Site Overview: Farming with Fungi Project
The Farming with Fungi project was established in late 2022 at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. The project occupies a 1.2-hectare area located on the edge of the Botanic Garden estate, made available for experimental and demonstration purposes.
Prior to the project’s establishment, the site had seen minimal agricultural use and had been maintained largely as meadow for a number of years. Historical disturbance was limited. A small subsection of the area had previously been cultivated approximately a decade earlier as part of the Growing the Future project, during which a small structure was erected to support a demonstration allotment. Beyond this localised activity, the wider site remained unmanaged grassland.
As part of the Farming with Fungi setup, a 0.22-hectare section of the site was fenced off to form the main experimental area. This fenced area contains five defined test blocks used for replicated trials, alongside additional growing areas allocated to other crops. Within this space, two polytunnels measuring 12 × 4 metres were installed to support protected cropping. A 3 × 6 metre shed was erected at the site entrance, and three refrigerated truck boxes were placed on site, two of which have been converted into controlled mushroom grow rooms. A small greenhouse is also present for plant propagation.
The site is not completely level and has a gentle slope running across it. The highest point of the land is located upslope from the main infrastructure, while the lowest point coincides with the access gate, where the shed has been positioned. This topography has informed both layout and water management across the site.
Rainwater harvesting infrastructure has been installed linking the polytunnels, the shed, and the pre-existing structure from the earlier Growing the Future project. Guttering feeds into a 25 mm MDPE pipe network, which channels water to a small ground-level reservoir. From this point, water is pumped uphill into two 12,000-litre storage tanks, providing gravity-fed irrigation capacity for the growing areas.
During its earlier use under the Growing the Future project, the site received volunteer input from the Permaculture Wales group. This work included the establishment of a small forest garden containing fruit trees and fruit bushes, the erection of a small structure to support a demonstration allotment, and the creation of several living willow structures along the lowest edge of the site. While these plantings and structures remain in place, the forest garden and willow structures are currently unmanaged due to limited capacity to maintain it alongside the project’s core research and production activities.
The site is adjacent to an area used by the National Botanic Garden of Wales beekeeping group, who maintain hives immediately next to the growing site, forming part of the wider managed landscape context.
Due to the gradient and hydrology of the land, the lowest part of the site is prone to waterlogging and remains significantly wetter than the upslope areas. This condition is particularly evident around the lower boundary where the willow structures are located and has influenced both historical use and current access arrangements across the site.
The main growing area within the fenced experimental zone was divided into six primary blocks, plus a smaller section located below the lowest point of the growing area. Each of the six main blocks measures 22 metres by 12 metres. The blocks are separated from one another by 1.2‑metre-wide beds planted with comfrey and Italian alder, forming permanent biomass strips between production areas.
Each of the six main blocks is further divided internally into seven 1.2‑metre-wide growing beds. Four of these blocks operate under a permanent succession scheme, in which the cropping pattern for each bed remains consistent from year to year. One block is managed under a seven‑year crop rotation, providing a contrast in management approach within the same site.
With the exception of 1 block the growing area was prepared using a combination of municipal green waste compost and waste silage sourced from the National Botanic Garden of Wales. The compost was spread mechanically across the growing area. Waste silage bales were moved where possible into position and rolled out by hand to create an even mulch layer. Following application, the area was left under mulch for approximately six months. On one of the block only a silage mulch was applied, this block was subsequently managed by Shumei Natural Agriculture. After this period, a green manure mix was sown across the site, and the comfrey and Italian alder were planted to establish the permanent dividing beds between growing blocks.
The two polytunnels are positioned adjacent to the converted mushroom grow rooms. Exhaust air vented from the mushroom grow rooms is directed via underground ducting into one of the polytunnels. This arrangement is intended to create elevated carbon dioxide concentrations within that tunnel, allowing comparison with the second polytunnel, which does not receive exhaust air. Environmental CO₂ monitors are installed in both tunnels to track differences in atmospheric conditions and assess their effects on crop growth.
The actively cultivated growing area occupies approximately one third of the available land within the 1.2‑hectare site. The remaining area is maintained as meadow and forms an integral part of the fertility strategy for the project. Grass from this surrounding meadow is cut and used as a fresh mulch input for the growing beds. The total area available for harvesting grass for mulch is approximately 0.2 hectares.