Springham Farm, Sussex
A regenerative biodynamic beef and veg farm, rewilding and educating communities
We were asked by Springham Farm to look creatively at the regenerative farm mission and design an Architectural Consultant, doing some feasibility conceptual design work. After some discussions we agreed to relocate to Ed’s Tiny House/ SAWA HQ on the Springham farm from May 2021 to be lead the grower, run Tiny House and permaculture workshops and engagments.
Springham Farm, near Hailsham East Sussex, was bought by a private client who benevolently gave it to the Biodynamic Land Trust. With funding from the client it is now transitioning into a mixed use farm, which will house a complimentary stack of regenerative farm enterprises.
To start with the farm was almost entirely grassland, with small areas of trees and ponds. However, through the use of rewilding and regenerative systems the new tenants, Springham Grove LLP, hope to optimise the biodiversity of the land and make it a carbon positive energy neutral farm. Their dream is that Springham will become a biodynamic farm for the mutual benefit of humans and nature that can be replicated elsewhere.
Since purchasing the farm Springham Grove have started working alongside SAWA and many other organisations, such as The Sussex Wildlife Trust and South East Water, to achieve their goal of a progressive ecologically minded farm. As it stands they are now two years away from becoming fully biodynamic.
In order to reach their goal Springham Farm has had to take a holistic approach to the land incorporating a rich array of farming and land management techniques. They have adopted a no digging or tilling system in order to protect the ever important fungal networks and nutrient dense food under the soil. They have also met with holistic grazing experts to inspect the soil and help rethink their grazing plan. As well as adopting a Forest Garden approach to the growing of their fruit and vegetables.
The Forest Garden approach is a low maintenance food production system that aims to create a woodland ecosystem of fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs and vegetables. The Farm currently produce apples, pears, a number of soft fruits, greengages and native plumbs. They also grow beans, carrots, swedes, turnips and squash. The Forest Garden system involves a method of companion planting whereby different plants can be layered amongst one another to achieve a biodiverse and low maintenance woodland habitat.
The farm operates largely through volunteers who are provided with a compost toilet which drops into a laurel hedge, as well as a returning shower built into laurel hedges.
With Ed from SAWA and Freya Robin from the Old Tree Market Garden, Springham Farm now sell a range of salad bags filled with fresh produce from the farm. They have also started supplying Rushlake Green Village Stores with their produce.
