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

Our farm

Gibside Community farm CIC is a Community Supported Agriculture farm (CSA) based on the rural edge of Gateshead, near Burnopfield in County Durham. We are a member-run co-operative CIC (community interest company) aiming to produce healthy organically grown
produce for members and for sale locally. We currently have around 70 members.
We run a veg bag scheme for members, sell produce from a stall at National Trust Gibside estate, and sell some wholesale to other organic schemes and shops.
Our 5.8 Ha (14 acre) field ls leased from the National Trust on a 25 year agricultural tenancy lease. The National Trust bought the field as part of an estate which was threatened with being an open-cast coal mine. They decided to have some community use as part of its purchase of the farming estate. The site is very windy – a wind farm can be clearly seen to the south west in the direction of the prevailing wind. There is an excellent view of the Cheviot, forty two miles to the north.
We are roughly 600 feet above sea level. The farm field is split into 5 main areas. A market garden area with two large polytunnels, the
main field area with 7 plots divided by agroforestry rows, a hay field area, the orchard and the shelterbelts.
The field plots between the alleys of trees use a 7 course rotation A cycle of potatoes, brassicas, onions, and mixed crops followed by 3 plots of fertility building legume rich fallow.

Our agroforestry

Our agroforestry

We visited Wakelyns agroforestry farm in Suffolk before designing this scheme. We carried out a permaculture design for the field area and shelterbelts which resulted in the agroforestry planting you see today .  There are over 2000 tree and bushes.Most were planted in 2018 and 2019.

The main problems on the field are 

1/ wind, we are at 600 ft and look down on a windfarm,

2/ deer, which means all trees and shrubs need guard for protection

Trees and shrubs were provided by the Woodland Trust and the Tree Council  provided fundng for the initial orchard planting.

MARKET GARDEN AREA

This has three rows of mixed hedging e.g. hawthorn, holly, goat willow & rowan to give wind shelter to the beds

AGROFORESTRY ALLEY ROWS

Agroforestry Alley Row 1.  

This is currently grass awaiting further planting. The initial willow planting died because we had no access to water in a very dry year. 

Agroforestry Alley Row 2

Basketry willow in double row (v close together), but this is incompatible with being a (tall) shelter belt as basketry needs short lengths (whips), therefore separate willow plantation has been created elsewhere on the field. This row will now grow tall to create shelter, and then alternate rows will be coppiced.

Agroforestry Alley Row 3

Hazel double row. This should be 20’ (6m.) high by now but heavy deer predation so we eventually replaced tubes with taller shelters. Intention is to use for coppicing and/or cob nuts.

Agroforestry Alley Row 4 

42 fruit trees & hazel nuts. Mainly apple, plums, damsons and pears, with some exotics.   Interplanted with nitrogen fixing trees – e.g. Alder and Siberian pea tree are in-between trees that fruit e.g. apple & plum so that they get the benefit of the nitrogen. Taller specimens are towards the north so that there’s not too much shading on adjacent field plots. Blackcurrants have been recently planted between trees. One conclusion is that fruit trees don’t make very good shelter as they need to be pruned to get a good crop!

Agroforestry Alley Row 5

Hazel similar to  Agroforestry row 2

Agroforestry Alley Row 6 

 40 fruit & nuts – similar to Alley Row 4. Underplanted with rhubarb – many different varieties for continuous cropping. This seems to work well but there is a problem keeping the grass down without strimming the rhubarb!

Agroforestry Alley Row 7  

This is currently grass awaiting further planting. 

SHELTER BELT 

The aim is to provide shelter but also some produce, a kind of “food forest” for our windy site. These are mainly standard forest trees ( oak, birch, alder, aspen, cherry, Scots pine, goat willow, holly. It has many extra nut trees ( walnuts, sweet chestnut and named hazel cultivars) There are some more unusual “food forest” items such as crab apples, bay trees, Nepalese pepper, aronia bushed. The shelter belt is 5 rows To the west of the orchard area extra rows have been planted to reduce wind stress on the orchard. 

ORCHARD

This is a double row of 44 apple trees in total, mainly varieties suitable for the north. It is very windy and is not a good place to try and grow apples! One day Gateshead may have the climate of Kent, but it hasn’t happened yet!

Here are some photos of what we do:

how to find us

You will find us at Fellside Rd, Burnopfield, Newcastle upon Tyne NE16 5LA

agroforestry open weekend 2025

Over Agroforestry Open Weekend 2025 we will be open on Saturday 17th May from 10.30 – 3.00pm

We will be running free tours at 11am and 2pm

It would be great if you could let us know that you’re coming along so that we have an idea of numbers. See contact details below.

facilities/refreshments

We will be providing refreshments and we have a composting toilet at the Farm. Donations welcome.

parking/access

Parking available on site for a limited number of vehicles or alternatively on a disused road diagonally opposite our entrance towards Burnopfield.

dogs

No dogs, thanks

disability access

The ground is very rough even on the main paths and inaccessible to wheelchairs off the main path.

more information?

gibsidecommunityfarm@gmail.com

website: gibsidecommunityfarm.co.uk

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