Dennis Touliatos, Grower in chief at The Plot at Summerhouse Community Farm explains more.
I’m delighted to share some news: our first Soil Association inspection is coming up. This is Summerhouse Community Farm‘s first year – and our first year in organic conversion- so it’s a real milestone for all of us who have dug, sown, weeded and dreamed here.
For anyone wondering what the fuss is about, a quick word on the legal side: In the UK, the word “organic” is protected by law. Anyone producing or selling organic food must be registered with an approved certification body, and the Soil Association is one of them.
Each year, certified farms are inspected to check we are following the organic standards in practice, not just in intention. That protects the people who eat our food, and it protects the honest growers who do the work. Land entering organic status goes through a conversion period, usually two years for annual crops and three years for perennials, during which we grow organically but can’t yet sell produce as fully organic. We’re at the very start of that road.
Why achieving organic status is important
So why bother with all this? Because organic principles are about looking after the whole system.
For the food: no synthetic pesticides or artificial fertilisers, which means cleaner, fresher produce grown for flavour and nutrition.
For people: safer working conditions for growers and volunteers, and a food system where you can see, touch and trust where your vegetables come from.
For the planet: healthy soil stores carbon, holds water and resists erosion. Building fertility through compost, green manures and crop rotation is climate action you can taste.
For our local ecosystem: hedgerows, pollinators, soil life, birds and beneficial insects thrive when we work with nature instead of against her.
I’ll be honest: I’m excited. This is our first inspection, and I’m looking forward to walking the farm with the Soil Association inspector. I want to show them what we’ve started, talk through our plans for rotations, fertility and biodiversity, and hear their view on what we’re doing well and where we can grow. Their experience will be a gift to us as a young farm.
Support our work
