OGPod Episode 21: Edwin Brooks and Ed's Veg

James speaks to Edwin Brooks of Ed’s Veg in Hampshire. Ed has a wide range of expertise but today the conversation focuses mainly on his year-round salad production. Ed and his team produce 150-200kg of mixed leaf salad a week, primarily for wholesale markets. We drill down into propagation, planting, varieties, irrigation, fertility, harvest schedules and techniques and much more. We also discuss the development of a field scale operation at a nearby site, which is helping to expand and diversify the enterprise. Towards the end, Ed also talks about his international work as a campaigner and activist with The Landworkers’ Alliance and La Via Campesina. If you are thinking of honing or improving your salad growing this year then this conversation is an absolute must and even if you’re not, Ed is full of interesting ideas, so let’s get to it.

This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.

More about James Butterworth and Cotswold Market Garden: https://www.cotswoldmarketgarden.co.uk/

This project is part-funded by our podcast partner Ooooby, and our show sponsors ReAgTools, Vital Seeds, and the Biodynamic Agricultural College. We also rely on the generosity of listeners to keep this project going - if you like what you hear and want to hear more of it, please consider donating to our Patreon page on a monthly basis. Find out more here: https://www.patreon.com/TheOrganicGrowerPodcast