Veg growers call for help to sow seeds of success
Young farmers in Bath who run a market garden have bought 16 acres and are looking for help to upscale their operation.
The Middle Ground Growers team sell vegetables and want to provide 200 families with fresh produce and supply more local restaurants and shops in the Bath area.
“There is no reason why we cannot grow the majority of our calories and nutrients locally,” said Hamish Evans, co-founder of Middle Ground Growers.
“Only decades ago, Bath’s food was produced by market gardens, orchards and small farms dotted in and around the city.”
The passionate agro-ecological farmers who work and live in Bath lease land in Bathampton to operate a successful two acre market garden. They supply vegetable boxes to 70 families each week and they also supply restaurants such as Oak in North Parade and Landrace in Walcot Street, and local shops such as Harvest Natural
Foods and Scoop Whole Foods.
“In the context of a climate emergency, ecological crisis, global food and energy shortages, Brexit and the Covid pandemic, there has never been a greater, more urgent need to produce our food locally and organically,” he said.
“We have found with our current vegetable box scheme that this also
brings communities together, provides meaningful employment and a general sense of hope again to people’s lives.”
The 16 acres of pasture land have been purchased in Upper Weston, in Bath. The team has obtained planning permission to build a solar-powered barn and two polytunnels. They have also received a
grant for planting 10,000 trees from the Forest of Avon Trust.
They are hoping to raise £95,000 by crowdfunding to jump-start their farming enterprise.
Their crowdfunding campaign launched on Sunday (October 24) and you can invest in their new business at www.crowdfunder.co. uk/ecological-farm-for-bath.
You can also view a short video showing their plans by searching Youtube for “Fund an ecological farm for Bath”.
The team recently invested in renewable energy and with the help of a grant of £5,000 from Bath and West Community Energy, installed 3kw of solar panels and match-funded a new cargo bike.
The solar power now supplies their whole farm: four bikes used to deliver vegetables around Bath, it charges their electric tools, and even powers a walk-in cool-room.
Middle Ground Growers are a wholesale business. If you are a local business, cafe, restaurant, school or shop outlet and would like to sell their produce, then they would be pleased for you to get in touch and visit their farm.
“We are a trusted and reliable wholesale supplier to local outlets wishing to promote local and ethically grown produce,” said Hamish on their website. “All produce is harvested fresh on the day and delivered by e-bike.”
Hamish can be contacted on 07708006001, or via middlegroundgrowers@outlook.com. Their website is: www.middlegroundgrowers.com.