A Deeper Dive Into Birch Farm

This has to be the most exciting edible garden in Britain with a hybrid approach of natural farming and syntropic agriculture.

Following on from my first mention of Birch Farm on Substack found here.

On a windswept hill in the wilds of North Devon lies a very special place: Birch Farm. Part of the Woolsery Collective, this 150-acre farm is organically managed, and a small slice of it dedicated to an extraordinary edible garden created by Joshua Sparkes and his passionate team.

This garden is at the cutting edge of edible gardening - but rather than using complicated technology, they embrace the complexity of nature to create an edible paradise like no other. In fact, it is the most unique food-focused garden I’ve ever visited.

From the first step into Birch Farm, it is unlike anything you might imagine. You are firstly met with a beautiful glasshouse and office/workshop area. Smart, clean, modern and sleek. Yet when you enter the garden it’s a whole other experience. To a traditional horticulturist, it might seem chaotic or overgrown. To a permaculturalist, it’s a food forest on steroids. To an ecologist, it’s a theme park for nature.