Farm of the Week: Garlic sows the seed of a new venture

But one corner of the White Rose county is now home to a crop not quite as readily associated with British farming.

Mark Palmer and his wife, Moira, are looking to become producers of Yorkshire garlic, with the couple hoping to harvest their first crop of the distinctive vegetable in the next few weeks.

The crop is very much an experimental one with the couple currently looking to source markets. However, early feedback for the first few sales of “green garlic” – fresh garlic which has yet to form into bulbs – has been very encouraging.

Mr Palmer runs the crop from rented land at Dalton, near Thirsk.

He and his wife operate a pack house at nearby Hutton Conyers and operate under the name Copperwheat Agriculture. Both have long-standing ties to the farming industry, with Mr Palmer an experienced farm manager who has worked all over the country.

Copperwheat Agriculture has also been involved with providing management and agronomy consultancy, including to a business growing garlic in Eastern Europe.

When they were presented with the opportunity of running some land to produce their own crops, they jumped at the chance.

“We had the opportunity for the field and were discussing what we were going to grow there” he said.

“Garlic came up again and again.

“We knew we could grow garlic here. This is very much a trial crop at the moment; we have had really good response so far. If it goes well, we will obviously look to increase the acreage.”

The trial is certainly a departure from crops that are more traditionally grown in the area.

Most of the world’s garlic is grown in China but the majority of the garlic eaten in the UK comes from Spain.

However, the increasing appetite of the British public for domestic produce has inspired the Palmers to try to create a UK supply.

The couple are aiming to target wholesale markets initially, particular at the high end of the market with top restaurants a key area. As well as garlic, the couple grow beetroot, carrots and some potatoes.

“It is a very laborious process; all of the seeding had to be done by hand,” said Mrs Palmer. “Specialist machinery is available but for the scale we are at currently, it is not quite time.

“All of the bulbs have to be trimmed by hand. One person working very hard will probably be able to do around four to five kilos in one hour.”

Early feedback has proved promising with some of the green garlic already sold to a Northern wholesale company.

“Green garlic has a following and can be quite popular,” said Mr Palmer, who carried out all of the planting by himself – planting by hand some 40,000 seeds on the land.

The garlic the couple are growing is a French variety.

Mr Palmer said: “You would normally look to be planting over winter, from around the end of October to March.

“You do need reasonable soil. It is not that demanding a crop but needs some careful attention.

“Once it has been dried, we will sell it on to the shops. Initially, we are looking to wholesale it but we may look at retailing it ourselves down the line.”

Mr Palmer predicts that he will be able to begin harvesting in around a month.

“It is really getting established,” he said.

Mrs Palmer said that the process so far had been interesting and challenging.

She said : “We have had an awful lot of support from friends and members of staff at our business – we couldn’t have done it without them.”

However, as they both know, farming is never straightforward and the current high rates of fuel are making things particularly challenging.

Mr Palmer said: “Transport is very difficult and expensive. It can cost £50 just to get a pallet to Leeds.

“I am quite happy with the response so far. There is really not much of a supply of garlic in the UK.”

The unseasonably dry weather, too, has caused them problems, with Mrs Palmer remarking that the recent rainfall has come at a vital time and saved them from having to look at the expensive option of irrigation.

The pair are now looking towards the harvest season.

Over the next six weeks or so, the bulbs at the base of the plant will begin to swell and divide into the familiar segments we know as cloves.

The leaves of the plants will eventually die off, signifying that they are ready to be harvested. The bulbs will then be sent off to a dry store and kept at a specific temperature and humidity.

In total, the Palmers have been trading for 12 years, the name taken from Moira’s maiden name. The business initially offered farm management and advisory services, especially in organic and sustainable production.

Prior to forming the business, Mark had been involved in practical farm management for different businesses (including a pick-your-own farm where one customer was a young chef called Raymond Blanc).

The Palmers have facilities for washing, grading and packing all root vegetables, supplying local businesses for retail, wholesale and bulk, including potatoes, carrots, beetroot and parsnips.

Copperwheat Agriculture can be contacted on 07801 473619.