Hidden Sale: A look behind-the-scenes at Glebelands Organic Produce

Dan Larke, owner, Glebelands Organic Produce
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Glebelands Organic Produce is an organic market garden in Sale. As a bit of a hidden gem, plenty of local residents are still unaware of its existence, so we caught up with the business’s owner Dan Larke (pictured above), for a chat and a behind-the-scenes tour of the 2.7-acre site. 

Dan is relatively new to farming and before changing careers worked in live music and events. After touring with bands at festivals across the UK, he was looking for something “better for the soul and more meaningful” and found the FarmStart programme, aimed at those looking to build a career as an organic veg farmer. 

Inside the greenhouse at Glebelands Organic Produce [image: Katy Ratican]

Taking over the site

After various stints volunteering at farms across the UK, Levenshulme-based Dan completed his first full season at the Sale site in 2021.  It was then that the previous owners, Glebelands City Growers Ltd, decided to move on and with the live music scene pretty much non-existent due to the pandemic, Dan was given the opportunity to take on the site. 

“I didn’t have a lot of experience of running a small business when I started and it’s definitely been a steep learning curve. The first season brought some challenges, but the second has come with a whole new set – it’s what bands in my previous life would call the “difficult second album”!”

So does this put him off a third season? 

“No, definitely not – I’m already thinking about how we’ll approach the third season, what changes we will make and I’m looking closely at how it will work to ensure we have a solid business model over time.” 

Glebelands Organic Produce [image: Katy Ratican]

The 2.7-acre site in Sale

Passerbys might be surprised at what lies at the end of a fairly non-descript pathway just off Glebelands Road. The site is home to three large, permanent polytunnels, a sizable greenhouse and some portable polytunnel structures. 

The team grows mostly salad crops throughout the season, which account for nearly half of the business’s income. As they are fast-growing crops, leafy herbs and salads can bring in quite a high income more quickly. The rest of the growing space is taken up by crops such as spring onions, radishes and courgettes to name just a few.  

Glebelands Organic Produce produces mostly herbs and salad crops [image: Katy Ratican]

Organic growing 

The team try to produce as much of their own compost as possible on-site, to limit miles travelled and also save costs. Overall the site produces around 10 tonnes of its own organic compost every year, but they still need to bring in another 25 tonnes to ensure the crops get the nutrients they need to grow. 

Being organic, the team prides themselves on thinking about what’s right for the environment and so chooses to do the majority of the groundwork by hand, only opting for machinery when the ground is impenetrable. 

Glebelands Organic Produce creates ~ 10 tonnes of compost per year [image: Katy Ratican]

Glebelands Organic Produce currently provides crops to Ashby’s Greengrocer in Sale’s Stanley Square, Unicorn Grocery in Chorlton and Organic North. 

Unfortunately, much to many locals’ dismay, individual households are currently unable to buy directly from Glebelands Organic Produce

Glebelands Organic Produce spans 2.7 acres [image: Katy Ratican]

So has Dan found something “more meaningful”?

“Absolutely. When I walk through the gate every morning, I know that everything’s alright – I get a lot more out of this job than I did my previous one and I’m always learning, every day here is a school day.” 

Watch this interview with Dan from Organic North for some fantastic aerial views of Glebelands Organic Produce:

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