Mitchell Fruit Garden (MFG) began its life in 1977. With the help of his father Peter, Jeremy and his wife Claudia bought a plot of land on the out skirts of Mitchell. Living in Ladock meant Jeremy had to cycle every day whilst Claudia continued to work as a midwife.
Enlisting the help of family and friends to help with jobs wasn’t always difficult. Who could refuse a working holiday outside in the Cornish sunshine with strawberries?

A few years later the cycle to Mitchell every day was encouraging the growth of Jeremy’s calf muscles but not the fruit. So it was decided a move onto the farm was the only option, and so in 1981 they built their house. Pick Your Own was the primary income for MFG during the 70’s and early 80’s. Glasshouses, polytunnels and sheds were built, hedges were grown for wind breaks, a remote-controlled under ground irrigation system and reservoir were put in place; plants were planted, flowered and fruited; ground was maintained; bushes trimmed; and Jeremy and Claudia settled in.

The early years produced a lot of vegetables, for example potatoes, leeks, sprouts and broccoli as well as soft fruit like strawberries. Over time this became harder to produce efficiently on a small scale, so soft fruit took over.

Jeremy and Claudia now both work full time on the farm. During the summer the hours can be very long and the dependency on the weather can make it tough. However, when the sun shines and strawberries are ready, there is nothing quite like working on a fruit farm! Through the summer MFG will employ up to 18 people at any one time to help primarily with the picking of fruit. Jeremy has never quite got over his love for bikes, so if you ever bump into him there is a high probability he will be on a bike.

Although many crops are grown outside, there are now more areas covered with plastic tunnels to keep the Cornish liquid summer at bay.