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<\/p>\nAt New Forest Fruit, the focus is on producing high-quality fruit at scale, while running a system that is efficient and sustainable for the long term.<\/p>\n
Producing around 5,000 tonnes of strawberries each year, the business has grown by combining modern production techniques with a practical, whole-farm approach to resource use.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re always looking at how everything fits together,\u201d explains New Forest Fruit CEO, Sandy Booth. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about one crop, it\u2019s about how the whole system works.\u201d<\/p>\n
Consistency is a key priority, particularly in strawberry production, where uniformity underpins both yield and quality. Botanicoir Precision Plus Ultra coco coir grow bags play an important role here, providing a reliable and controlled growing medium that supports precise irrigation and nutrition.<\/p>\n
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But for New Forest Fruit, the value of coir doesn\u2019t stop at the end of the strawberry season.<\/p>\n
Rather than using coir for growing strawberries alone, the business has integrated it into a wider recycling approach across the farm. \u201cWe recycle around 90% of the coir we use,\u201d explains Sandy. \u201cThe remining 10% is spread on the arable fields of our neighbouring farms to help improve aeration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once removed from the strawberry crop in late autumn, the coir is repurposed for other crops, becoming a key part of the farm\u2019s broader growing system.<\/p>\n
Recycled coir is now used extensively in field-based crops, particularly asparagus and vines.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe top our asparagus beds with it, with around 80cm of coir, and we\u2019re now using it in our vineyard as well,\u201d explains Sandy. \u201cIt\u2019s something that\u2019s worked well, so we\u2019ve expanded it.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAsparagus requires a soil temperature of at least 10 degrees to grow. We use high-quality coir from used strawberry growing bags, which is repurposed into a blended compost and enriched with microbiology to build up the soil around the asparagus plants, allowing them to warm up faster in the spring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe spears are housed in unheated tunnels and start off covered in a fleece for the first two weeks; this is then removed as the temperature increases. The quality of the soil and natural approach to growing, helps to give our asparagus its delicious taste, and to be harvested earlier,\u201d says Sandy.<\/p>\n
In these systems, coir delivers clear agronomic benefits. It improves soil structure, increases organic matter and helps retain moisture, all of which contribute to more consistent crop performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt creates a better growing environment,\u201d says Sandy. \u201cOn asparagus, it can help bring crops forward to a February harvest, and with vines we\u2019re seeing similar benefits in terms of establishment and soil condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
This ability to move materials across the farm is central to how the business operates.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about thinking beyond a single crop,\u201d Sandy says. \u201cIf something still has value, we\u2019ll find a way to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n
By linking strawberry production with field crops through coir reuse, New Forest Fruit has created a more circular system, one that reduces waste while improving performance across multiple enterprises.<\/p>\n