artin Kyte is the field trials manager for Rijk Zwaan’s organic demonstration site in the UK at Huntstile Farm near Bridgwater, Somerset, where an extensive range of vegetable seeds are grown under organic cultivation. He is also responsible for conventional commercial introduction trials and breeder trials in the UK.

How long have the trials at Huntstile Farm been running?

The trials have been up and running since September 2010. We originally had a trial site near Winchester in Hampshire in 2009 but decided that moving to Somerset was a good idea as the organic movement has such a high presence in the south west of England – home to around a quarter of the UK’s organic farmers and growers.

What are you trialling at Huntstile?

We are trialling Rijk Zwaan vegetable varieties such as the popular Salanova range of lettuce, leeks, brassicas, outdoor tomatoes and outdoor cucumbers. And we now have a polythene tunnel to demonstrate and test aubergines, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. We have also been testing various growing media, pest control and fertilisers.

What is the purpose of your trials?

The aim of our trials is to share best practice with both commercial and amateur growers and to demonstrate our latest vegetable varieties. We are committed to organic seed production with modern varieties.

How do you share the findings from your trial sites?

Together with Tucker Seeds, with whom we have an excellent relationship, we run open days that attract around 300 growers a year over two days, with VIP days for larger growers. We mainly discuss growing techniques, fertilisers and propagation. We also include trade stands promoting the products we have successfully used on the trial site.

What products have you used that you would recommend?

In 2012, after much research, I gradually changed propagation composts solely to Carbon Gold’s GroChar Seed Compost. This is totally peat free, which I feel is important as there are moves to drastically reduce the use of peat in commercial horticulture and at Rijk Zwaan we like to be ahead of the game. It has also produced superb plants in all species and water use is at least 20 per cent less than with other composts I have used. For pest control on lettuce I use Filbio crop covers and these have proved excellent and have also improved crop growth and end quality. Brassicas, carrots and leeks are covered with Wondermesh – again very successful.

Finally, I only use Plant Health Care fertiliser, which has a fast action especially for shorter growing crops like spinach and lettuce. I have tried organic chicken manure pellets in the past, which are good for potatoes as they have a slower action regarding nutrient release.

What are your hopes for 2013?

2012 was one of the most, if not the most, challenging years in my 35 years in horticulture. The excessive wet weather and low temperatures meant plant growth was slow but we managed to have crop maturity all on time. I am hoping that 2013 will provide much better growing conditions.

What does your job involve?

I organise cropping programmes via Rijk Zwaan UK’s crop specialists for our large grower partners. Rijk Zwaan UK started this way of product development back in 2006 when we decided to provide new commercial plant varieties direct to the grower with a pre-planned sowing, planting and harvesting programme three times per year.

What are your thoughts on the market for organic seeds in the UK?

The best markets for organic seeds are in The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and also Spain, but we see potential for further growth in the UK. With larger areas of organic vegetables in production, and the use of modern varieties and growing techniques, we could see a real consumer uptake, with promotional help from organic organisations. —