The whole package

Rupert Emerson - 19 September 2011

For Sarah and myself at Orchard Farmhouse, conversion to organic is not just about form filling. It is about lifestyle. Take permaculture for example. We set aside a piece of a field for the local community to do some growing, now we have a new friend, John Hillman, a fascinating chap who knows everyone, having been hair stylist to the stars, who is teaching us permaculture. We are forming a group – if you live in North Dorset do get in touch so you can join in. We are at the design stage which is the most fun. Contact us on orchardfarmhouse@yahoo.co.uk or follow us on Facebook.

To my mind, sustainable living, permaculture, organic growing, forest gardening all interlink. We have three water tanks for collecting rainwater now. Photovoltaic solar panels adorn the garage roof. The Rayburn runs on wood. If you have a solid fuel Rayburn, look into buying a different grill that sits under the fire. It is a round disk that you riddle. That is all we needed to change. Mind you, burning wood is not so simple as coal. You need good dry, consistent wood, cut into short lengths. Even then the temperature of the oven fluctuates. No problem for stews but can be more tricky for baking. Be sure the temperature is up, the fire riddled and the wood topped up before you bung in your organic loaf or cakes.

We are lucky, our Rayburn heats the water so we are getting benefit come what may. And wood ash is useful mixed with compost whereas coal ash is not. With a woodburner and an open fire to feed as well, our newly planted woodland is going to be a boon.

Converting the flower gardening to organic has proved the hardest personal conversion. It is so lovely to pick up plants at fetes, share with neighbours and so on. We have to stop ourselves but we also have set aside a small corner and some pots which we designate non organic, keeping the soil separate so the occasional gift does not need rejecting. We have also found that if you discuss with your certification officer a need for something that is unobtainable as organic that the Soil Association are reasonable. Bare rooting helps keep them happy.

In any case, we are finding interesting new sources of organic products, seeds and plants by searching the market place on the Soil Association website. I like to give the people a ring and connect personally. I recently had a chat with Tamar, the seed people, about sweet pea colours. They were happy to discuss and explain, not in a rush to move on to their next customer. Feedback to organic companies can be a pleasure not a chore. The next piece of research we need to do is on organic chicks. We need to find someone not too far from North Dorset who will sell us two or three young hens. If you know someone, please comment.