Horticulture at Goosemoor

Where do we grow our crops?

In addition to 7 and a bit acres at our main site in Cowthorpe, we have 3 and a bit acres at Town End in Tockwith, which is the next village towards York (the bits add up to nearly another acre!).

At Cowthorpe, we have 5 polythene growing tunnels and 2 acres surrounded by rabbit-proof fencing; 2 acres is down to pasture for our livestock and another 2 acres is designated as our nature reserve.

We have a small solar-powered greenhouse, implemented to provide almost frost-free accommodation for early plant-raising with minimal energy consumption.  The south-facing lean-to structure is made of second-hand Dutch lights, and uses a 'water wall' as a heat store, absorbing solar energy during the day, and radiating heat back out again at night.

What do we grow?

We operate a 6-year rotation of alliums, 2 legumes, roots, leaves/brassicas and squashes.

We raise all our own plants, almost exclusively from organic seed, and using organic peat-free compost.  Each spring we spread on the land a composted mixture of manure from our own pet animals plus plant wastes.  Over winter we grow green manures on unused plots to further increase the fertility of the soil.  We have never used any slaughterhouse-derived  fertilisers such as blood & bone.

Our range includes beetroot, broad beans, carrots, garlic, kohl rabi, French beans, runner beans, onions, shallots, & spinach, but we especially like to grow unusual crops, hence our interest in chilli peppers, salad leaf, squashes and old varieties of potatoes:

Chilli peppers:

• Cascabella - small but powerful
• Fiesta - shaped like a jester's hat
• Friar's Hood - some imagination needed to make the connection here
• Hungarian Yellow Wax aka Hot Banana - yellow but doesn't taste of bananas
• Thai Hot Dragon - no explanation required for this one!

Salad Leaf:

• Oriental brassicas such as Mibuna, Mizuna, Komatsuna, Jo-Soi
• Lettuce & chicories eg Red Salad Bowl, Riccia di Pancalieri, Merveille de Quatre Saisons
• Other salads eg corn salad, landcress, rocket, wild rocket, purslane
• Herbs eg parsley, sage, coriander, fennel, lovage, basil, chives, mint, rosemary

Squashes:

• Custard White & Sunburst scalloped-edge patty-pan squashes
• Delicata - cream & green striped winter squash 
• Early Yellow Straightneck - yellow warty skinned courgette with excellent flavour
• Golden Nugget pumpkins - sweet nutty flavour
• Golden Zucchini - a bright yellow courgette 
• Minipak - compact stripey marrows
• Nero di Milano - a dark green courgette
• Tondo Chiaro di Nizza - a tasty & versatile round green courgette
• Vegetable Spaghetti - cream skin, with flesh like spaghetti when cooked

Potatoes:

• Arran Victory - purple-skinned, wonderful for roasting
• Pink Fir Apple - long knobbly tubers with waxy texture, great for salads

Who does the growing?

Ignace works full-time on horticulture, with help from Carrie on planting-out and harvesting.

Florence the goat heads up the weed-control team with help (debateable!) from Zebedee.  

Lettie the donkey and Charlotte the horse lead the manure-production department with help from Chickens Tikka, Chow-Mein, Foo-Yung, Satay, Bhuna, & Korma.