On
an unseasonal warm evening we welcomed Juliette (on behalf of
Simon Bland and Jane Barker), who came to share with us the ethos and
knowledge of the nationally renowned compost firm.
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| Juliette on left |
Following
the ‘Foot & Mouth’ epidemic in 2001, Simon and Jane looked to
diversify their sheep farming business. With their farming heritage and Jane’s background is in environmental science, they were cognisant of traditional methods for nurturing soil. In
Yorkshire wool was used in rhubarb patches and in Appleby bracken was
strewn in apple orchards.
After
twenty years of trial and error Jane & Simon have developed a
range of specialist composts derived from bracken, Herdwick /
Swaledale wool and Fell Pony manure. This year they will launch a
tomato compost at RHS Chelsea.
“Using
old gardening recipes they have worked to develop a range of
wholesome composts that are farm-made and do what they promise. Wool
compost™ and Lakeland Gold are farm-made on a traditional hill
farm, Dalefoot, in the small valley of Heltondale in the Lake
District National Park. Our Whitefaced Woodland and Cheviot sheep
flocks run up the bracken covered fells to Loadpot where they live
and rear their lambs and graze side by side with our herd of native
Fell ponies. Grazing is an important part of maintaining this special
landscape that is so treasured by the millions of visitors who come
to the area.
The
ever increasing bracken cover is not only taking over the landscape,
but also represents a problem to the hill farmer. The gathering of
flocks has become very difficult through waist high bracken stands
and this very aggressive plant competes with other native vegetation
to the extent that other plants fail and available grazing is
reduced. Bracken has become a problem - ecologically and economically
- so what better, more sustainable solution than to harvest it in a
managed way, thereby husbanding the beautiful hills of the Lake
District and utilising a resource in a way that it used to be many
years ago.”
“Traditionally,
here in the Lake District, bracken has been used as an animal winter
bedding material, which was then spread on the land in Spring to
fertilise the fields. A rich source of humus with a wide range of
trace elements ensured that the meadows and pastures got off to a
good growing season. We have taken that age-old recipe and developed
Wool Compost and Lakeland Gold.”
“We
only use 100% natural ingredients from the fells surrounding our farm
in the Lake District.”
“Potash
rich bracken forms the base for all our composts. We blend herdwick
Sheep's wool into all our Wool Composts for improved water retention
and slow release nitrogen.”
“Our
composts are completely PEAT FREE and are not made from green waste.”
Dalefoot
has achieved Soil Association Approved status; no mean feat when
there needs to be guarantee against E.coli & organophosphate
contamination.
In the last two years the business has expanded
dramatically.
