SUCCESSFUL ORGANIC
GROWING IN WORCESTERSHIRE

Rolls Hill, Suckley

Looking back to early 1972 when we started Rolls Hill in Worcester-shire, it seems now fairer to regard it as an experiment in the circumstances which eventually developed for us, and not as the begin-ning of an enterprise that would continue until we could no longer lift and carry, plant and, hoe. However, our intention throughout our five years remained firmly to produce and sell on a commercial scale, organic fruit and vegetables. This intention had its origin a long way back, but it was not until about six months before we bought Rolls Hill that we felt the time was ready for us to move from the security of employment in industry and a comfortable house, and to put into practice what we believed.

We soon found it impossible to look for property more than half a day's drive from where we were already in Worcestershire. This con-centrated our search in an area that is well-known for its fruit and vegetable growing, which was the activity that we realised we should aim for. It was then still practical to look for small-holdings of a few acres with something like £10,000 cash in one's pocket, gained from sale of the existing house and the drawing out of all savings. We looked at many unsuitable places, but eventually saw a small advertisement offering a ten acre soft fruit farm for sale by auction at Suckley. After looking over it, we sensed it was going to be the best opportunity for us that we were likely to find. The sale particulars told us that there were about nine acres of farm for sale and one acre of building plot for which there was permission to build a house - this plot occupying a corner of the farmland. So the great advantage of being able to live on one's small-holding was possible.

While our plans for buying land were maturing, we discovered a Soil Association member only two miles from where we were living then who was growing organic soft fruit, freezing it immediately after picking, and later packing it into the usual half lb and one lb punnets. He had established excellent sales through a Birmingham health food shop chain and in London, and was keen to buy a much larger amount of organic fruit.

We felt this development underlined the potential for selling organic produce of all kinds and that the demand for it was likely to expand everywhere a great deal; it seemed from our reading and our contacts that producers were keenly needed to match this latent demand. Thus the purchase of Rolls Hill, while risky, had a rationale. As to our skills in growing soft fruit in the organic fashion, these had to be extended from our own garden practice and any advice that could be gathered. We appreciated that we would have to learn through exper-ience for the most part.

Our first season ended quite satisfactorily. At the outset the previous owner offered to stay with us and we also retained the usual fruit pickers. We were lucky, too, in being in an area where fruit picking and work on the land was popular and in demand, and so we had not much difficulty in securing the dozen or more pickers that were required then and who later helped in the pruning etc., and who, as the years progressed helped with the vegetables. Each day, that summer had its surprises and we often wondered in the mornings how we could manage to complete the necessary work by the evening; but somehow we got the fruit away. In fact, this helpless feeling often recurred, yet I can never recall that some saving circumstances did not change it by the end of the day, and we had enough produce ready for sale or the work completed. Most of our fruit that first season went ,to our Soil Association friend's freezer; in addition we opened Rolls Hill to 'pick-your-own' and sold a small amount to a local cannery. We felt the results were promising and that the marketing arrangements should continue unchanged, but hoped for firmer prices from next summer's contracts.

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