Tales of a volunteer

Volunteering at Tolhurst Organic this year (2023) has been my entry point into horticulture, and hopefully the start of a long, loving relationship with growing veg.

It has been a really special opportunity to live on the farm and learn from the incredible people who work here. I’ve been taught about everything from plant raising to compost making, and about all the various pressures the vegetables face before they make it to the shop.

The wealth of a healthy organic system is that most of these pressures, whether from pests, diseases, weather or weeds, aren’t seen as singular problems to be extinguished, but as indicators that there’s something unbalanced in the system and that it can be redressed naturally.

That’s not to say that we just sit back and watch aphids destroy a crop, but rather we cultivate a good habitat, where  natural predators can thrive and intervene on our behalf. It is that respect for Nature that I hope to carry on learning throughout my life, and where better to do so, than out in the muddy fields amid the drama of it all around you! (Maria Jenkins).