The final visit prior to embarking on the main journey in 2015 was to the wonderfully named, Growing With Grace just outside Settle at the invitation of the effervescent Anne-Marie.

Growing With Grace was set up almost 20 years ago by Neil Marshall and partner when they bought some 3 acres of greenhouse covered land from a failed bedding plant nursery. Since then the site has been run as a community-owned Cooperative and Social Enterprise and used to produce a wide range of salad and vegetable crops grown to Soil Association organic standards. the produce is sold in the immediate vicinity and in nearby Lancaster through a weekly veg box scheme and the site shop. Anne-Marie’s job was to run the shop which was a delight to the eye – an explosion of colour and freshness – not all of which, of course, in providing the choice and a year long supply to customers, could be grown on site. It is though all organically produced. The almost exclusive coverage of the site with glass houses creates it own unique challenges in terms of market gardening. When I was there it produced a feeling I associate with visits in my youth to the fairground at Southport during the winter out of season closure. So still but waiting to burst into life!!

For more information see Growing With Grace

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