"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message
k...
The message
from "Charlie Pridham" contains these words:

Highest £ per acre seems to be Tea at the moment, I couldn't quite
believe
how much Tregothnan get for it! but I would suggest you get the soil
properly analysed as you may find it difficult to grow anything in the
open
ground if you are unlucky. Mining in parts of Cornwall have rendered the
soil toxic to a range of plant types, we for instance can not grow
Rhododendrons despite an acid soil, although we have noticed 20 years of
mulching and feeding has created a better surface layer and we can now
grow
most shallow rooted plants.

I knew there was something nagging away at the back of my mind - tea! I
had intended trying the Tregothnan offering until I saw the price.

OK, I sometimes pay that and more for a good Darjeeling, but I'd
certainly want to try a cup of the stuff before parting with loot on
such a scale.

The main drawback with tea is of course that the bushes take a few years
of growing before they can be plucked. That, and if you're growing from
the nuts, they don't remain viable for long, and often don't germinate
at all. (I've never managed to get one to shoot, even.)

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

They grow all their new bushes from cuttings and are cropping usually within
3 years, but you are right its not instant returns, similar with Christmas
trees (plus security may be a problem these days ) and it would of course
depend on the wind shelter and altitude of the site.
But as I earn my living off a space a lot smaller than half an acre its not
as daft as it sounds :~)
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)