A visit to the Shumei Natural Agriculture Farm at Yatesbury by local resident Jan Watterson — Grow Batheaston

A visit the Shumei Natural Agriculture farm at Yatesbury was bewildering. I thought I knew a fair amount about organic agriculture, but my assumptions about the relationship between growers and crops were turned upside down.

Natural Agriculture was developed in Japan by Mokichi Okada early in the 20th Century. At its core is a spiritual connection with Nature and minimum intervention in the growing process.

No dig and no pesticides are familiar ingredients of an organic landscape. But in this 5 acre farm there are also no fertilisers, no compost and, gradually, no crop rotation. As the soil and vegetables improve, they are switched to continuous cropping i.e. the same crops are grown in the same area year after year.

Forty varieties of vegetable are grown at Yatesbury and seeds are saved from around 85% of them. The seeds are then used the following year, so that the plants improve by becoming accustomed to their environment. Seedlings are not grown in pots of compost, instead they begin life in pots of soil from the area that will eventually be their home.

After planting out, young plants are initially watered to help them settle in, but then their care is left to Nature. New areas under cultivation are weeded but after a while the variety of weeds changes and they do not need to be rigorously removed.

And yes, it is important to talk to the plants and to the soil and to thank them both.

This visit has made me re-think my approach to growing all plants. I might not have enough experience to apply all the principles explained by Shinya Imahashi, who showed me round the farm. But I hope I can follow his example to become receptive and prepared to learn from the plants in my care.

If you’d like to learn more:

website https://shumei.uk/yatesbury/

Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/shumeiyatesbury

on-line course starting on 8th May (donations, sign up on Eventbrite) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shumei-natural-agriculture-learning-course-part-1-tickets-129287854453

Jan Watterson April 2021