How we use our land
For almost a century the land and estate at Dartington have been used for research and exploration of new agricultural processes.
Today a regenerative approach is at the heart of everything we do. It supports healthy soils, creates rich wildlife habitat and nurtures our community of visitors and small enterprises who have come here because they wish to have a deeper connection with the land.
We have a number of tenants who run enterprises using the land to produce food, fungi or flowers or for therapeutic benefit.
Conservation at Dartington
From dormice to hedgerows and everything in between, conservation work plays a major part in Dartington estate life.
Powered by renewables
A significant proportion of Dartington’s energy is produced via renewables, in the form of our 950kw biomass boiler and 500kh(p) solar-PV array.
Food, farming and conservation blogs
Work starts on first stage of Queen’s Marsh wetland habitat restoration
Work has begun to transform Queen’s Marsh area into a wetland home for a vast array of wildlife – but the help of the public is needed to ensure the project can be completed.
Agroforestry: Our mistakes don’t have to be your mistakes
As Dartington’s pioneering new agroforestry project reaches a more advanced stage, Harriet takes a moment to outline some key lessons learned, in order to help those who are interested in ‘growing their own’.
Food and Farming blog: Our ducks are in a row – now they’re getting a pond
After much planning, it’s time for action! Work to create the fundamental structure for reinstating the entire 7 hectares of Queen’s Marsh field as a wetland has now been confirmed – read on to find out more.
Conservation diary: How we’re helping wildlife thrive at Berryman’s Marsh
Did you know that Berryman’s Marsh is a key area for conservation work at Dartington? Here, Estate Warden Mike Newby reveals how hard work is helping us make the most of this small but ecologically rich area of land.
Food and Farming blog: Will our unique new approach bear fruit?
In her latest blog, Harriet explains how, after a huge amount of work behind the scenes, Dartington is about to deliver agroforestry in a way that has never been seen in the UK before.
Food and Farming blog: Getting our ducks in a row at Queen’s Marsh
Following the results of a feasibility study which recommended proactively reinstating wetland habitats in Queen’s Marsh, Harriet has been trying to do exactly that – but it’s not the simplest of tasks…
Conservation diary: Keeping track of nesting birds at Dartington
Each year Mike and the volunteers carry out a nest box survey across the Dartington estate for the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) – a scheme that has been going for over 25 years.
Conservation diary: Grasshoppers and other spring sightings
April is the first month where you might be able to see or hear a Meadow Grasshopper at Dartington, with sightings possible until the late autumn.
Conservation Diary: Recognising the stonechat
In his latest blog, Dartington’s Conservation Warden Mike explains how to identify a stonechat – a bird at its most visible in the spring.
Food and Farming blog: Wetland restoration vision takes shape
Last autumn we asked for help with a feasibility study we had commissioned into the potential to restore Queens Marsh to a wetland habitat. Here, Harriet reveals the study’s conclusions…