Veg boxes

All those who sign up for vegetable membership receive a regular ‘share of the harvest’ box of vegetables, salads, herbs and occasional fruit for a whole year.

From 26 June to 25 December, collection of the vegetables will be every Wednesday from 4pm and from January to 18 June, collection will be fortnightly, every other Wednesday from 4pm.

What’s in the boxes

Each box contains six to eight different items in a quantity sufficient for two people. Our veg is nutrient-dense, fresh, colourful and nutritious.

Throughout the year the contents will change, in line with the seasons. In summer, there will be plentiful courgettes, juicy tomatoes, crunchy radishes and fresh herb bunches. In autumn we have meaty squashes, cabbages, beetroot and tasty carrots to fill your share. In winter it’ll be a bit more leeky and potatoey. Thanks to our polytunnel, and our growers’ experience, we can grow almost year-round salad and greens. One of our growers specialises in medicinal and culinary herbs, so we often pop those in the box too, as well as ornamental flowers that members can help themselves to in the summer.

All members receive the same produce in their boxes, but there is a swaps box at the collection point where you can exchange any items in your box that you don’t or can’t eat.

Example summer share: Mixed salad bag, spinach, radishes, peas, new potatoes, mixed herb bunch, tomatoes, courgettes.

Example autumn share: Carrots, beetroot, squash, kale, mixed salad bag, kohlrabi, leeks, apples.

Example winter share: Potatoes, carrots, chard, leeks, mixed salad bag, Brussels sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips.

“A good mix of veg that we recognised and some new ones. Loved the beautiful squash which looked too good to eat! Also the broccoli was a real hit with the kids, and the leeks have been really delicious. The herb bundles have been a treat to have with salads.”
― Common Soil vegetable member

Community supported agriculture scheme

Our scheme differs from the commercial veg box schemes that people might be familiar with. To receive a regular veg box, you must sign up for vegetable membership of the farm and commit to the whole year. As a community supported agriculture scheme, we offer a partnership between food grower and consumer. You share in the abundance of produce when it’s there and also support the farm through leaner times. We’re in it together.

When there is plenty of produce, we’ll provide extras for you to add to your box. For example, in summer we’re blessed with bountiful salad and greens and will leave out crates of them at the collection point and in autumn there are big squashes and plenty of apples to help yourselves to. But in deep winter your box contents may look slimmer and at times you might curse the root vegetables! We ask you to take a year-round view and to remember the bounty when things are leaner. 

Read more about our community supported agriculture model and what that means.

Cost

The annual cost for a ‘share of the harvest’ box and farm membership inclusive is £636. This equates to £15 a veg box (40 boxes) and £3 per month community membership. You can choose to either pay the full amount upfront or split it into 12 equal payments of £53 per month, made by standing order.

However, in the name of food justice – hoping to ensure our food is accessible to a wide range of people, we’re offering the boxes at a solidarity pricing scale, so you can select to pay what you can realistically afford.

£573 per year or £47.75 per month for 12 months for those on a low income who want to request a subsidy to make the veg affordable to them.

£675 per year or £56.25 per month for 12 months for those on a middle/average income.

£827 per year or £68.90 per month for 12 months for those on a higher income or with savings that allow them to comfortably afford the veg.

You can also choose anywhere between these points. So, if you’re a just-above-average earner, you could choose £59 per month, for example.

The additional income from the higher end of the scale will go towards subsidising the cost for those who find it harder to afford. Farm budgets are based on the middle rate, so we rely on members to tell us what is truly affordable for them at this time to make the project work. The running of the farm is still subsidised by grants/donations and is a non-profit operation. If the cost is still prohibitive for you then please get in touch to enquire about a fuller bursary and we will explore finding more grant funding. Half shares are possible too.

Payment will be taken monthly through standing order and we’ll give instructions on how to set this up when you sign up on the membership page.

The way it’s grown

We grow everything at our site using agroecological principles, in a respectful, dynamic partnership with nature. Our food growing is also influenced by permaculture and biodynamic principles. Not only does that mean no chemicals or artificial fertilisers, but it means we look to nature in the way that we build healthy soil, restore and regenerate ecosystems, create habitat for wildlife and grow plants in beneficial relationships. 

All produce is tended and harvested by hand with love and deep care by the farm community. We have a practice of appreciating what the land provides us with during our community celebrations and giving back in return through preparations and natural fertilising sprays. We’ve even been known to sing to the plants!

Find out more about our food growing practices or get in touch and arrange to visit us to see for yourself.

Packaging

We work hard to make sure our packaging is sustainable and virgin plastic free, while also ensuring your veg is kept contained and fresh. We reuse cardboard boxes from supermarkets and ask you to please bring your own box or bag to the collection point to take away your veg in and leave your named box for refilling the next week. This helps to keep the cost of the veg share down, as well as reducing cardboard production and waste.

All salad and greens bags are compostable and we can also reuse them a couple of times if you return them to the collection point. We’ll gratefully accept boxes and small pots that you have at home for use.

Collection

Veg boxes are available from the collection shed just inside the gate at the field at the end of Woodside (GL5 1PW) from 4pm on a Wednesday.

We’re open to exploring other central collection points in future.

Some of our members share veg pick-up if they live close to each other. We have members in central Stroud, Sheepscombe, Rodborough, Uplands, Cashes Green and King’s Stanley, in case you’re wondering if there might be some near you. Upon sign-up all members are asked if they’re happy for us to share their location with other members, to facilitate pick-up sharing.

If you’re away for any time within your membership period you can send someone else to collect your box or tell us to donate it to a food hub.

We don’t offer a standard delivery option, but you’re welcome to ask us and we can work out a price.