Host Jane Sweetman wrote to us with details of this exciting new venture
I was just back from the Organic Producers Conference, looking forward to sowing the first seeds of the new growing season, when my neighbours Dan and Amy popped round to talk about PlotgateCSA, the new Community Supported Agriculture co-op just near my WWOOF host home Coombe Quarry, in Somerset. Since then this exciting development has become a growing adventure for all of us as co-directors and I thought you’d like to hear about it.
We’ll be supplying members with weekly boxes of vegetables, all grown to Wholesome Food Association standards, from this summer, with the guiding principle of balancing economic, social, and environmental health in developing the enterprise on the ten-acre site. The Shetland ewes are lambing now and the piglets are exploring far and wide in the spring sunshine before running back to Penny the sow. Fortunately they can’t get into the polytunnel, which is the first of the four to be put up, and last year’s pig roaming area is now an array of fertile new beds, doubling the space to grow year-round vegetables for up to 60 households by the end of this year.
PlotgateCSA is one of the seven projects supported by the Funding Enlightened Agriculture Network’s Just Growth programme and is being established, with business mentoring, research project participation, a loan and grant funding as part of the programme. The loan and grant elements depend upon our raising start-up finance through a community share offer; details are available here explaining about becoming involved and investing in 
ethical local food production which enhances the soil’s health, the holding’s ecology, and the wellbeing of all concerned. There’s been a fantastic response since our launch event in March, and at almost halfway through the two-month offer as I write, we’re nearly halfway to our target amount! All further support is most welcome to help with getting there by early May.
If anyone’s in the area and would like to visit, we’re holding an Open Day on Monday 2nd May, with morning and afternoon site tours, and a simple lunch. More details of this will be available on the PlotgateCSA facebook page as well as on the website.
Otherwise, feel free to get in touch via plotgate.csa@gmail.com
