Sustainable Farming of Organic Vegetables

Cherry Garden Organic farm is a lush sprawling farm extending over 33 acres of land. A wide variety of crops are grown here all year round to keep our local farm shop well -stocked. We supply an impressive range of organic fruits and vegetables. We adopt rotation of crops and we systematically grow cover crops like chicory, clovers and grasses to infuse nutrient value and vigor to the soil and to sustain soil fertility. Sustainable farming of organic vegetables is carried out successfully in our organic farm. We encourage the growth of field margins, hedgerows and develop rough areas to promote habitat diversity in order to support bird and insect life as they are responsible for many ecological and environmental benefits. We use on-farm resources plus non-renewable resources and we try and integrate appropriately the biological cycles, as well as, controls.

Basic Objectives

Our primary goal is to enhance and boost natural resource base and enrich environmental quality. Sustainable farming of organic fruits and vegetables in East Sussex aims firstly at environmental health and then, social and economic equity and of course, economic profitability. These goals have emerged from a number of guiding principles, policies, philosophies and practices. We have considered the views and suggestions of people from different walks of life, from consumers to farmers.

Sustainability implies that we should best utilize and exploit available resources to derive optimum benefits but at the same time we must take care that we do not deprive our future generations from meeting their own needs. We must constantly strive toward enhancing and retaining our resource base. Here at Cherry Garden Organic Farm, we achieve high yields in organic vegetables as we utilize the resources available to us very effectively by using modern technology. So our local farm shop in Kent is always able to supply all vegetables and even fruits in season.

Techniques of Sustainable agriculture

Crop rotation is the most important and effective technique of sustainable agriculture. Cultivating different crops one after the other in the same field should be your primary guiding principle. Crop rotation is an effective way of controlling pest because some pests prefer certain crops, and constant cultivation of the usual crop ensures constant and steady food supply, therefore, pest population increase. Rotation of crops successfully cuts down pest pressure by effectively breaking reproductive cycles of pests.

Cover Crops effectively prevent soil erosion, suppress weeds and enhance soil fertility and quality. Use of proper cover crops help retain and enhance soil fertility and effectively cut down on the use of chemical inputs such as insecticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

Healthy and rich soil abounds with life that may include beneficial insects and microbes. These are often destroyed by the thoughtless use of pesticides. The richness and fertility of the soil can be retained and enhanced by using animal manure or plant composts. One of the most effective and modern pest-control methods is to encourage pest predators like insects, birds and spiders that are predators of the harmful agricultural pests.

We not only think in terms of an individual farm but definitely consider the communities that are impacted by our farming practices and we never lose track of the local ecosystem. We operate simply, as an integral part of a whole and we are consciously monitoring our farming activities and their consequences on the environment and the human population.