OGPod Episode 20: Hamish Evans, Sammy Elmore and Middle Ground Growers

James speaks to Hamish Evans and Sammy Elmore of Middle Ground Growers on the edge of Bath. In four seasons, they have grown the business from nothing to a turnover of over £200,000. We discuss how they set their goals and worked backward from there to achieve their rapid scaling up. We touch on how they built up a 180-strong veg box scheme, the different production systems they have developed from small-scale no-dig to field scale mechanisation and the benefits of their collaborative farming model. There’s a fascinating conversation about their hugely successful crowd-funder, which helped to finance the project. Towards the end we discuss the merits of their unexpected turn toward producing for national wholesale. If you wait until the end, Hamish also treats us to a poem about the soil. So let’s get to it!This podcast is brought to you by the Organic Growers Alliance, the UK's only grower-led organisation providing technical and practical advice and support on organic growing. For more information about the OGA head to www.organicgrowersalliance.co.uk and become a member.Liv James is taking the reins from James Butterworth as host in 2026. Liv has been a grower for 10 years mainly at Down Farm Market Garden in Devon and is now a storyteller at Soil Association. Alongside this Liv is a plant nut, wordsmith, music lover, life enthusiast, surfer and Mum.