We are delighted to be taking part in Agroforestry Open Weekend 2025

Our farm

24 acres of former arable land purchased in 2011 to grow local food with local people. Informed by permaculture principles; ‘Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share’.

4 ac fruit & nut agroforestry with 12m alleys. Forest Garden. ‘Traditional Orchard’. Silvo-Pasture trees in our meadows. Broadleaved woodland.

People involved in growing local food; vegetable club, pig club & bee club. We host the Debenham Shed – affiliated to UK Mens’ Shed’s. They contribute skills and tasks to the farm.

A Community Tree Nursery grows local trees from local sourced seed. Linked to the Suffolk Tree Warden Network the 2 Fields nursery produces 2,000 young trees each year for local landowners, farmers and community plantings.

Our agroforestry is made up of:

350 fruit trees planted in rows with 12m alleys for rotational cropping of vegetables, green manures, and pigs in one alley each year. The following year we use the fertility for growing brassicas, leeks, pumpkins. We have been growing green manure crops to improve soil organic matter plus pollen/nectar/winter bird cover. An alley for perennial veg and for currants/gooseberries. 2 rows are for short rotational coppice with Hazel, Sycamore & Willow as well as Hybrid Poplar.

Our grazing meadows have individual trees for shelter and forage.

The Traditional Orchard has 75 different varieties of fruit trees on large rootstock. We take scion wood from these for grafting future trees for communities while training parish tree wardens with grafting techniques and pruning skills for traditional orchard trees.

We harvest our fruit and nuts from May/June to late autumn and can store some varieties until April. We sell from the farm gate and seek to join other growers in marketing local produce/fruit & veg boxes.

The Forest Garden has been stocked mostly from the Agroforestry Research Trust in Devon. We are beginning to recognise species that grow best in our ‘heavy clay, seasonally waterlogged’ soils & propagate some of our own shrubs and trees for the Forest Garden which are all either edible, medicinal or a useful product. We have the biggest canopy trees in place and the next layers are starting to be added.

how to find us

You will find us at 2 Fields, Low Road, Debenham, Suffolk IP14 6BJ

What 3 Words: PIGTAILS.TUNE.CASTLE

agroforestry open weekend 2025

Over Agroforestry Open Weekend 2025 we will be open:

FRIDAY & SAT 2 – 4 P.M. Parking will be in the meadow as signposted. Please arrive as close to 2 p.m as possible to sign in. I will provide a briefing before you take yourselves off with directions on the handout map

Accessible toilet facilities are available.

Assistance dogs only please.

Accessibility is not easy around the site with uneven ground, trip hazards and not possible for wheelchairs except around the buildings.

For more information:

E: jeannie@hillfarm.myzen.co.uk T: 07935921941

Also – 3 miles away is the Helmingham Estate Agroforestry in Framsden. contact Glenn Buckingham: 07769 934176 for directions/more info