The SSAW Collective is a community of chefs, florists & growers committed to an ethical way of working with seasonal produce.

We create experiences  that truly celebrate seasonality, advocating for positive and progressive ecological change in our food, floral and farming systems.
 

JOURNAL

Representing creative individuals whose craft, skill and practices are all connected by a commitment to positive change.

14/06/22

ALEX CHERRY

- GROUNDSWELL AGRICULTURAL FESTIVAL

My father Paul and uncle John Cherry had been farming the land at Weston in North Hertfordshire for over three decades with the conventional plough-based system. After too many years of bumping around in a tractor pulling heavy cultivation equipment they started to feel sorry for their soil and it dawned on them that ripping up our clay with furrows was becoming counter-productive and unsustainable. They were introduced to no-till farming and in 2010 started direct drilling with the aim to bring the soil back to life. The neighbours looked sceptical at the “untidy” fields left in stubble after harvest but soon the escalating earthworm population was doing the work of the plough that had since been sold. The reassuring green rows of next year’s crop emerged through the trash triumphantly and in the subsequent couple of years the farm witnessed its best gross margin on record, mainly due to reduced fixed and variable costs.

One and a half, Ardleigh Road,

LONDON N1 4HS

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We specialise in food and flowers. For ethically & ecologically minded consultancy, consciously curated events and / or locally grown seasonal produce, please get in touch.