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Members' Experiments

Each year we organise several citizen science experiments that our members can participate in. Over the years, these experiments have played an important part in informing the way we grow organically today.
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Experiments vary in complexity and time required, from trying out a new crop to a simple online survey. The necessary instructions, seeds (where appropriate), and record sheets are usually sent out in the spring and the results are returned to us by Christmas. We collate them and publish the findings in our magazine, Organic Way – they may also be presented at conferences and used in the development of more detailed research studies.

Common themes of experiments include novel crops, comparisons of varieties, gardening techniques, and wildlife surveys. Most of this work is supported by our members but some experiments are run in collaboration with universities or commercial companies.

Our work with Fryd:

We're linking with popular veg growing app Fryd for our much-loved annual "How Did Your Veg Grow This Year" survey

Fryd (pronounced Frood) is one of Europe’s most popular garden planning apps, helping over 300,000 gardeners plan, grow and share their veg patches. The digital garden companion allows users to create bespoke planting plans for their gardens or allotments, discover companion planting combinations, and get personalised sowing advice based on local climate and frost dates.

Fryd is steward-owned, purpose-driven and promotes eco-friendly, sustainable gardening.

Fryd Lab, available in the free version of the app, offers access to community-led citizen science experiments. Fryd is available to download in the UK on both iOS and Android platforms.

2026 Members Experiments 🔗

We're running 3 experiments this year. We'll share updates and details about our members' experiments online and in our Organic Matters newsletter. You can sign up for our 2026 experiments by clicking on the links below:

  1. The revival of the Carlin Pea
  2. Build a better veg planner
  3. Resilient Greens
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Close up of the Carlin Pea

2025 Members' Experiments 🔗

We ran two members experiments in 2025. We'll share updates and details about our members' experiments online and in our Organic Matters newsletter.  You can submit your results for our 2025 experiments by clicking on the links below:

  1. The Revival of the Carlin Pea
  2. Build a better veg planner
  3. How did your veg grow this year? (Via Fryd app until November 30)