Deptford Little Farm occupies a 3,500 sq ft plot behind a Deptford mews and a 500 sq ft rooftop garden, producing organic fruit, vegetables, herbs and cut flowers. The site supplies The Culpeper Family pubs with ingredients and garnishes while providing a practical educational hub for volunteers and staff to learn organic growing techniques. The project emerged when property developments revealed an unused pocket of land and continued a prior plan to create rooftop growing space. Urban Organic collaborated on design and construction and staff emphasize food as central to the enterprise.
If you had to list out three crops you'd think of growing in the UK, I'd wager shiso, agretti and watermelon would be quite far down the list, but these are just some of the plans that grower Jack Jeans is pointing out to me inside a greenhouse round the back of a residential street in Deptford. This unexpected oasis of abundance is the Culpeper Family's Deptford Little Farm.
Nico Treguer and Gareth Roberts, who run The Culpeper Family (a pub group that includes The Culpeper and The Buxton in Spitalfields and The Duke Organic in Islington) as part of their wider architecture, property, hospitality and agriculture practice R&T, were developing some properties on Scawen Road in Deptford when they found an unused pocket of land behind the mews.
The 3500 sq ft plot grows organic produce, including fruit, veg, herbs and cut flowers, for The Culpeper Family, and acts as an educational hub where volunteers and staff members can come and learn about organic growing. "Food is the heart of the whole business and they're really keen on bringing everyone in on that journey," explains Urban Organic Director Jack Astbury. "This is a good opportunity to help people learn a bit about growing food."
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