THE GROWING
*MARKET GARDEN*
Our community market garden is at the heart of Crops Not Shops, embodying our vision for a regenerative, community-focused food system.
We believe that access to fresh, healthy, and sustainably grown food should be a right, not a privilege, and our market garden serves as both a food production hub and an educational resource for the local community.
We are committed to regenerative agriculture, a holistic approach to farming that restores soil health, promotes biodiversity, and combats climate change.
Here are some of our methods
No-Dig (No-Till) Farming
By avoiding soil disturbance, we protect soil structure, retain moisture, and encourage the growth of beneficial microorganisms. This method improves soil fertility, enhances carbon sequestration, and reduces the need for synthetic inputs.
Water Conservation
We use efficient irrigation methods to minimize water waste and support sustainable growing practices. We are fortunate to have access to a natural spring, providing a clean and reliable water source that supports our crops and eliminates dependence on external water supplies.
Organic Growing Methods
We do not use synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Instead, we use cover crops, composting, natural fertilizers, mulching, natural pest management, and companion planting to create a balanced and resilient ecosystem.
Wildlife Integration
Encouraging pollinators and natural predators through hedgerows, wildflower strips, and habitat creation helps maintain a healthy ecosystem.
Crop Rotation and Polycultures
By diversifying our crops and rotating planting areas, we maintain soil fertility, reduce plant disease, and increase overall resilience.
Community Outreach and Education
Our market garden is more than just a growing space; it is a place of learning, connection, and empowerment. We run a variety of outreach programs to engage and support the local community, including:
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Workshops and Training: We offer hands-on workshops covering organic gardening, composting, permaculture, and seasonal growing techniques. These sessions are open to all and designed to help individuals grow their own food sustainably.
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Volunteering Opportunities: We welcome volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to work alongside us, gaining practical experience in regenerative farming while contributing to a meaningful community initiative.
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Support for Low-Income Families: Half of the produce grown in our market garden is gifted to food banks, low-income families, and those in need, ensuring that fresh, organic food is accessible to everyone.
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Therapeutic and Social Inclusion Programs: We work with marginalized and disadvantaged groups, including people experiencing mental health challenges, homelessness, and social isolation, offering them a supportive and healing environment through nature and food-growing activities.
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School and Youth Engagement: We collaborate with local schools and youth groups, educating the next generation on the importance of sustainable food production, environmental stewardship, and healthy eating habits.
FAFF strengthens food security, reduces waste, and fosters a culture of sharing and self-sufficiency.
The FAFF Project – Free and Fair Food Sharing Network
In addition to our work at the market garden, we are pioneering the Free and Fair Food (FAFF) Sharing Network across the UK. This initiative empowers local people to grow their own food and share it within their communities, creating a decentralized, resilient, and cooperative food system. By connecting growers, surplus food providers, and those in need, FAFF strengthens food security, reduces waste, and fosters a culture of sharing and self-sufficiency.
We support individuals and groups in setting up their own community growing projects, providing guidance on regenerative farming methods, offering consultation and facilitating connections between local growers. Through FAFF, we are creating a nationwide movement that puts food back into the hands of the people, promoting sustainability and community-driven change.
Boosting accessibility to organically grown produce for local businesses & events
Our market garden also supplies fresh produce to small local businesses, restaurants, and community initiatives, strengthening the local food economy and reducing food miles. Through partnerships with other grassroots organizations, we are fostering a resilient, sustainable, and self-sufficient food network in Glastonbury and beyond.
At Crops Not Shops, we believe that regenerative agriculture and community action go hand in hand. By restoring the land and reconnecting people with the source of their food, we are nurturing a healthier, more sustainable future for all. Whether you want to learn, volunteer, or simply enjoy fresh, organic produce, our market garden is open to you. Join us in growing food, regenerating the land, and strengthening our community.
What is regenerative agriculture and why is it so important?
Regenerative farming is a holistic approach to agriculture that prioritizes restoring soil health, increasing biodiversity, and working in harmony with natural ecosystems. Unlike industrial farming, which depletes the land through heavy tilling and synthetic inputs, regenerative farming enhances soil fertility by using techniques like no-dig methods, cover cropping, and composting. Healthy soil acts as a carbon sink, helping to combat climate change while also improving water retention and reducing erosion. This method of farming not only produces nutrient-rich food but also creates resilient landscapes that support wildlife and local communities. By adopting regenerative practices, we can heal our land, secure sustainable food systems, and protect the planet for future generations.
It is about reimagining our relationship with land
Let’s start at the bottom: with soil. Soil itself is truly a living entity. Among the clay, sand, and silt particles are the living roots of plants, threads of mycelium, animals like worms and nematodes, and tons and tons of microbes. This dynamic, interconnected community of living things is known as the soil food web. Soil is responsible for providing us with 95% of the food we eat. Healthy soil is ALIVE and full of microbes that help diversify our microbiome and provide us with nutrients as well as microbes that we use to make medicines and technologies.
But our soils are getting tired, slowly dying and becoming heavily reliant on synthetic fertilizers as we just take, take, take. Regenerative agriculture is a growing method (which becomes a way of life!) in which food is grown in a sustainable way that instead of simply taking nutrients and life from the soil, actually builds matter and life in the soil.
Regenerative agriculture is a journey that involves changing our perspectives about nature and agriculture – in short, a shift in our way of thinking. We have to look after Mother nature so that she can look after us.
We see regenerative agriculture as a way of moving from that extractive, reductive, and destructive form of agriculture and towards a sort of nutrient equilibrium – balancing multiple symbiotic life forms to create rather than destroy ecosystems.
Regenerative practices lead to healthy soils and more nutritious foods, a safer system with fewer applied chemicals, meaning healthier people as well as an increase in both on and off farm biodiversity, and an increase in carbon sequestration.
'What indigenous people with traditional knowledge have long known, is that soil fertility and functional biodiversity are the keystones of productive and regenerative farming systems'