The Lazy Bed Tradition
Before the mass injustices of the clearances in Scotland and the enclosures in England, rural communities grew a lot more of their own food, and they grew it in severely disadvantaged areas. Predating the mass influx of sheep onto these shores, an even older tradition existed: growing food on raised beds separated by narrow drainage channels, a system known as lazy beds or feannagan in Scottish Gaelic1.
Strips of sod were dug, turned over, and stacked to form elevated beds which were better drained and therefore drier and warmer than the surrounding land2. Raised beds heated up more quickly in the mornings and retained their warmth for longer during the day, supporting the germination of seedlings. At night, the heavier cold air settled into the drainage channels so the crops in the raised beds were protected from frost. Sometimes seaweed, straw or other available crop residues were added to the beds to support fertility and add organic matter.
The lazy bed method permitted food to be grown in marginal areas which are completely overlooked for crop production today due to topographical challenges, cold wet weather, shallow soils, and poor drainage. As climate change brings increasing rainfall and risk of flooding, the lazy bed method of in-field drainage is a valuable application. Similarly, with soil degradation a topic of global concern, well managed no-dig lazy beds help to preserve soil structure, top soil, and fertility2.
Dorothy’s Story
Dorothy Thomson is an extraordinary woman bringing horticultural ingenuity to her hill sheep farm to produce some amazing food.
Dorothy came to farming later in life. A trained primary school teacher and community education worker, Dorothy worked latterly as a horticultural therapist at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre. From there, the opportunity came to buy some land – high on the hill above the Scottish Borders town of Peebles. The 211 acres comprised around 100 acres of coniferous plantation and around the same acreage of rough grazing.
Concurrent with the land purchase came the opportunity to buy a dog boarding business complete with cottage adjacent to the land. The kennels proved to be a financial godsend going forward, supporting the land and the changes that would come.
At the time of purchasing the land, it was unfenced and registered as forestry land rather than farm land. Dorothy and her son worked hard to fence the land and succeeded in registering it as a subsidy-eligible farm.
One day, her son and a friend came back from the market with 35 blackface sheep and thus began the relationship that formed the next chapter of Dorothy’s life.
A Woolly Problem
Dorothy had no experience at all with sheep but she realised shortly after taking them on that sheep farming was about producing meat: “I couldn’t run my business like that”. Unable to bring herself to send the animals to slaughter, Dorothy decided to keep the sheep for wool instead of meat. Gradually, as the blackies passed on, she replaced them with two wool breeds: Scottish Bowmonts and Romneys. Romneys are one of the oldest sheep breeds in Britain, historically kept by the monks on the Romney marshes. Bowmonts, a Shetland – Saxon Merino cross, were a breed created by the Macauley Institute (now part of the James Hutton Institute) as Britain’s answer to the Merino in the hope that their Ultra Fine wool would provide extra income for the crofters of the Highlands and Islands. Unfortunately, the sheep and the concept did not catch on.
Two years into sheep-keeping, Dorothy’s son, who had agricultural training, decided he wanted a career change, and Dorothy was faced with caring for the sheep alone. She recounted thinking, “how hard can it be, they just stand in a field”! Dorothy quickly found out how wrong she was; there was a lot more to sheep husbandry than met the eye!
Dorothy joined an informal group of five farmers working with Scottish Bowmonts and producing wool for a specialist buyer in Yorkshire who made suits and scarves. Ultimately, they were unable to produce enough quantity to pay for the scouring of the wool. Additionally, as she got a little older, Dorothy found it harder to manage the sheep alone and had to hire part-time help. In winter, the long, rough track up to the farm became impassible by vehicle. One winter, Dorothy had to walk the 2-miles up in the snow fifty times to feed and check on the sheep! It was time to look for another way to use her land.
‘Balance of Nature Botanicals’
Dorothy’s heart had always lain in producing food and gardening. As a former horticulture teacher, she already had much of the knowledge and skills needed. She augmented this by attending a course run by Nourish Scotland that looked at alternatives and diversification in farming. Through this Dorothy obtained a grant for a polytunnel and the confidence to launch her new business: Balance of Natural Botanicals.
Dorothy was fortunate in that she had quite a large back garden in which she could place the polytunnel and some raised beds to begin growing a range of salad vegetables and herbs.
Currently, she produces 7 varieties of lettuce, some of which grow through the winter, as well as mizuna, spinach, kale, rocket, and a wide variety of herbs and edible flowers including thyme, camomile, calendula, and marigold. Dorothy currently sells large and small bags of mixed salad leaves and herbs. She also grows and sells peas and tomatoes and plans to expand into winter vegetables.
Dorothy is confident she will be able to produce year round switching to winter salad veg such as pak choi, lambs lettuce, and perennial rocket as the seasons change using techniques that don’t require heat in the polytunnel, and also expanding into winter vegetable production: “the varieties will change in the winter, but it will be just as tasty and fresh”.
Living in a popular Borders town where a plethora of hotels, restaurants, and shops attract year-round visitors, Dorothy has limitless opportunities to sell her produce. At first, she was nervous about talking to potential buyers: “I’d been up a hill with sheep for 10 years!”. Quickly she realised just how much fresh, organic vegetables and herbs were appreciated: “I can’t make enough!”. Another key selling point with her customers is that Dorothy’s produce is stockfree organic; no animal manures or slaughterhouse by-products are used in her enterprise.
It was important to Dorothy that her produce be delivered as sustainably as possible. So, she bought an electric bike! Although this method of delivery might have to change as she up-scales, food doesn’t come much better than locally sourced, stockfree, organically grown, and sustainably delivered!
From Raised Beds to Lazy Beds
Dorothy began growing in her garden by making raised beds using rectangular wooden frames on the ground. She put cardboard on the bottom of these to suppress the weeds and then filled them with woodchips which were in endless, free supply from her tree-surgeon son! She found that woodchip compost provided a great growing medium for her salad veggies and herbs.
In terms of scaling up and moving production up to the farm, Dorothy realised that the wood frames would not be practical or cost effective. So, she began to create lazy beds in a particular area on the farm, with a plan to expand this to a larger area.
Due to the fact that winter vegetables take longer to produce than summer ones and therefore need to be in the ground for a greater length of time, they require a separate growing area. Dorothy also plans to grow flowers, both wild and cottage garden ones, in her lazy beds and open the farm up for “cut your own”. She thinks having rows of flowers growing in lazy beds across the farm will look stunning. We agree!
Putting the Sheep out to Pasture
Dorothy’s excitement about her new venture was only overshadowed by the future of the sheep. She was adamant that they not be harmed. After three years of looking for a solution, she came across Stockfree Farming. Dorothy relates: “Ever since I came into this businesss, I never felt comfortable about the way it is, and I could never send my animals to slaughter. I thought I was the only one that felt that way before I saw your website”. A couple of weeks after contacting Stockfree Farming, a place was found for Dorothy’s remaining 33 sheep at Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norfolk. Dorothy was over-the-moon! She decided to keep 6 of the sheep who she’s become particularly attached to, including two accidental lambs who appeared in the field this springtime! “I wouldn’t have missed the experience of being on the hill with sheep – it gave you a spiritual experience … [but] I found I could stick to my values with stockfree farming and found something that I enjoyed”.
Prioritising Values
In terms of advice to other transitioning farmers, Dorothy stresses the importance of finding something that you love, and sticking to your values: “You can always find something that you love and you can make it a way forward”. Dorothy described how it was a challenge at first, but then liberating, to find out what she actually wanted to do.
“I didn’t let down my values, but just hoped for a solution … It’s quite liberating really to know you don’t have the responsibiltiy of animals. If a herb dies because of the cold, I can come to terms with that. If an animal dies because of the cold and not enough food, that’s my responsibility”.
Dorothy’s farm is a great example of a profitable, diversified business. The dog kennels, woodland timber production, and now the veg and flower intiative all generate income. In the future, Dorothy and her son hope to add small wooden chalets for holiday accomodation. Making the best of the natural resources and skills at your disposal, and being able to think outside of the traditional boxes, is a definite winner.Dorothy’s advice to other farmers considering the shift to stockfree farming: “Go for it!”.
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