Farming Heroes
One of my favourite TV programmes recently has been Jimmy Dohertys Farming Heroes. You don’t get many TV programmes ‘bigging up’ farmers. I really liked the positive approach of the programmes. Farmers in this country seem to get a rough deal and it seems from what you hear that nothing positive ever happens for farmers. Each programme highlights particular farms doing things well or differently. I think my favourite was the huge tomato greenhouse where CO2 was being piped in from a nearby sugar processing factory. Excess heat is also provided from the factory to keep the greenhouse warm making British Sugar the largest grower of round tomatoes in the UK. It was amazing to see how the tomatoes were grown almost in a jungle of vines. They have their own bees in the greenhouse too to make sure the plants get pollinated.
This made me put this years tomatoes next to the vent for our boiler - just in case in CO2 is emitted. Another technique they used was wrapping the plants around the strings/cables they were growing up. I have also used this idea by wrapping my tomato plants around their bamboo supports - the bamboo isn’t quite long enough but there’s always next year.
I like the way the programmes have shown how some farmers have dealt with their changing markets some going back to basics and opening farm shops or some using science to provide a unique product or make the production of the product more efficient.
Another idea picked up from the programme which I have tried using before is companion planting. The idea is that you plant certain plants together and they help each other. I have heard of planting marigolds with tomatoes before but there is a whole load of things you can do to help control the bug and creature that eat your crops. The programme talked to a couple who run an organic farm in the south west who think that you should be able to buy all your food locally(I’m trying to remember what the farm was called but it escapes me at the moment!). They plant nasturtiums with their brassicas(sprouts,broccoli etc) to help control the pests - this is something I will be trying out next year as I have had terrible trouble with caterpillars this year.
I think we hear too much about farmers being beaten down by the supermarkets and getting hassled over GM so it’s nice to see that there are farms and farmers out there that could inspire the next generation to carry on in this great British tradition.
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