Tom and Sue are so dedicated to reducing food miles and tackling climate change that they now have three Polycrubs!
Just four years ago they started making changes towards a more self-sufficient lifestyle when they bought their first 4 x 11m Polycrub. Tom and Sue quickly created an edible jungle of fruit and veg, including a nectarine tree that amazingly began life as a seedling from a nectarine stone in the compost heap.
In need of more growing space, they added Polycrub number two (also 4 x 11m), a year later. Tom and Sue also quickly filled the second Polycrub with fruit trees and vegetables. They grow all their vegetables from seed so this meant that every window sill and sunny spot in the house was crammed with seed trays each year.
Sue had always been keen to have a smaller Polycrub as a place to bring on her seedlings and reclaim the windowsills in the house, but they were running out of space in the garden and didn’t have room for another 4 metre wide Polycrub. As soon as Tom heard the new ‘Peerie Polly’ 3 metre wide range of Polycrubs was being introduced, he quickly signed up for a 3 x 6m.
Sue was away when the new Polycrub was installed so it was a great surprise for her when she came home. Tom has been busy fitting out the Polycrub with racks of shelving and a potting table that also doubles up as an eating space with bench seating. The couple recently celebrated their birthdays with a meal and a glass of wine in their Peerie Polly.
Their approach to growing is "trying to be self-sufficient by working with nature". Tom and Sue work on permaculture principles, an ecologically sound way of living by cooperating with nature and caring for the earth.
Their Polycrubs are all completely organic and no chemicals are used. Tom and Sue rely on methods which work with nature, like companion planting which is used to control pests, attract pollinating insects and to improve the growth of plants. A simple rain-water harvesting system, using tile edging along the diagonal of the outside of one Polycrub, provides an effective means of collecting water. The water runs into a series of barrels.
In addition to eating their fruit and veg fresh from the Polycrubs, Tom and Sue also preserve lots of the produce, making jams and chutneys. The sunshine and light that gives life to their plants also provides the majority of their household electricity, and powers their electric van. It also runs the freezers and fridges they keep for their homegrown food.
This is all achieved from the roof-mounted 4kw solar photovoltaic (PV) system they had installed in their home a couple of years ago. The couple also installed a multi-fuel stove, which allowed them to switch off the originally installed storage heaters.
