Meadowsweet is a 2.5- hectare organic market garden on the Falkland Estate in Fife, in our second year of growing.
We grow organic vegetables, salads, cut flowers and culinary and medicinal herbs, and sell throughout Fife and Edinburgh via farm shops, farmers markets and wholesalers. We’re excited to produce top-quality, organic Scottish produce.
For me organic farming is the only way because when you farm you are working directly with nature, which comes with a responsibility of preserving it for future generations and caring for the soil, the wildlife and the environment. We are passionate about organics because we see the benefits every day at Meadowsweet Organics whether it’s seeing 5 different species of bumblebee in one day, the soil structure gradually improving, colour, variety, worms and insects, clover growing everywhere and eating vegetables as fresh as can be and feeling healthy and happy.
I first heard about organic farming in 2007, when I was questioning the sustainability of conventional farming after studying at Agricultural College in Edinburgh and starting to look for answers to the environmental problems it can cause. Soon after I came across Pillars of Hercules Organic Farm in Fife where I spent some time wwoofing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) and learning about this alternative system of agriculture.
Since then I have been on an organic journey living, working, eating, talking and studying on organic farms around the UK and Ireland.
I now run my own organic market garden ‘Meadowsweet Organics’ together with my partner David on the Falkland Estate in Fife where we grow organic herbs, flowers, vegetables and salads to sell to a variety of farmshops, wholesalers and farmers’ markets.
Most people only think of things that they can eat when it comes to organics, organic cut flowers are important too because most conventionally produced flowers are grown in very intensive conditions involving lots of chemicals and imported from countries such as Africa and South America. Growing locally and organic is the opposite, providing many benefits to the environment which is why I am passionate about growing local organic flowers.
It’s very rewarding to sell directly to the local community via our weekly farmer’s market stall and see the same customers returning who share our passion for organics. This helps us to see how it is also beneficial to communities because it brings people together, creates a beautiful and diverse environment and how it is a more personal kind of farming, helping to minimize the distance between the people and their food.
Our tomatoes are ripening up nicely in time for Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight and Organic September – we look forward to sharing them and telling even more people about why we farm organically!”
www.meadowsweet-organics.co.uk
@meadowsweetorg
