Langtons Farm

Extending the season of tomato production for wholesale distribution

Katherine and David Langton operate an established market garden business growing agro-ecologically produced vegetables for a veg box scheme, and also selling wholesale to local retailers and outlets. In 2023, they were part of a ‘Food in Schools’ pilot trialling local production for public procurement, which involved working with a reputable Welsh distribution company to increase local fresh produce going into schools.

The Langton’s have expanded the business to include an additional site in Cardigan which will include new ventures such as a fruit orchard and field scale vegetable production. As part of the Farming Connect Our Farms Network, Langtons Farm will trial upscaling their tomato production and attempt to extend the season of the crop to support their wholesale market demands.

The Langton’s have collected two years of data on their market garden growing site and will use this as a base point to inform upscaling and extending their tomato crop on their new farm in Cardigan. Specific varieties have been selected to meet the requirements of the school caterers and the wholesale distributors who supply into the public procurement system.
  
The project aims are to:

• Identify varieties of tomato that are fit for purpose for the intended market

• Explore different sowing and planting dates to create a reliable supply of produce as far into the season as possible

• Trial companion planting with a cucumber crop

• Trial different growing methods to extend the cropping of the tomato plants

• Increase yields from previous years

The project will also contribute to the Sustainable Land Management outcomes including:

• resilient ecosystems