Scotland’s last tomato grower
Posted on March 6, 2019
Jim Shanks of Standhill Farm is Scotland’s last remaining tomato grower.
Situated in the Scottish Borders, Standhill Farm was originally geared towards dairy production but has now become the new and only home for Scottish Tomatoes – which will soon be making their way to Asda stores.
Jim is a true innovator and has been developing his tomato growing method for four years. His 4 acre glasshouse is run entirely on sustainable fuel and uses every scrap of what’s available at Standhill to grow beautiful, red, ripe tomatoes.
Methane from his cow slurry is used to power a gas engine that in turn is connected to a generator that generates clean renewable electricity. Whereas the majority of the heat used in his glasshouse comes from two wood chip boilers, with wood sourced from sustainably managed woodlands at Standhill Farm. The water used throughout the growing process is supplied by rainfall while pollination is carried out by bees which are brought into the glasshouse.
Our graduate Jake Halligan on a recent visit to Standhill Farm. Pictured with Jim and the Flavourfresh team (Charmay Prout and Cath Clayton)
“Jim Shanks is growing sweet speciality tomatoes for ASDA in a high tech atmosphere controlled environment which guarantees a great eating experience. The plan is to pick, pack and send to our stores within 72 hours so that the tomatoes are an optimum colour, bursting with flavour and arrive fresh for our customers.” – Nasir Ahmed, Manager – Technical produce
