Farm of the Week: Call of the land too strong for an old hand to resist...

Even retired farmers never really retire – they will always maintain some sort of interest in the industry, even if it is just the occasional trip to the local agricultural show.

When Chris Pryor made the decision to move out of farming a few years ago he maintained a strong contact with agriculture, working for farmers all over Yorkshire fogging (spraying) potatoes.

"It has always been my main income, one way or another," he said.

However, this year the allure of growing proved too much for him and he decided to use some of the land he had kept on.

Skylark Farm, based at Bishopthorpe, just south of York, is now home to new potatoes, asparagus, strawberries and raspberries at various points throughout the year.

Mr Pryor said: "I used to grow strawberries in this field a few years.

"But disease and things like slugs just made it too expensive. We did this initially as an experiment, keeping it quite small scale."

Faced with the challenge of preventing pests ruining his crops again, Mr Pryor came up with an innovative solution.

Using wooden poles and fencing, he constructed a series of raised platforms to house bags of peat that the strawberry plants would be grown in. By raising the crops off the ground he was able to make them far more protected from pests and ended up with a very healthy crop.

For irrigation he has also devised an innovative system. Tubes run alongside the plants dispensing a water and fertiliser based solution on a gradual drip feed.

Over the last four years Mr Pryor has been experimenting with different varieties to see what works best in this new way of growing.

"Rigging up the system was quite expensive but we got there in the end – this should last hopefully for another 10 years," he said.

"We need less pesticides too when you grow them like this than if you do it in the ground."

With the help of his daughter Katie, the growing soon turned into a vibrant business opportunity – with Mr Pryor's raised platform system having an unexpected benefit for people wishing to come and pick their own fruit.

"People do not need to bend down to pick," said Miss Pryor.

"This is really popular – it makes it much more easy and fun. No more strawberry stained knees and aching backs.

"This year we had a woman come along who suffered from arthritis. She told us that it had made her summer that she had been able to come and pick strawberries."

Mr Pryor sells his crops the old-fashioned way – straight from the farm gate.

The one-to-one connection with the consumer is proof of the growing reconnection of people with the food they eat and one that is clearly very dear to Mr Pryor.

He said: "That is the general trend isn't it? People want locally grown stuff when they are shopping. They want fresh stuff. Doing stuff like this really underlines that, you cannot beat stuff that has been dug up or picked that day."

It is proving popular too. Recently they agreed to provide strawberries for the village carnival and neighbouring carnival.

"We were picked out," said Miss Pryor. "Until we put them on sale there were hundreds of them – they have been really big this year.

"We get a really broad range of people. We have pensioners come here, we have young couples with kids and we have teenagers who turn up on bikes who just want to pick some to take home."

The glorious weather over the past few weeks has helped ensure a bumper crop and a recent picking day, organised by Miss Pryor was very well attended.

"I have always enjoyed growing," he said. "Katie organised the whole event, people were given a glass of Pimms when they came in and it really ended up being a smashing day to pick strawberries.

"Everything we grow we sell at the gate. We haven't done that much advertising, it has really been more by word of mouth."

A local jam maker has also taken a great deal of the fruit crops, providing another revenue stream for the family.

A crop of raspberries too will be ready in the next few weeks, with demand sure to be high again.

Meanwhile, the new potatoes are stored in the ground and sprayed with CIPC during winter to prevent sprouting.

The success has taken the Pryors by surprise and already there are plans afoot for next year to make things better.

A greater variety of crops will be grown to spread out the harvesting throughout the summer, meaning a longer season in which people can either come to pick their own or buy from the gate.

Next year Mr Pryor has plans to grow them in fytocell, a biodegrable substance that resembles crumbled up firelighters to the eye.

Miss Pryor said: "Next year we will open up properly now that we have a name for ourselves. Clearly there is the demand.

"We knew people would want to buy this kind of food. There are a lot more farm shops these days."

The Pryors expect next year's fruit crops to be available for sale towards the end of next June – just in time for Wimbledon.

CW 17/7/10