Coast and Country Auctions

A focus on the Spalding Plant and Vegetable Auction in Lincolnshire, the biggest market of its kind in the country, hosting three sales a week where as many as 1,000 bags and boxes of veg and up to 16,000 plants, shrubs and trees are sold in a day. Farmer John Dix aims to sell nearly a tonne of potatoes, but there has been a national potato glut recently, so prices could be a worry. The Spalding Auction is vital for buyer James Dawson, who has a bustling fruit and veg stall in Scunthorpe Market. He must strike a careful balance between getting the stock he needs to keep the stall running and paying low enough prices to make a profit and pay himself a wage. And Charles Stubbs, a man with 10 garden centres to buy for, needs 4,000 plants, trees and shrubs to keep empire supplied.