Pigs and a horse as well as human hands have all contributed to the great flavour of potatoes which have proved a hit at the village shop in Kirkoswald.
The sought after potatoes are being grown a short distance from the community owned shop in a highly traditional way at Barugh Cottages, Dale, near Ainstable, by Nicola Reed and her partner Andy Briggs — with major input from some of their animals.
Nicola said that their Gloucester Old Spot pigs — two sows and their offspring — are turned out on to the potato growing area before any planting is done, helping to break the ground up, remove weeds and enrich the soil.
The couple’s Friesian horse, Cru, then goes to work pulling a grubber over the area and ridging it up before the seed potatoes are planted by hand. Pentland Javelin is the main type used this year, together with Maris Piper and Cara.
Cru is brought into play later on as the crop grows to ridge the plants up again using discs, and finally to unearth them so they can be picked up by hand.
No sprays or artificial inputs are employed, with the nutrients the potatoes need coming from the pigs and the application of straw-based farmyard manure.
Nicola said: “We also turn the pigs on to the potato plot once all the potatoes have been lifted as they will dig through in search of any tubers which are missed during harvest, which prevents as many being left in the soil over winter where they can harbour disease which might affect the next crop. They of course love potatoes and are very happy to provide us with this service!
“Combined with periodic rotation, this old fashioned method helps produce good crops of tasty potatoes with no artificial inputs. Using the horse to cultivate the crop also greatly reduces soil compaction.”
As a customer at the Kirkoswald shop, Nicola thought the team there might be willing to sell some of her potatoes — which they were more than happy to do after tasting them.
She added that the potatoes have proved so popular that she and Andy will probably double the area they plant next season, from around quarter of an acre this year.
The potatoes are also available at Nicola and Andy’s farm shop at Dale, along with a selection of sausages and other pork products.
