Sara Cross of Gold Hill Organic Farm in Child Okeford told the NBVM about the challenges posed by climate change and how the farm coped with water shortages during this year’s record summer heatwave
by Brian MacReamoinn.

Remember the scorching temperatures this summer? The nationwide heatwave, which saw the mercury reach over 40°C at one point, represented a threat to livelihoods as well as life. In particular, farmers across the country were affected by the unprecedented weather conditions. One Dorset farm devised its own unorthodox method of coping during the prolonged drought.
Gold Hill Organic Farm stands on 60 acres in the village of Child Okeford. The couple who manage the operation, Sara Cross and her husband Andrew, are very conscious of working in the midst of climate change and, like many others, have noticed warmer winters and fewer insects and birds around.
“For us as vegetable growers, climate change has extended the season both ends. Crops are being harvested earlier and later in the season.” A striking observation is that 15 years ago peppers finished in October but now Gold Hill is still growing them into December.
“We have tried to do our best to mitigate and offset our carbon footprint through various projects,” Sara said. They have a rainwater harvesting system and two sets of solar panels at the farm, and eight years ago they planted 12,000 trees.
“Of course,” as she pointed out, “our rainwater harvesting system only works when it rains.”

Impressive setup
In terms of storage of rainwater, the farm boasts two main12,000-litre tanks, plus two 8,000-litre tanks for collecting water from polytunnels and a 3,000-litre tank that takes rainwater from outbuilding roofs, In addition, there is a hole in the ground with a pump that can collect field run-off up to two days after rain, which gets pumped into the 12,000-litre tanks. It takes 24 hours of rain to fill the tanks, which will last a week when used to water all the polytunnels.
It’s an impressive setup and in normal times it works very efficiently. But these aren’t normal times. “We haven’t used them since May, and had to use mains water instead,” said Sara.

All hands to the pump
This summer’s extreme conditions meant transporting by tractor large amounts water in container units to the vegetable fields. An enthusiastic team of volunteers – family, friends, and customers – gathered to help with watering and weeding.
“I am sure most local dog walkers have seen us down in the fields with our 2,000 litres of tap water carried down in tanks on the trailer, spot watering with watering cans. It’s very efficient in terms of water usage, but not in manpower!
“It’s embarrassing how low-tech we are,” admitted Sara, “but talking to our workers, who are very aware of climate change, they point out it is a very efficient way of watering without pulling resources out of rivers or streams that are already low or using sprinkler systems that waste a lot of water and also nurture weeds.”

A family affair – the Crosses watering lines before planting

Water loss
There’s a theory that watering in the morning or at night alleviates water loss. According to Sara, it’s marginal whether it can make a difference. “With the wind making transpiration higher, any gains have been marginal. Although there is a time restraint and fitting into the planting schedule means we end up having to water when it fits,” she said.
Watering at night, however, does have an unexpected benefit, in Sara’s eyes. She commented that it was like a kind of meditation, slowly watering in the evening as the temperature was cooling down – a relaxing, contemplative task.
She noted the various ways to alleviate water loss. “Mulch is a good way to retain water, but if the mulch gets very dry, rain will just run off.
“It might be inefficient to use watering cans labour-wise but imagine the weeds or water loss if we used sprinklers.
“The weeds cluster around the watered plants not between the rows. We think, but aren’t certain, that a bit of weed growth can actually keep the soil moist compared to total bare earth. Also a few weeds may confuse pests like the flea-beetle, which loves this very dry weather, or cabbage white butterflies, which seems to be the only butterfly surviving as its food source is being kept alive.”
Another device employed is a ‘leaky pipe’ made from recycled tyres, which slowly drips water next to the plants. It can be put under Mypex woven polypropylene groundcover or mulch.

Effects of climate change
Although there is no water supply in the vegetable fields, in the past the growers could time the planting of crops with the seasonal rains because it could be guaranteed to rain at least once a week. They would water plants when they were first planted, but that was all.
The consequences of climate change are altered weather patterns, which have played havoc with land cultivation. This has affected agricultural operations both big and small. The recent summer heatwave, which lasted several weeks, also placed Gold Hill’s system under extra strain.
Sara explained the watering system they had to use this year to help establish newly planted crops… “Firstly water the lines, then plant, then immediately water again, then water again two to three days later. After that it’s up to nature. The plants were just clinging on. They looked quite shrivelled at that third watering, but the next day they looked jaunty in their rows.
But established plants also need watering too, “To try to stop a plant bolting and going to seed through panic to propagate and survive,” explained Sara.
Unfortunately, this approach didn’t work for their spinach. The sweetcorn, too, was small and only one cob, occasionally two, appeared on each stem. Sara said the team threw water over the fennel on five and three days before harvest but, on the day of harvest, 50 per cent of the crop had bolted. So, two weeks later, they watered the next batch but harvested them earlier at half the size before they bolted. The net result was disappointing: they still lost 50 per cent of their yield.
Sara conceded that at least they had got something to show for their endeavours. She sympathised with other people around the world; after all this is a global problem affecting everyone. “It must be heartbreaking in any country seriously starting to suffer from climate change, to see all that effort put into producing food just shrivel up.”
A happier note was sounded when it came to the polytunnels. Most of the vegetables thrived there, giving good yields and taste on the tomatoes, cucumbers and aubergines. This year the farm’s squashes, beetroot, kohlrabi, and most of the tunnel vegetables have done extremely well.
Of course, different crops are affected differently by exceptional heat. During the worst days of the heatwave, it was too hot even for the peppers and tomatoes. Peppers on every plant went soft and wrinkly and the ones facing the sun at the end of the tunnel were scorched dry. “I’ve never seen anything like it!” exclaimed Sara.
“Also, most of the cabbage family, kales, spring greens, and broccoli have much tougher leaves this year.”
There have been some benefits, she did say, in that sunshine will always produce sweeter tasting plants.

Peppers in the polytunnels were scorched by the intense sunshine during this summer’s heatwave

Future plans
Climate change will continue to exert influence on growing vegetables. “It is unpredictable – either we are having too much rain or too little rain so the best type is mixed farming,” Sara said. “We are lucky we are on a small scale, a very mixed enterprise which makes it more manageable.”
As to the immediate future, she confirmed they are making plans to install water storage down by the vegetable field so they won’t have to take water containers down on the tractor again.
Gold Hill Organic Farm, Ridgeway Lane, Child Okeford, Dorset DT11 8HB, 01258 861916, www.goldhillorganicfarm.com