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British Sugar TOPSOIL Hortloam chosen for new edible garden project at RHS Garden Hyde Hall

31 October 2016


HortLoam - British Sugar TOPSOIL’s new BS3882:2015 compliant planting topsoil launched in June – has been chosen as the base planting medium for the new Global Growth Vegetable Garden at RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Chelmsford, Essex.

It has been mixed in a ratio two parts HortLoam with one part native clay and green waste compost to provide an open, friable and humus-rich medium ideal for growing vegetables from around the world.

The new garden, sponsored by Witan Investment Trust plc, which has enjoyed a long relationship with the RHS and helped develop several gardens at RHS Garden Wisley, has been designed by Suffolk-based garden and landscape designer Xa Tollemache. Her innovative circular layout for the garden is sectioned into four quarters with each representing a different continent: Europe and the Middle East, Asia, North and Central America, and South America.

British Sugar TOPSOIL has been working with the team at Hyde Hall   to develop the perfect mix for the oak-framed planters that will contain the vegetables. In September, 360 tonnes of HortLoam were delivered to site in 13 tonne articulated lorries. The planters were first dug out to a depth of 900mm and then backfilled with 450mm of native clay soil. The top 450mm was filled with the HortLoam/native clay/compost mix and the beds rotavated to level them off and assist with blending and settlement. Planting of the vegetables will take place in the spring.

HortLoam contains coarse sand and additional reserves of organic matter in the form of BSI PAS 100 & CQP compliant ‘green’ compost, giving it a more open and free-draining structure. Its coarser texture is ideal for vegetable planting schemes of this kind and provides the optimum environment for establishing young plants and encouraging healthy root growth.

Speaking about the  choice of HortLoam for the Global Growth Vegetable Garden, Matthew Oliver the Horticulturist that will be looking after the garden said 

‘We need a soil that can provide a fine enough tilth for sowing a broad range of vegetable crops from year one. It takes a long time to get our existing clay into this condition so I am pleased that Hortloam, which is easy to work and mixes well with the existing soil was chosen to get the garden off to a great start’.

National TOPSOIL Manager Andy Spetch, who has been working on the Hyde Hall project, said: “British Sugar TOPSOIL is proud to be involved with this incredible scheme and we are very confident that HortLoam will do a great job and produce strong, healthy plants. It is the ultimate showcase to demonstrate the effectiveness of our latest product to the public and to the landscape industry and we are very grateful to the RHS and to Matthew Oliver for giving us this opportunity.”

The Global Growth Vegetable Garden will open next summer and it is hoped that visitors, who will be able to taste the harvested produce in the garden’s onsite restaurant, will be inspired to grow their own vegetables. 

www.bstopsoil.co.uk 

www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/hyde-hall 




Notes to editors:

Image Caption:  

British Sugar TOPSOIL’s HortLoam is spread on to the vegetable beds in the Global Growth Vegetable Garden at RHS Garden Hyde Hall

 

Further information:  

Andy Spetch - 01733 422084 / 07850 3369787
Andy.spetch@britishsugar.com

 

TOPSOIL

British Sugar TOPSOIL is the largest suppliers of quality TOPSOIL in the UK. Our products, Landscape20 and Sports10 are successfully used by the construction, landscaping and amenity industries. For further information on British Sugar TOPSOIL go to www.bstopsoil.co.uk 

British Sugar is the leading supplier to the British and Irish food and beverage markets.  We operate four factories across East Anglia and the East Midlands employing around 1,500 permanent and contract staff directly at our facilities and support up to 9,500 UK jobs in the wider economy.

Around 3,000 growers supply our factories with 7 million tonnes of sugar beet each year, which we process into over 1 million tonnes of sugar. 

Sugar production is at the heart of our operations but using our highly integrated approach to manufacturing, we aim to transform all of our raw materials into sustainable products. We produce 500,000 tonnes of animal feed from sugar beet pulp. We recycle stones for building, lime for soil conditioning and soil for landscaping. Using our Combined Heat & Power plants, we export enough electricity for 120,000 homes We were also the first company to manufacture Bioethanol in the UK.

Over the past ten years, we have invested over £300 million to improve efficiency and competitiveness; in addition, we invest over £2m every year in research, development and education. 

Over the past ten years, we have invested over £300 million to improve efficiency and competitiveness; in addition, we invest over £2m every year in research, development and education. 

We employ technicians, apprentices, graduates and experienced professionals for roles across the business and throughout the supply chain including engineers, accountants and project managers. Over the past 10 years, we have recruited and trained over 100 graduates and 90 apprentices

British Sugar is part of AB Sugar, which is wholly owned by international food, ingredients and retail group, Associated British Foods plc. If you would like further information please visit www.britishsugar.com