Keep the spirit of Carterton
tomatoes alive
With a new year under way and
spring just around the corner,
it’s time to turn our minds to our
gardens and outside spaces and
show them a bit of love.
I have a strong passion for the
outdoors and have a special
relationship with my garden and
allotment, which reward my family
and me with a place to socialise
with friends, food for the kitchen
and a place to sit and just be in the
peace and beauty they offer.
Just this week, even in the depths
of winter, my outdoor space has
been providing eggs fresh from our
hens and veggies from the garden
including chard, parsnips, oca and
Jerusalem artichokes.
Carterton is no stranger to growing
fresh local produce. Back in
1984, local man William Carter’s
company bought land, now called
Carterton, and divided it into one-
acre smallholdings. These were
mainly sold for just £20 per acre
and £120 for a bungalow to retiring
soldiers or people moving in from
town locations looking for a bit of
the good life.
Many of these small market
gardens and smallholdings put
Carterton on the map, especially
in the world-renowned Covent
Garden Market in London which
sold the town’s very sought-after
and famous Carterton tomatoes.
They are immortalised on a
sculpture in town on the
Alvescot Road at the entrance
to Carters Walk.
Imagine being able to keep the
spirit of Carterton tomatoes alive
in your own garden at home. They
are super easy to grow and great
for kids to watch and spark their
interest in local fresh and healthy
food. I can promise you – there is
nothing quite like a tomato which
you have grown yourself and just
picked off the vine.
You can grow them in a grow-bag
or in the soil in either a greenhouse
or outside. You can even get
varieties which grow in pots on
patios.
But why stop at tomatoes?
You could also start a trend of
Carterton courgettes, Carterton
carrots or even Carterton
cabbages. The veggie garden really
is your oyster.
Don’t forget the wild food on
offer later in the season around
the town too, such as walnuts and
cherries growing in public areas
up by Kilkenny Lane or the many
blackberry bushes around the town.
A Green
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