We are delighted to be offering a tour of our young agroforestry plantings on Sunday 18th May as part of Agroforestry Open Weekend 2025.

Our farm

Oakbrook Farm is 40 acres of community owned land just outside Stroud. The farm is home to multiple independent enterprises; between us we grow veg, flowers, and fruit, make preserves, raise beef cattle, and offer education and community access. We are organic and biodynamic certified.

The land was bought in 2015 by the Biodynamic Land Trust, who hold the land in trust.

The farm is leased to Oakbrook Community Benefit Society, who sub-lease to the farming tenants, attempt to organise everyone, and manage some land directly for community access.

ZeroDig has developed a unique vegetable growing system that works with soil biology to produce high volumes of nutrient dense food.

Oakbrook Orchard is an experimental agroforestry system aiming to grow fruit, flowers and community, and supply to a CSA membership.

Stroud Community Agriculture is one of the UK’s longest established CSAs, now growing field scale veg between the orchard trees.

Our agroforestry

Oakbrook is home to many veteran oaks, so there is an element of wood pasture on the land. And over the past five years we’ve been steadily increasing the number of trees on the farm.

In 2020 we put in a pilot agroforestry planting of two rows of apple trees in a formerly arable field. Since then we’ve planted around another 150 apples, pears and plums, so that we now have 9 rows of fruit trees across the whole field. The system was originally designed as silvo-silage, transformed in to silvopasture, and is now being converted into field scale veg. We grafted most of our own trees, and have had many adventures with tree guards.

Over the last two years we have been grateful for support from the Tree Council, which enabled us to put in a line of willow and poplar for tree hay along one of the farm tracks, a shelterbelt across one of our grazing fields, a basketry willow plantation in the Haven Field, a new hazel coppice to be managed for woodchip production, and a diverse shelterbelt at the southern end of the orchard field.

Here are some photos of what we do:

how to find us

You will find us at Oakbrook Farm, Painswick Old Road, Stroud, GL6 7QN

agroforestry open weekend 2024

We are offering a free farm tour on Sunday 18th May at 11am. We will focus on the fruit trees in our newly adapted silvo-horticulture system, and also have time to see shelterbelts, willow for basketry, hazel coppice and more.

It would help us to gauge numbers if you email to let us know you are coming.

There is a public footpath through the farm, so you are also welcome walk through the farm at any time.

facilities/refreshments

We have a smart new compost toilet on site with level access, and indoor space for shelter in case of bad weather. We hope to be able to offer tea and cake for a small charge – to be confirmed!

parking/access

The farm is walkable from Stroud town centre, with a footpath leading up from Beeches Green, and another from Uplands.

There is parking on site.

dogs

Dogs can join in but need to be kept on a lead please.

disability access

To join the tour you will need to be able to manage farm tracks, grassy fields, and some steep slopes.

more information?

Contact Jessie on 07779 232267 or oakbrookorchard@gmail.com

Oakbrook Farm: oakbrookfarm.org.uk

Oakbrook Orchard: www.oakbrookorchard.org.uk