MID SUFFOLK: Since opening last summer they have experienced long hot spells, persistent heavy rain and the coldest winter for decades - but the team at the Stackyard Nursery are enjoying every minute of it.
Elliot Furniss
MID SUFFOLK: Since opening last summer they have experienced long hot spells, persistent heavy rain and the coldest winter for decades - but the team at the Stackyard Nursery are enjoying every minute of it.
The nursery, in Mendlesham, near Stowmarket, was launched in August by Karon Roberts and her partner Simon Sanders, who have been followed every step of the way by a Channel 4 film crew.
Their story will be told in a documentary, to be screened tonight, called My Dream Farm.
The programme is part of a series fronted by popular TV gardener Monty Don.
Ms Roberts, who hasn't actually seen it yet, said it had been an interesting experience and given the business some excellent publicity.
She said: “I'm cringing; I'm dreading it. I'm going to see it for the first time, the same as everybody else.”
The nursery, which is home to rare breed pigs, more than 2,000 trees and a large vegetable patch, has had a promising start, despite the challenging weather conditions of recent months.
Ms Roberts said: “We had a very, very dry period so people couldn't get a spade in the ground. Then we had a particularly wet period, when people were flooded, and now we have had snow and ice - not great for gardeners and hence it's difficult for nurseries.
“But we're battling on and the customers are still buying.”
Ms Roberts, 48, left an executive role to relocate to the area with Mr Sanders and start the nursery, which will eventually have a cafe selling food produced on site.
She said Monty Don had been down to visit on several occasions since production began and the film crew had been down rather more often in a bid to reflect the ongoing progress at the site.
The nursery is located in Old Station Road, Mendlesham. For more information, or to buy a tree online, visit www.stackyard-nursery.co.uk. My Dream Farm is on Channel 4 tonight at 9pm.
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