A Tractor for Grown Green Organic Market Garden

Aim: We want to grow more great organic food for the South West; but to scale-up we need a tractor & attachments – here's where you can help!

About Us

Grown Green is an awarding-winning organic market garden based in Wiltshire. For over a decade we've produced tonnes of fresh food annually from just 2 acres for our local community to enjoy. We've just secured another 2.5 acre field round the corner, but in order to expand and grow even more great fruit and veg, we need a tractor to scale up!

Kate is head grower and business owner, magnificently assisted by Jonny part-time; we also have local seasonal workers in over the summer to help with the picking and weeding. Our community is keen to get involved where possible too, and popular volunteer days incude polytunnel skinning, sowing seeds and harvesting crops.

Currently we have a small walk-behind rotovator, which is perfect for the polytunnels, and for the odd small strip out in the field. We weed using hand-tools, mow with strimmers and pedestrian mowers, and plant and harvest everything by hand. We have also been lucky enough to borrow a tractor on odd days in spring to cultivate the soil; but we need our own tractor with some specific attachments to really expand, get more crops in the ground & grow as a business. 

Our Plans

A tractor on it's own is great, but we need some implements to go with it too! A cultivator such as a PTO rotovator or power harrow will cultivate the soil and kill off weeds, saving us lots of time and doing a more thorough job than our current rotavator will allow. A root-lifter will mean we can grow more staple crops such as potatoes, carrots and parsnips. A trailer will save the back-breaking and labour-intensive work of moving all that produce around via wheelbarrows; and a flail mower will turn all the old crops and clover leys back into the soil, providing more organic matter and fertility. We're also looking for a front-loader with the tractor in order to turn and make our own homemade woodchip compost in large quantities, sourced from our obliging local foresters and tree surgeons. This will lock up carbon in the soil, as well as reducing our need to buy-in bags of sowing compost transported from elsewhere. We could also use the front loader to move manure from our neighbouring cows - thanks ladies!

The New Field

We're planning to plant trees in the new field (above) too, in strips between veg beds. This agroforestry approach has many benefits, not least growing new kinds of crops such as fruit and nuts, encouraging biodiversity and helping the soil to absorb more water. We'd love to hold coppicing and hedgelaying workshops here, as well as willow weaving, hurdle making and growing local floristry supplies such as eucalyptus and native foliage. In order to put these exciting plans into action though, we need that tractor and implements!

We have some fantastic rewards on offer from the market garden itself – as well as offers from great local businesses and artists – in return for your generous pledges, so please support us if you can. Every pledge, share and mention is hugely appreciated!

With your help, we can increase local and sustainable food production. We can create more local jobs, connect more people to the land, to nature and the food that they eat, all while supporting local wildlife, the environment and biodiversity too. Thank you.