, Oakham LE15 7QB. Call 01664 454309 or see www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk.