Kindling’s FarmStart is the UK’s first and only incubator farm – creating a supported route into organic farming for brand new growers. Lindsay describes why she got involved and how it’s working out for her.
"I've been growing since 2008, when I quit my job, and started visiting growing projects in Spain and Ireland. I studied Horticulture for two years in Ireland, and returned to my home-town Manchester 18 months later. I was looking for work as a grower in Manchester, and was aware of Kindling, so decided to give Farmstart a go.
There is no way I could have started my own garden without Farmstart. I only had some small savings, and this was still very tight even with all the help and equipment Farmstart offered. If Farmstart hadn't came along, I would probably be growing for someone else, and whilst I'd have the luxury of minimum wage, I wouldn't have been able to experiment in the same way and likely as not I'd have left the local area.
An unexpected yield for me is that my Dad has got involved, and working together on our garden is a real pleasure. At the moment I am doing Levenshulme Farmer's Market fortnightly, though I am considering increasing to weekly. I have also just started offering £10 veg boxes for local delivery".