An interview with Sarah Mead, Head Gardener at Yeo Valley Organic Garden

Sarah will be joining the panel discussion, ‘Two plants you couldn't be without, and one you could’ alongside Nigel Cox, Frances Tophill, Mark Diacono and Huw Richards (Saturday, 12pm at the Hive stage).

In the meantime, grab a cuppa and let’s dig in…

1. When did you first open your garden to the public?

“We first opened the gates approximately 30 years ago. At first, we only opened three times a year – once in spring, summer and again in autumn. This was under the National Garden Scheme, which gives visitors unique access to private gardens across the UK. Of course now, we’re open for half the year, from April until September, Thursday to Saturday, so visitors have much more opportunity to come for a stroll around, and of course to visit the Garden Café.”

2. How long has the Garden been certified organic?

“The Soil Association (SA) gave us the rubber stamp of organic certification 20 years ago. There’s only a handful of gardens certified by the SA in the UK, but there are many gardeners out there gardening organically. For me personally, I felt it was important to demonstrate to visitors that we were inspected and regulated by the Soil Association.”

3. What was your driver for gardening organically?

“The garden sits in the centre of Yeo Valley Organic farmland, so I have never known anything different really. I didn’t have a ‘road to Damascus’ moment; I was learning on the job and just made it up as I went along. But knowing what I know now, gardening organically is an absolute shoo-in – I would never have it any other way.”

4. Have you always been passionate about gardening?

“No I haven’t, but I have always been passionate about colour and drama. I only came into gardening through necessity after inheriting my mother-in-law's garden, but within weeks, was showing all the signs of addiction and it's been a love affair ever since.”

5. What is your favourite job to do in the garden?

“I do look forward to seed sowing every year – the magic never fails to amaze me and there is always an element of unpredictability and surprise, which I love.

“That said, every spring I pull together the following year’s bulb recipes, which is a fantastic job. We ‘audition’ next year’s potential bulbs in the cutting garden to see whether they have the desired look, colour, qualities to make it into the main garden. I pick all the candidates that have got through the first round, put them in cups, label them and then pull the recipes together from this. I find this is the best way to do it as photos in catalogues are not always reliable.”

6. What is your favourite plant?

“Tricky question but it must be Phacelia Tanacetifolia (common name: Fiddleneck) – although technically a green manure, we use this extensively in the Garden. It is a pollinator magnet and super easy to grow in any conditions. As if that wasn’t enough, the filigree  foliage is glorious and the bright blue flowers are a sight to behold en masse. We chop and drop this when it has finished flowering to add nutrients to the soil.”

7. And what is your least favourite plant?

“That is easy, Ophiopogon Nigrescens otherwise known as Black Mondo Grass. I know that lots of people like this grass, but I can't see the point. It either disappears from view against the soil or looks as though you’ve had a terrible fire. That said, one must confess I have one planted in a mannequin's head by the Garden Café – it makes for a great hairdo.”

8. What has been your proudest moment related to the Garden?

“Winning the People's Choice Award at the Chelsea Flower Show. We didn’t see it coming, as we felt we were taking a risk showing the first ever fully organic garden at Chelsea. We were thrilled to win a gold medal, so subsequently getting People’s Choice as well was the cherry on top of the icing, on the cake.”

9. What are you most looking forward to at the Organic Garden Festival?

“We have some excellent names coming to speak at the festival, but I’m also really looking forward to welcoming visitors and putting the magic of organic gardening centre stage.”

10. Can you share any sneak peeks into what the future of the Garden looks like?

“We have new projects every year as we are always trying to improve and innovate. As soon as the doors close in September, (as well as planting ridiculous quantities of bulbs) we will be redesigning the Big Grass Bed and renovating the yurt in the middle of the summer meadow. I like to keep things moving so that there is always something new for visitors to enjoy.”

If you’d like to find out even more about Sarah, read her bio: https://yvogardenfestival.co.uk/people/sarah-mead