Category: News

Here at R&L Holt, we are extremely proud of our four successful sites located within the Vale of Evesham area. Each one is so special that we would love to tell you all about them in greater detail as they are a huge part of our blossoming business. With that being said, today’s blog will be dedicated to our Hornsfield Nurseries Site.

The Hornsfield Nurseries Site was built in the Winter of 2004/5 and has been a secure site for nearly two decades. This site is located just outside the village of Badsey and is our second oldest site of the four.

This was our first site where the ‘NFT Hanging Gutter’ was installed and used for our crops and has been a sure success for sixteen seasons with its extremely efficient biomass boiler for heating and roof mounted solar. We use pure CO2 from our partners anaerobic digester plant to ensure the sustainability of our sites.

Despite the ecological progression of this site, some things will always remain the same as this site has grown the same variety of tomato since 2005 over six acres of land. So, one thing that you can rely on with this site is the consistency of our tomatoes that are housed here, as they have been practised and perfected for seventeen years!

R&L Holt isn’t just your favourite tomato growing business, we additionally run a renowned football team called ‘Side-shoots FC’ which was established in 2006.

The team includes staff and friends across the sites and plays in a local five a side league and has regularly won the Premiership over the last 14 years, at this rate we now need a new trophy cabinet!

We have many notable moments from over the years but our proudest moment to date was winning the Growers United tournament in 2017. After having lost the final in 2015 to G’s we managed to get our revenge and beat them in a close game 2-1 at Evesham United ground. It was a tense match, but we were able to steal the game!

We are also proud to have had Alan Kennedy, ex-Liverpool, and double European Cup winner, as our honorary captain for a charity game with Vicarage Nurseries in 2018.

With many more exciting times ahead we always welcome new people to the team and have lots of fun, so if you fancy joining a welcoming, friendly and successful team, get in touch with us we would love to hear from you, you could be a real-keeper!

Here at R&L Holt, it is important to us that our customers understand the origins of our business and the challenges that we have faced and overcome in the last four decades. This week’s blog post is dedicated to our Springhill Nurseries Site that was built in 2009.

Developing the Springhill Nurseries was no simple task, it took several years to gain planning permission as well as a long and tiring dig! Nonetheless, it was all worth it in the end as our Springhill Nursery Site consists of 125m row lengths meaning that we can increase the number of tomato plants in this site, but that’s not all! Our Springhill Nursery has it all! Ranging from a steam biomass boiler, an Anaeobic Digester, PV, CHP and on-site Carbon Dioxide, this Nursey preserves our tomatoes as well as the environment, and what could be more efficient than that?

The tomato trend is easy to join, there’s something so satisfying and rewarding about growing your own tomatoes at home! Yet, we know how challenging it can be to grow the PERFECT tomatoes, so we have come up with 5 simple yet effective tips on how you can grow the tastiest tomatoes this season!

1. Water twice a day – Scorching summers are admittedly rare in the UK, but even with the tiniest bit of heat us Brits are searching for the next sip of water. Well, your tomatoes feel the same! Ensure that you’re watering your tomato plants twice a day to ensure that they are hydrated, and the soil is moist.
2. Feed your tomatoes – Growing anything is a two-way street, if you feed your tomatoes the nutrients they need, they’ll provide you with a flavourful sweet taste!
3. Sow seeds early to extend the season – This will allow the tomato plants to get used to their environment and with the right care, this will extend their season.
4. Remove damaged plants – Doing this will ensure the growth of your existing and flourishing tomato plants by allowing them more room to grow.
5. Cover the soil – Mulch blocks weeds, saves water and protects your fruit, so why wouldn’t you add it! Spread a 2-3” layer of organic mulch around plants, leaving 2” of room around the stem so water can reach the roots.

We hope that these tips will help you when growing your own tomatoes at home!

Over the last two decades at R&L Holt we have worked closely with Evesham Vale Growers, and we have four locations where we grow our tomatoes in the Evesham area.

1979 – Head Office, Sandylands Nurseries

We began back in 1979 with a typical market gardening site with indoor and outdoor crops. It was developed over the years and had four glasshouses up until 2013 called Tom, Dick, Harry and Fred.

2004 – Hornsfield Nurseries

Manufactured in the Winter of 2004/5 this site is located just outside the village of Badsey.

This was our first site where the ‘NFT Hanging Gutter’ was installed and used for our crops, allowing them to grow vertically.

Now into its 16th season this site is still extremely efficient with a biomass boiler for heating and has roof mounted solar. We use pure CO2 from our partners anaeobic digestor plant.

2009 – Springhill Nurseries

Springhill Nurseries is situated between Pershore and Evesham. Built in 2009 this 5Ha glasshouse site has seen multiple changes.

In 2013 Vale Green Energy built an anerobic digester and in 2017 a steam biomass boiler plant was installed to produce heat and power.

Now into its 11th season this sustainable site continues to produce tomatoes from March to December.

2019 – La Serra

La Serra was established in the Winter of 2018 and was first planted in 2019. This site has two blocks designed for production all year round.

With hybrid lighting with both Top LED and Inter-lighting the site is powered by CHP via a Biogas Anearobic Digestor and a Solar Farm.

At R&L Holt, the sustainability of how we grow our tomatoes is extremely important to us. Below are five ways in which we grow our tomatoes in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way…

1. We use recycled woodchip in boilers to provide hot water to heat the glasshouses which is stored in buffer tanks.
2. Thermal screens work both in warm and cold temperatures as they shade crops during bright weather and keep heat in the glasshouse during the winter months.
3. LED lighting uses up to 40% less electricity than conventional lighting that is powered by on site CHP plants, so we do not depend on the National Grid supply.
4. Solar panels provide the power to run pumps that irrigate the crops and climate control helps to ensure we are not wasting energy.
5. We pack our crops in re-usable crates.

We hope that this information has given a more detailed insight into how we work sustainably at R&L Holt!

Here at R&L Holt, we installed the NFT ‘Hanging Gutter’ in 2005 and since then it has enhanced our tomato growth for nearly two decades!

An NFT Hanging Gutter enables the tomato plants to grow vertically in a high wire crop. This means that our plants have more space to grow healthily and effectively.

This is an extremely efficient way of growing that we are proud to use at R&L Holt and will continue to use in the years to come. 

Our variety of the month for July 2022 is the Roterno tomato, a premium medium vine tomato.

Roterno is a plump and flavourful variety which is the perfect addition to summer salads and sandwiches.

It is simple to grow as it develops steadily and is therefore uncomplicated to maintain. There are generally six fruits per vine and Roterno grows all year round, so why not try them for yourself and grow your very own Roterno tomatoes at home!

Here at R&L Holt, as well as our tomatoes, our customers are at the heart of our business, and we are grateful for all our loyal tomato-community. So, we thought that we’d share 5 facts about what we do here at R&L Holt so you can all get to know us better!

1.     We are a family run tomato business.
2.     We have been growing tomatoes since the early 1980s – for over 4 decades.
3.     All our tomatoes are grown hydroponically using Nutrient Film Technique
4.     We have 3 sites in the local area, Sandylands (Offenham), Hornsfield (Badsey) and Springhill (Lower Moor).
5.     We are the largest tomato growers in the Midlands!

If you have any more questions about what we do at R&L Holt, don’t hesitate to ask!

What do you know about Xylora?

Xylora is a new variety of tomato that we are introducing here at R&L Holt and to give you a chance to get to know this variety here are 5 facts about Xylora…

1.     Xylora is a premium cherry on the vine tomato
2.     It has a unique sweet taste with a soft fleshy texture
3.     It is a delicious treat alone or a great way to add flavour to mixed salads
4.     This truss develops in a uniform and compact way
5.     It is like Yelorita but has a softer texture

Have you learnt something new about Xylora and when will you be trying this variety for yourself?