The Team

I’m Diana. I grew up in Dorset climbing trees, making dens in the woods, and eating too much fruit from my parents' orchard. My mother ran a small garden gate plant nursery and has spent 55 years planting a beautiful 2 acre ‘plantsmans’ garden. I realise now what a profound effect growing up surrounded by trees and interesting plants has had on me.

I originally trained in textile design & have worked in many fields from theatre costume production to illustration, timber processing and building work. I completed a permaculture design course in 1993. In 2018 I joined Avon Wild Life Trusts ‘Grow Leader’ Course. After this I honed my growing skills over two years of experimentation growing unusual edible crops and developing the trusts forest garden. This led to a collaboration with Humphrey Lloyd & Rachael Dodd. Together we set up Three Hares Organics CIC, Dundry Lane, Winford, N. Somerset. Which offered the space to develop Fieldfare Orchard.

Four years on I continue to be fascinated by tree based & perennial food growing systems. In October 2024 I trained in Syntropic agriculture in the Netherlands.

Over the years I have taken a deep dive into perennial food production & soil health. Fieldfare Orchard is inspired by the work of Martin Wolfe at Waklyn’s, Stefan Sobkowiak at Miracle Farm The Permaculture Orchard, Ernst Gotch’s Syntropy, Elaine Ingham’s Soil Food Web School, the Miyawaki method and Masanobu Fukuoka’s book ‘The One Straw Revolution’.

From winter 2024 I’m joined by Helen Ford & Rosy Garland. Bio’s coming soon…