David Newman and Tracy Russell, Bucksum at Shabbington Fields Farm

David Newman and Tracy Russell were awarded first place in the 2024 Soil Farmer of the Year competition. Find out more about the competition here.

Bucksum is a horticultural business, located near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, which grows fresh seasonal produce for sale in the on-site farm shop and to local restaurants.  David and Tracy aim to increase soil health and fertility without using artificial inputs, to enable them to take a cash crop from their vegetable plots once every four years without depleting the soil.

The farm shop is open for two half days a week and has a very loyal customer base, with lots of customers coming twice a week because they know they are going to get the freshest seasonal produce, which is the most nutritious. In addition to selling directly to customers via the farm shop, Tracy and David also frequently get involved with activities that help their local community to reconnect with how food is produced.

The business has 16 acres overall, with the field vegetables grown in eight one-acre plots. The layout means that for one year in four a cash crop of vegetables is taken, and for the other three years herbal leys are grown to build fertility in the soil. There are also 11 polytunnels which are fed with soil improver that is made on-site.

Making soil improver

David and Tracy make soil improver from the farm’s green waste, composted wood chippings from local tree surgeons, spent hops from nearby brewery and coffee grinds. It is turned every week or two, which keeps conditions aerobic and enables microbes and worms to break down the organic matter to produce compost. After about six months, wood chip which has been composted separately is incorporated. The wood chip is a useful addition because it holds the nutrients in, stopping the soil improver from breaking down too quickly.

They are also just about to begin a trial using fleece as a layer at the bottom of the compost pile, which will be slower to break down but will add a greater diversity of microbiology to enhance the process.

Water management and working with the landscape

There is a reservoir at Bucksum which holds up to 1.5 million gallons of water. It provides water for all the farm’s irrigation needs and also helps attract wildlife into the fields.

The reservoir also plays an important role in minimising any wind damage to the polytunnels. Having previously lost some polytunnels to hurricanes and one to a tornado, Tracy and David decided to work with the landscape to guide the wind away from where it can do most damage. First, the banks of the reservoir act as a barrier to push the wind upwards. The wind then arcs up and over the two propagation tunnels, before reaching the big salad polytunnels which have hooped ends, which also encourages the wind to move up and over instead of slamming against a traditional flat ended polytunnel.

Propagation and polytunnels

Everything is grown from seed on the farm. 10,000 plug plants will be planted in the propagation tunnels throughout the autumn, which will be planted out in the main polytunnels and will supply the farm shop right through the winter until Easter.

In the propagation tunnels, cucumbers are grown up recycled football nets to create shade for the salad plants grown underneath. One of the propagation tunnels is covered with a product called ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene), which is endlessly recyclable. The ETFE provides the benefit of the light being much better than the standard opaque polytunnels.

The polytunnels are used primarily to grow winter salads, and also tomatoes, peppers, chillies, aubergines, sweet potatoes and melons.  There are 11 polytunnels altogether, so every year everything moves along one tunnel, so even though the tunnels always stay in place the crops rotate through them.

To prepare polytunnels for the winter salad plugs, a clover mix is grown through the summer, which feeds the soil by fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere. Homemade soil improver is then added before planting it with the plug plants.

Drip irrigation is used in the polytunnels which minimises water wastage and also helps reduce the number of weeds coming up.  

Field vegetables and living mulches

In the field plots crops are covered in fleece to protect them from pigeons and to prevent butterflies from accessing them to lay eggs and introduce caterpillars. As no agrochemicals are used physical protection plays an important role in ensuring crops are protected from pests.  

For the last couple of years David and Tracy have been trialling use of white clover living mulches among the field veg. Last year they used several different sizes of clover and found the smallest one worked most effectively, which was used again this year. The white clover is sown in lines between the brassicas, effectively bringing forward the fertility building phase, as there is already a nitrogen fixing legume in place while the cash crop is present.

Herbal leys and grazing

Sheep from nearby Chiltern Grounds Farm graze the herbal leys, which are established and kept in place for three years, to build fertility into the soil. The herbal leys include a mix of species, including legumes to fix nitrogen and deep rooting plants such as chicory, which can help reduce compaction and bring minerals up towards the soil surface.  

The sheep play an important role in enhancing soil fertility as nutrients in their droppings are recycled back into the soil in a form which is more accessible to plants. The sheep also attract more birds, which look for beetles in the droppings. Having grazing livestock also removes the need to top the herbal leys, which saves time and the fossil fuel required to power the tractor when topping them. Reducing the times the machinery passes over is also good for the soil, as it reduces the chance of compaction.  

Agroforestry

David and Tracy have introduced four agroforestry tree lines, which divide up the different growing plots. The tree lines attract wildlife and will also eventually create more windbreak for the field veg.

The trees include stone fruits like plums and greengages, pears (early, mid & late season), apples, (early, mid & late season). Six hens clear the ground under the trees, with the hen house being moved along everyday, so they eat a lot of the insects which might be a problem for the trees. The chickens are soya free, so they eat malted grains from a local brewery, some wheat and some fava bean chips for some more protein. They are also fond of insects and field voles.

The impact of prioritising soil health

David and Tracy know that looking after soil health is key to the success of their business. Since introducing the clover intercropping, they’ve noticed improved soil structure underfoot, which has benefits when harvesting winter vegetables. Having less bare soil between rows has also meant less crop damage as some pests have eaten the clover instead.  

They’ve also noticed more natural predators in the field since introducing the sheep and the agroforestry lines. These include owls and kestrels which provide field vole control and wrens which provide caterpillar control.  Customers also find hearing about and seeing the increased biodiversity interesting, which has benefits in the farm shop.

Find out more about how farming practices at Bucksum have improved soil health in this virtual farm walk video. Or, if you’re local to or visiting Buckinghamshire, why not visit the Bucksum farm shop when it’s open to sample some of the produce?