Anne Finlay-Baird

I have an acre of alkaline clay on the Herefordshire side of the Malvern Hills and have raised vegetable beds, a 10x12 Hartley Botanic Greenhouse, a small polytunnel and ordinary vegetable beds.

My husband is an enthusiastic compost maker, and we often joke that he could open the heaps to the public. We have fruit trees, soft fruit and grow lots of different vegetables, especially those we really like.

I have saved seeds for as long as I can remember, encouraged by a neighbour whose runner bean seed dated from the1930's. He always told me they adapted to the soil and I've done the same for decades. I also save most of my tomato seeds (not F1), runner and climbing French beans, garlic and potatoes, dill and parsley. I save all the calendula and other companion plants and all my annuals.

We are totally organic, and have always been interested in the soil inspired by our long membership of the Henry Doubleday Ryton Gardens when it was a flourishing concern. Charles is now my guru and I am always grateful for the ongoing inspirational YouTube videos and the amount of knowledge he so freely shares with us all.

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