The Physic Garden

Dr Tolah Smith runs the Physic Garden at Lopemede Farm. The concept started as an idea by the local farm cluster (Growing More Growers) to set aside an acre of farmland in which to grow food to supply to local communities. Lopemede Farm offered up 1 acre of pasture in August 2024, and work began on the garden in September the same year. After a very wet winter, the plan for the garden was finalised and all the beds marked out and rotavated by February 2025, which allowed planting to begin in March.

The garden has been laid out using the principles of sacred geometry, and is managed using intuitive permaculture principles of minimal intervention and working alongside the rhythms of nature. There are 24 beds planted with a mixture of perennial flowers, medicinal herbs, fruit bushes, and vegetables. The remaining 8 beds are left fallow and have been sown with a mixture of mixed meadow seed (natural grasses and wildflowers) and green manure to provide protected habitat for species such as butterflies, moths, ladybirds, hoverflies, and honey bees – though the local wildlife love hanging out there too, including a breeding pair of pheasants and a hare.

Our intention is that the food that we produce from the garden is infused with our love for the natural world and also serves as a reminder of the importance of a deep connection with the land around us for our mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Food from the garden will be available to purchase on a seasonal basis, depending on what is flourishing in each moment. Mixed ‘Veg Bags’ will be available to purchase on a seasonal basis, depending on what is flourishing in each moment. Medicinal plants from the garden and the wider farm will be incorporated into a variety of herbal remedies, such as skin and joint salves, available to purchase under the name Quantum Botaniques^™. Part of the garden will also be set aside to help facilitate outdoor experiential workshops run by Future Oaks, the new Lopemede Nature Connection CIC.