Olivers Farm
At our Olivers Farm, we proudly offer pasture-fed, home-reared beef and fresh, seasonal produce grown in our Kitchen Garden. Experience the true field-to-fork journey at our Black Horse Café, or take home the very best of our farm’s harvest.
Our Kitchen Garden Journey
Our exciting venture into kitchen gardening began in October 2021, driven by two primary objectives.
Firstly, we aimed to cultivate a bountiful harvest of fruit and vegetables to meet the demand of our popular Black Horse Café. Secondly, we wanted to trial various vegetable plant varieties to identify those best suited to the local conditions, ensuring that our Plant Centre customers receive top-quality plants with proven success.
Our journey started with the planting of garlic, quickly followed by a variety of vibrant crops, including lettuce, chard, spinach, and onions. As our efforts flourished, we expanded our garden to include tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, squash, carrots, spring onions, and, more recently, the delightful addition of soft fruits like raspberries and strawberries.
In October 2022, we were pleased to open our ‘Pick Your Own Pumpkin Patch,’ which was enjoyed by many in the lead-up to Halloween. June 2023 marked the arrival of our first crop of strawberries, which were enjoyed by patrons at Black Horse Café and customers at the Plant Centre.
Soil Preparation
We prioritise soil preparation by incorporating Olivers Eco Compost soil improver into our planting process. We utilise this enriched blend by mixing it into the soil and also applying it as a beneficial mulch.
Olivers Eco Compost has provided numerous advantages:
- Our vegetables planted in Eco Compost thrive and exhibit better shape compared to those grown in the local stony soil, especially with carrots and potatoes.
- Carrots, when topped with Olivers Eco Compost, grow more easily, as they no longer need to navigate through a compacted soil layer formed by watering. This allows them to flourish effortlessly.
- The inclusion of Olivers Eco Compost aids in moisture retention and enhances soil structure, leading to healthier plant growth.
Olivers Eco Compost is readily available for purchase at our Plant Centre or through our convenient Webshop.
Green Mulch
We are passionate about sustainable gardening practices and harness the power of vetch and rye green manure to nourish and enhance our soil. Our collaboration with local residents played a significant role in sowing our first crop of vetch and rye.
Green manure serves multiple purposes:
- Vetch and rye act as nitrogen fixers, drawing atmospheric nitrogen and converting it into a form that plants can readily utilise. This enriches the soil, promoting healthier plant growth.
- The deep-rooted nature of vetch and rye helps improve soil structure by breaking up compacted layers, enhancing drainage, and allowing better root penetration for subsequent crops.
- As the green manure plants grow, they provide excellent ground cover, minimising weed growth and preventing soil erosion.
- Once the crop is ploughed back into the soil, it releases nutrients that nourish the next crop, along with the soil-improving benefits mentioned above.
Olivers Pasture-fed beef
Distinctively delicious and reared in a way that enriches our environment.
We believe in rearing our animals slowly and naturally, without rushing any part of the process. Our herd of Sussex cattle graze on a natural diet of species-rich pastures, including herbs, legumes, and grass in and around Coggeshall and Earls Colne. We take our time, working with nature’s restful pace to create top-quality, truly wonderful beef.
We achieve this through the choice of a traditional English breed, a pasture-fed herd, and cattle naturally reared for as long as it takes. This approach ensures our beef is not only incredibly delicious and good for you, but it also helps reduce our impact on the environment. Grazing animals on 100% pasture has positive impacts on biodiversity, carbon, human health and wellbeing, as well as animal health and welfare.
Although our cattle are not yet certified PFL, we are proud to be rearing them to these standards. You can read more about them on the Pasture For Life website. Our beef is available to order in the following packs at set collection dates throughout the year. You can order your beef using the form below.
Next collection: early May
