We have a no-dig, chemical-free market garden at Irongate Farm. The garden has a simple aim: to produce the freshest, most nutritious produce for our local community in a nature-friendly way.
So far we have grown tomatoes, cucumbers, chard, kale, aubergines, bell peppers, and many other crops available to local people through our weekly veg scheme, at the Larder at Lannock Farm and also at some local restaurants.
Mob grazing is a system that mimics the natural grazing patterns of herbivores, to boost grass growth, promote strong root structure, and an even spread of manure. This is achieved through high stocking density and short-duration grazing – we move our cows onto fresh grass every day, allowing the pasture behind them to recover. The longer rest periods also help to break parasite lifecycles.
At Weston, we began mob grazing in 2012. Since then, we’ve become Pasture For Life (PFL) certified, meaning our cattle’s diet is 100% grass-based. Our PFL beef has higher omega-3 fatty acids than grain-fed beef, and more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a natural antioxidant, thought to lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
After completing a course at Warwickshire Walnuts, we decided to plant our own walnut silvopasture system here at Weston. Just before Christmas in 2024, we planted 110 walnut trees (8 different varieties) in a 2ha grid with 15m spacing. Silvopastoral systems offer many proven benefits for livestock, including significant live weight gains and increased social interactions. The trees also provide our livestock shelter from rain or sun, depending on the season.
Coupled with the creation of a local supply chain for seasonal nuts, it made perfect sense to integrate this system into our ongoing land diversification efforts.
At GroundSchool, we are establishing a range of composting systems — including Johnson-Su bioreactors, thermophilic composting, vermicomposting, bokashi, and compost teas — to produce nutrient biologically active compost and fertilisers for our market garden. At the heart of this is cultivating beneficial microbial life, recognising that biology is the foundations of healthy soil and plants. We are using materials sourced directly from the farm, alongside locally collected coffee, waste to minimise external inputs and keep nutrients in the loop.
By running multiple methods side by side, we aim to offer practical learning opportunities around how a variety of different material can be composted effectively to suit desired needs; show the strengths and limitations of each and how the range of systems may influence the nutrient profiles and microbial communities in the finished composts.
Our composting is led by Kelly, she can be found on Instagram here.
We have trialed pasture-reared poultry at Weston for the last two years, achieving varying levels of success. During the trials, we used the Joel Salatin broiler shelter for our chickens but found it wasn’t quite fit for our context. Unfortunately, we lost quite a few chickens to some spaniels—next time, we’ll avoid putting them near footpaths!
Producing healthy, happy, and nutritious pasture-reared chicken to sell to our local community has been fantastic, so finding a solution remains a priority. One idea we’re considering is installing a more permanent and sophisticated electric fence system under the walnut orchard.
Regenerative mycology practices nourish soil, support ecosystems and benefit all living beings. At Irongate Farm, we are exploring working with fungi to build soil, food security and climate resilience through an holistic, earthy, intuitive style of Wild Mycology – the gentle guiding of mycelium through ecosystems using creative cultivation methods that empower individuals and communities to grow food, reconnect and heal our land.
This work is led by Lotta from the London Mycology Project, who utilises community-led and female-driven approaches to fungi cultivation, empowering everyone from rural farmers to city children to grow more resilient, regenerative futures utilising the power of mycelium – the vast, underground network of fungal threads that connects and nourishes ecosystems.
