Organic Sheffield farm is model of sustainable living - and supplies food to city residents through its gardening scheme

The Regather farm, a 15-acre site in Moss Valley, was established in 2018 with a mission to improve food for Sheffield and contribute to a more sustainable future.
By Steven Ross
Published 5th Aug 2021, 06:00 BST
Updated 6th Aug 2021, 14:12 BST
One of the polytunnels at the Regather farmOne of the polytunnels at the Regather farm
One of the polytunnels at the Regather farm

Staff at the farm have been working on several developments over the summer months, as well as harvesting crops from the gardens to fill their regather boxes which are delivered to customers across Sheffield.

Tim Feben, director of the worker owned community benefit co-operative, said: “At the Regather Farm, we farm organic.

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"We all know growing food is an essential part of feeding us all.

Regather boxes full of fresh fruit and vegetables, produced at the farm.Regather boxes full of fresh fruit and vegetables, produced at the farm.
Regather boxes full of fresh fruit and vegetables, produced at the farm.

"We believe it's not only possible to minimise the impact this activity has on the planet and its wildlife, it's essential.

"That means working in harmony with nature to restore balance to our agriculture practices and rejecting artificial fertilisers and large unnatural monoculture fields.”

UK soil holds roughly 10 billion tonnes of carbon, due to intensive agricultural farming practices.

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Through maintaining organic farming techniques, sites like Regather aim to address this issue.

Using a sycthe to cut the wild meadow.Using a sycthe to cut the wild meadow.
Using a sycthe to cut the wild meadow.

The Regather team have now installed their fourth polytunnel – a structure which traps heat from the sun – extending the growing season and enabling a greater variety of crops to be grown, such as tomatoes, chilli and cucumber.

Over 1km of native hedgerows have also been installed along the market gardens to attract helpful insects that will reduce pest populations.

Regather worked with Natural England to establish a pond, which will produce further useful on-site habitat, and a thriving woodland adjacent to the farm, great for birds and agroforestry.

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The farm also planted a wildflower meadow on site – which is cut and maintained with a scythe – to further increase the mix of wildlife and vegetables.

The team at the Regather Farm, aiming to support more sustainable living.The team at the Regather Farm, aiming to support more sustainable living.
The team at the Regather Farm, aiming to support more sustainable living.

The Regather team joined in the Sheffield Wheat Experiment, in which Sheffielders were tasked with planting wheat in their gardens, allotments or pots and and becoming sustainable producers.

Their delivery boxes are filled with organic fruit and vegetables as well as eggs, milk and bread sourced from independent producers across the region.

Box customers can expect some of the following fresh and tasty vegetables in their box soon: courgette, beetroot, peas, salad, chard, kale, broad beans, French beans, spring onions, and garlic.

Tomatoes, runner beans, cucumbers, and fennel will also be harvested for future boxes.

Find out more about the delivery scheme at regather.net.

Related topics:Sheffield