Farm Plants

Our farm contains a host of plants that would typically have been found in Anglo-Saxon settlements – for example carrots, which unlike the modern variety are white in colour.

We grow heritage varieties of vegetables in our demonstration garden plot and in our vegetable plot you will find cabbages, peas, beans, leaks and onions, depending on the season of your visit. There were no tomatoes, potatoes or sprouts in Anglo-Saxon England – so you’ll not see any on your visit, unless you visit our café!

The Anglo-Saxons also grew crops to use as building materials; reeds and sedges of various sorts are grown on our farm, as well as coppice strands of hazel and willow, which would have been used in buildings and fencing.

We also have Flax (linseed) which would have been used for its oil and in the making of textiles. We grow woad, madder, weld and other dye plants, which were used in the colouring of fabrics.