FALLGATE FARM
From our farm to you.
OUR HOME
Fallgate Farm – the home of Heartland Potato Chips – is located in the heart of New Zealand’s South Island – South Canterbury.
The farm was named by a previous owner some 80 years ago, when a survey of the property revealed an inordinate number of gates hanging off their hinges!
Raymond and Adrienne Bowan noticed the potential in Fallgate Farm nearly four decades ago, attracted primarily by the soil, which was perfect for growing potatoes – free draining, with little-to-no stones and good irrigation.
The sprawling property has been home to their family ever since. Today, son James and his wife Jess are raising their three children there, ushering in a third generation of Bowans who will grow up calling Fallgate Farm ‘home’.
OUR APPROACH
To maintain good levels of nutrients, cropped paddocks need to be continuously rotated.
That’s why, in addition to the 250ha of potatoes Raymond and the team plant every year, Fallgate Farm also hosts sheep and grows cereal crops.
Potato planting begins in late August and continues through to early November. Over the years Raymond has trialed pretty much every type of potato there is, reaching the conclusion that only five or six varieties produce the colour and crunch required to become a Heartland potato chip.
FARMERS DIARY
June - July: Work top soil of paddock
July - Sept: Soil test for nutrients
Sept: Plough paddock then ridge it
Sept: Planting begins
Nov: Potato plants begin emerging
Nov-Feb: Monitor crops for moisture. Irrigate if necessary
Dec: Monitor crops for pests
Jan: Early crop is lifted
Mar/June: Main crop is lifted
