Once owned by poet and author Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson, Sissinghurst Castle is located in the beautiful Weald of Kent. The ornamental gardens are a must-see for any self-respecting garden lover and a jewel in the crown of the National Trust, custodians since 1967. But what many people don’t know is that the estate also boasts the superb two-acre Vegetable Garden, which just this year has been awarded organic status by the Soil Association.
I wanted to find out more and what better way to do so than to arrange a chat with the person who oversees the day-to-day running of the site, kitchen gardener Olivia Steed-Mundin. Olivia explained that the Vegetable Garden was added to the site in 2008 so it’s not an original feature and sits in the wider estate, about 500m away from the main gardens. It is surrounded by fields overlooking the beautiful Kent countryside.
Olivia works in the Vegetable Garden alongside assistant gardener Caroline Evans. Both are part-time and are ably supported by a team of volunteers. “We have around 10 volunteers a day,” Olivia explained. “We are a massive site of two acres so you can get a sense of how invaluable our volunteers are – they are amazing. Harvesting alone can take the team three to four hours every day in summer.”
