Gardening Masterclass: How a Gardening Pro Grows Veggies

You are going to love this tour of the Daylesford Organic market garden in Gloucestershire, England! Explore rows of beautiful, nutritious organic produce, cultivated with a true passion by Jez Taylor and his team. We'll discover clever, time-saving ideas and glean some really rather handy pro-grower tips borne from years of experience. And we will learn how Jez manages to turn a profit in a fiercely competitive market.
There is something for everyone in this video: pristine leafy greens, handsome squashes, and a whole host of chilies to spice things up. All the while, Jez offers ways we can up our game in our own gardens, while retaining an organic, nature-friendly approach. Go grab some popcorn and settle in for a truly inspiring video!

[@karenwright2444]

What a top bloke! Understands natural soil feed, the right plant for his patch, plants as great recipe and what gives him a good crop ..... that's all we want, a good crop!

[@GrowVeg]

Totally! :-)

[@jasonwil]

As domestic or hobby gardeners we tend to make sentimental decisions, therefore it was really informative coming across a ‘hard nosed’ professional. Maybe future episodes with him could include fertilising, composting, crop rotation, crop selection factors etc

[@GrowVeg]

We hope to do another video with Jez at some point. I love your suggestions there, so will put those to him when we next meet. :-)

[@70foolio]

What a wonderful farm. Such a slice of heaven. Thank you for sharing this with us. ❤

[@GrowVeg]

It really is a very inspiring place! :-)

[@kathrynhobbs8874]

Thank you so much Jez for letting us see your lovely farm, and thank you Ben for taking us there

[@GrowVeg]

Glad you joined us Kathryn! :-)

[@bettytsang]

I've become convinced a garden dog is the key to a bountiful harvest and you cannot convince me otherwise

[@renel7303]

A Garden Cat, or two, three, are also highly useful in the garden. 😅 They are great for reducing the numbers of small creatures wanting to share the bounty.

[@timtation5837]

Letting animals in with your veggies is a quick way to lose your organic certification… Dog and cat poop can bring all sorts of nasties into your garden. Manure should never be directly applied, it all needs to go through proper composting, where it is sterilized by the heat from good bacteria. Listeria, salmonella, campylobacter, etc. these are caused by contamination, most often directly from animals or their uncomposted poop/urine. Keep them away from your food, especially when it’s growing.

[@GrowVeg]

I agree - great to have a friendly dog (or other animals) about. :-) Regarding the dog shown in the footage. It only ever follows staff about and is well trained - in other words it really doesn't go to the bathroom in the growing areas.

[@schillcr]

One of the best gardening videos I've seen! Please more from this farm- maybe an overview from start to finish- seed selection to plate? Please.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much. Jez really knows his stuff and I've love to do something else with him at some point, so watch this space!

[@BloodSong]

that is just amazing!! In retrospect maybe I should have been farmer. Thank you for sharing this. This is exciting and motivating!!

[@GrowVeg]

So pleased you're motivated by this. I felt the same way when I left. :-)

[@Julia_USMidwest]

Loved the tips on harvesting the best bits, working with plant damage, etc. Thank you so much!

[@Callofdootie]

What a knowledgeable dude.

[@Kay-xb9cp]

Such an interesting video. Obviously he has slightly different priorities than I do in my vegetable garden but a lot of the way he grows his vegetables is exactly like I do. Thanks so much for this 🥦

[@LucasJetUKJuggler]

I remember bumping into you two at the summer festival. I called you Huw Richard’s. Confusing my gardening KZbin hero’s. Loving the content. Pretty much a daily watch for me!

[@GrowVeg]

Yes indeed, I remember as well. No offence taken, Huw is a great chap! Thanks so much for all of your support, watching the channel. Do you say hello if you see me again! :-)

[@alexgrowsfood]

Thank you Ben (& Jez) for taking us on this tour. Really inspiring to see a market garden on that scale & great to see such efficient harvesting techniques. Need to up my game.... Can confirm Portugal is a top notch pick for the home grower.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for confirming about 'Portugal'. It tasted fab too!

[@selecttravelvacations7472]

I love your visits to other locations, talking to other growers. Thanks for sharing with us all. His farm is amazing!

[@bernardcribbins7083]

Thank you. This was a super watch!

[@janeperry4080]

Such a joy to watch, not only because of the knowledge imparted, but also to see two men "snacking" as they harvest is just what I do and I think only someone who grows their own food can appreciate that. Another great video Ben, many thanks!

[@GrowVeg]

Straight off the plant is always best! :-)

[@avl1989]

You know he's serious when he keeps the peppers in back pocket

[@GrowVeg]

Haha - yes indeed!

[@Dawn_Grows_Veg]

What an amazing place and how brilliant is Jez. So generous with his knowledge, and his crops are amazing. I found his comments about using hybrid/F1 seed really interesting. And picked up some possible new varieties for the future. Those chillis mmmmm 😍😍😍😍 Thanks Ben was really cool.

[@GrowVeg]

So pleased you enjoyed the video Dawn. He is a real fount of knowledge isn't he!

[@UrbanChickens123]

This is such a helpful video- seasonal growth really is key!

[@andyatch33]

This was a great watch!

[@goodstar11100]

Really enjoyed this! Very interesting and loads of useful info. Cheers!

[@rosalindhb]

Great info. I think people get confused about hybrids and GMO seeds. I'm a container gardener and not going to be saving seeds. I had terrible diseases with my tomatoes plants this year. Between that and excessive heat, I got nothing. So I will be trying hybrid tomatoe seeds next year to see if it works better against disease. But normally I use organic and heirloom seeds.

[@timtation5837]

All heirlooms started out as hybrids. Humans have been doing agricultural for thousands of years, and we make hybrids by mimicking nature. Always save seeds. The seeds you save already know your local climate. The next best thing is buying local seeds. Most of the commercial seeds you buy were grown in a different climate, and are best suited to that climate, and not your own… Google “landrace”. Local seeds are landraced to your local area and are always superior. The best seeds you could ever hope to get are those you saved from plants you grew.

[@GrowVeg]

Sorry the heat was so bad for you this year - what a nuisance! Hopefully next summer will be better. I do think hybrid varieties can have a lot more vigour, so well worth trying. :-)

[@pencintaalpokat9929]

Wow..Very Wonderful farm...👍👍 Thank you for sharing...17:34

[@toniedalton5448]

What a great vid. Thanks learned good new ones to try. What a great farm and he sure knows his stuff

[@GrowVeg]

He certainly does!

[@QisGoogle]

As always, another fantastic, informative video!

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much. :-)

[@thelasttaarakian]

So nice seeing like minded folks meet up and vibe with each other

[@k.p.1139]

That was fun! Thanks, Ben.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for watching. :-)

[@groworganic1077]

Thanks for sharing this. Organic growers should their knowledge.

[@GrowVeg]

Absolutely. Jez was all about sharing knowledge for free and exchanging ideas - very refreshing. :-)

[@keyphabenyisrael3219]

Thanks for sharing this, I really enjoyed watching it.

[@a.p1675]

This is a lovely episode. Nice info and learnt some new things. Thx a lot!

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for watching. :-)

[@nvater1]

Great video. Really enjoyed watching

[@scooby3215]

Many thanks for sharing this wonderful market garden, so inspiring and lots of tips for my allotment.

[@jhobden]

Excellent video

[@mbuhtz]

Great video! He reminds me of the local farmer I get my CSA from. Wonderful to see gow a small- to mid-scale farmer makes growing and harvesting decisions. Looking forward to the next video with him!

[@valoriegriego5212]

Howdy, Ben! I really enjoyed this video! Beautiful food is being grown on his farm.👍

[@GrowVeg]

Certainly is. :-)

[@robmclaughlin420]

Beautiful Farm

[@reer5340]

the F1 vs heilroom debate is quite clear for me, I wont plant anything but heilroom seeds in my garden. However I understand the farmer's point of view. I can afford losses that he can't. I can see the plant "learn and improve" from one season to the next etc, a farmer needs to ensure his family's livelihood here and now. On the other hand we can collectively transform the paradigm, the more we grow things ourselves wherever we happen to be.

[@grannysweet]

🤔👍✌️well said. I've refused to stop growing no matter my environment. From normal household garden to growing in drink cups for all veggie needs. When I had a car I used it to sprout 🌱 seeds and dehydrated foods. Heirloom seeds in herbs and greens fit easily in the weird tall large throw away plastic drink glasses from junk food places. Carrots, beets, radishes too. But many of the basils I grow are very much Not heirloom. Kinda sucks. I'm lucky to be indoors where I have a lg. window and food stamps that let me buy seed. Loved your perspective. 👍✌️👏😎🌈🐕

[@tiffcat1100]

@@grannysweetGreat idea re car!

[@timtation5837]

Humans have been doing agriculture for thousands of years. Many tend to forget that there are zero heirlooms that didn’t start out as hybrids. Again, absolutely ALL of them started as hybrids. It is a ridiculous misunderstanding. I absolutely love hybrids, and I always save the seeds and plant them. They often grow the hybrid (they are stabilized, but the seed sellers are not going to mention that). Other times I get one or both of the parents (which are often perfectly fine). In rare occasions, I get something entirely new, and unexpected… Those are the best and are very exciting, a brand new variety. That is like a Christmas present from nature. What matters most is that it is organic (poison free), and that you like it (tastes good). Heirloom snobbery is pure ignorance, and it causes people to miss out on a lot of fun.

[@GrowVeg]

The F1s just offer more resilience and bigger yields, so I can understand the decision there.

[@reer5340]

my wife was less impressed 🤣@@tiffcat1100

[@oneirosailing5572]

Incredible!

[@lovecara1]

What a lovely guy and It gave me so much guidance and inspiration. Look forward to more of this please Ben.

[@GrowVeg]

Isn't he! I hope to feature Jez again at some point. :-)

[@smile30981]

I never thought of using cover crop during my growing season with my squash! Definitely going to try this next season. Thanks for sharing!

[@beentheredonethat6584]

I like to use bush beans as a cover crop in my small squash patch. By the time the squash vines take over the space, the beans have been harvested.

[@smile30981]

@@beentheredonethat6584 Thanks for the idea!

[@timtation5837]

Squash, corn, and melons are heavy feeders. When you plant a nitrogen fixer (such as a legume) next to a heavy feeder, the nitrogen fixer goes into overdrive and fixes more nitrogen… Always try to companion plant legumes next to heavy feeders… If you are not already familiar with the 3 sisters, google it. The native Americans always planted beans, squash, and corn together. They didn’t understand the science behind it, but they had eyes and could observe nature, and mimic the success.

[@smile30981]

@@timtation5837 Thanks for the info! Yes, I'm aware and have plated Three Sisters. I just hadn't thought of using cover crops early in the season as a regular companion :) Happy gardening!

[@TheLoreHunter]

The comparison of Farrow and Ball paint color names to the naming of plant varieties by seed companies had me rolling! Such a great interview and potent pot of information. Thank you!

[@GrowVeg]

Haha - yes indeed, it tickled me too! :-)

[@christiensgarden3325]

Fantastic video extremely awesome that we could get extra knowledge from him

[@davidcollier185]

Fantastic. Thank you for organising that view - different perspective. Love everything you put the time inon creating these videos from Aus. Of course we are heading into our growing season, so exciting.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much David. I hope you have a very productive growing season. :-)

[@nato103]

Wow happy farming sir

[@dustyflats3832]

He grows many of the varieties I do. I wish rodents were the only problem with buttercup squash. We have vine borers. I do like some hybrids. Yes, heirlooms are not always prolific. On a small scale to save money by saving seeds open pollinated are a must.

[@GrowVeg]

I'm sorry to hear you're battling vine borers - we're very fortunate not to get them here.

[@James-fw1zd]

Great informative content 👍

[@46FreddieMercury91]

I can't help thinking that bloke must operate on 48 hour days . The amount of stuff going on is just astounding. But its great to see someone with that much passion for what they do

[@GrowVeg]

I think you might be right there!

[@spacechilli]

Great video Ben, its always nice to hear the commercial point of view to growing organic veg.

[@GrowVeg]

It gives a superb alternative angle to things.

[@karenmarshall975]

Bravo Ben!

[@trapped7534]

Loved this!!! Would love to see a beautiful place like this‼️

[@barryroberts6470]

Wow amazing stuff really enjoyable to watch. Thanks. Take Care and Stay Safe, Barry (the Wirral) 👍

[@GrowVeg]

Cheers Barry - you too. :-)

[@Stu-Vino]

Really interesting, thanks, Ben

[@AndrewLowry-e6h]

Great video and content. Such a passionate and inspiring guy. If only all our veg etc was grown this way I'm sure we wouldn't have the health issues which areso prevalent in our modern society. Keep up the great content Ben. Thank you 👍

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much. I was really impressed by the ethos of the place.

[@DownButNotOutYet]

Good morning Ben, that was so interesting, Jez has worked hard to get where he is today. he is knowledgeable and caring. I am glad he mentioned coriander and the bolting problem. Yes we have experienced that often. Our summers are very hot hence we have decided coriander is included in the cold crop vegetables. It wonderful for flavouring and a versatile herb. Radicchio is an acquired taste for sure. I have tried it but just cannot convince myself that it is good for you. I like to hear about sweetening it with a honey drizzle. Never too cold to learn especially garden tips. Thank you for taking us with, I was just gazing with envy at all the growing vegetables. Loved the size of the Cape gooseberries and they also have an acquired taste. Must grow some this season as those greedy birds cannot get to them! Have a wonderful day, take care, till next time. Kind regards, Elize.

[@GrowVeg]

So pleased you enjoyed the video Elize. Happy gardening to you! :-)

[@lisagallant118]

Great information thank you both💕

[@Lifegrowsonandon]

Ready meal business seems an ideal market, can get aware with not having perfect looking harvests

[@TheTwistedTraceur]

interesting strains, i would love for you to do a video on different families of different veggies

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for the suggestion, will certainly consider this.

[@allyhook9426]

Loved this! Would love to know how he keeps whitefly off his leafy greens! I’ve tried covering them but once they get quite big they need more light and the whitefly’s arrive soon after :( any tips appreciated!

[@GrowVeg]

The covers help while the plants are still small. After that I think he just tolerates some pests. In a field scale there's also a good bit of wind which keeps things moving. It seems loss to pests is surprisingly minimal.

[@mpaws]

I would like to know how he prevents cabbage white caterpiller from damaging the kale.

[@timtation5837]

He already said it… Netting on all the fresh transplants.

[@mpaws]

Yes, but he said he took it off when the plants got bigger. Cabbage whites still lay their eggs on older plants.@@timtation5837

[@sabastianlove1286]

sweeeeet

[@kylenmaple4668]

Didn’t mention weeding even once. My man

[@GrowVeg]

Not much time for weeding there! In fact, he told me the weeds help with avoiding splash back onto crops, and by adding further biomass to the soil. Was a fascinating approach to weeds.

[@EmpressKadesh]

How to spend $100,000 on your garden. ;D

[@tiffcat1100]

💜❤️💜

[@Lifegrowsonandon]

Barely scratched the surface, need more especially on propagation!

[@GrowVeg]

I know - we definitely need to go back at some point!

[@madamecreatians4275]

I have a question. We are in South Africa and here people say you should plant according to the moon. Do people in others parts off the world do that or not?

[@GrowVeg]

I know this is quite popular in many areas - there is some evidence to suggest this does help. I don't do this however - mainly because I'm not that organised!

[@madamecreatians4275]

​@@GrowVegand you are still sucsessful.

[@ambiencelectronica]

How many people would be needed to work this farm?

[@GrowVeg]

It's a pretty big operation. But just on the vegetables side of things, it seems there are in the region of five to six working it. But that's more like a guess - I should have asked this when we were walking round.

[@ambiencelectronica]

Great set up they have!

[@MsKpuff]

Did you get to take anything yummy home lol

[@GrowVeg]

I did indeed - plenty of chillies and some lovely sprouting broccoli - very yummy!

[@hkschubert9938]

Growing crops & then selling it is a major nightmare.

[@GrowVeg]

I think the selling bit would be the challenge, but they have a great setup there.

[@hkschubert9938]

@@GrowVeg ag sales are unpredictable.

[@bob.fagg-bois657]

excellent! great video, more like this plaese it was very informative.

[@timtation5837]

Another great video Ben… I would love to see more… This is the typical level of professionalism I have seen from most organic farmers/market gardeners. Most are incredibly knowledgeable, and know how to get the most from their growing spaces. They also know how to deal with pests and minimize the damage they can inflict. I would love to see the kitchens that Jez was referring to, as well as see thier wash pack station and learn more about where they are selling (does it all get processed in their kitchens, do they sell to the public or restaurants, etc). With Salsas, chutneys, and quiches, it seems like they can process most of what they grow in house (and sell finished products).

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for the suggestions. It's quite a big operation - with an outlet in the Cotswolds and a few in London. More here: www.daylesford.com/