After spending more than 10 years growing organic vegetables on a number of small sites in and around Glasgow we were pleased to move to Barnhill Farm at the start of 2025 where we now have 21 acres of good land and a well kitted out shed for packing our veg boxes.
The land had previously been used for grazing, with no artificial chemical inputs for decades, and is now in organic conversions while we continue to grow to organic standards.
In our first year growing here we are busy converting the field into a productive organic vegetable farm and we are already growing a wide range of organic produce.
The Market Garden
Around 2 acres of the site is being developed as a market garden, using many of the hand scale techniques and principles we have learned over the last decade at our smaller sites. This includes creating plots of semi-permanent vegetable beds and setting up areas of perennial herbs and vegetables which will grow back year after year.
We’re also in the process of building polytunnels in the market garden with our first tunnel now finished and planted up with cucumbers for the summer. Polytunnels allow us to grow a wider range of produce right through the year so we hope to have at least another two ready by the end of the summer to keep us supplied with salads through the winter and early spring.
The Fields
Outside of the market garden we are managing most of the rest of the farm using tractors and machinery, something which is brand new to us. After a decade of pushing the limits of what can be done with hand scale horticulture we took the plunge and invested in an eclectic assortment of machinery to allow us to mange more land more easily so that we can produce more sustainable local food than ever before.
Our field plots are about an acre each, and made up of thirteen beds which are around 150m long and 1.3m wide. The plots are dedicated to different plant families so that we can rotate crops for soil health, and to prevent pest and plant disease without the use of artificial chemicals.
This year we are growing on 11 acres where our plant families and crops include:
Potatoes (Nightshades)
We’re growing 5 varieties of potatoes on 3 acres of our ground. Varieties are Bambino, Orla, Cara, Java and Record.
Beans (Legumse)
We’re growing lots of broad beans as well as a couple of beds of borlotti beans.
Lettuce (Asteraceaes)
We have a plot for lettuce so that we can (hopefully) produce lettuce continuously right through the season. We’ll grow spinach here too as it is the same plant family.
Chard & Beetroot (Chenopods)
We’re growing a plot of chard and beetroot with lots of different varieties to give us different colours and shapes.
Carrot (Umbelliferae)
We’re growing a few varieties of carrots as well as their plant relatives celery and fennel.
Squash (Cucurbits)
We’re growing lots of squash with some different shapes and colours as well as a range of autumn and winter squash.
Onion (Alliums)
We’re growing a plot of alliums which include spring onions, onions and leeks.
Cabbage (Brassicas )
We’re growing a wide range of brasicas over two plots. This includes 5 kinds of kale, kohl rabi, cauliflower, romanesco, baby turnips, cabbages and some brussel sprouts.
Crop Rotation and Fertility Building
As well as growing the crops above for our shop and veg box customers to eat we grow plants especially to improve the health of the soil and our farm’s biodiversity. We do this by growing fertility building crops which build soil carbon by putting the plants and their nutrients back into the soil. Nature is clever and gives us the solutions to sustainable food growing.
We’ll rotate where we grow crops and give areas of a land breaks to grow these green manures as well as fitting in quick cover crops after our vegetables have been harvested.
Future Plans
We’ve got lots of ideas to grow more and more food on our farm in the coming years so that we can keep improving the local food offer which is available in our shops and through our veg boxes. We also want to make the site more valuable to biodiversity and as a place to visit, learn and enjoy.
Over time we have plans to create lots of new hedgerows, wildflower meadows and develop paths so visitors can explore the site.
