Until the 1970s there was a commercial watercress industry, run by the now-defunct Greatford Gardens Watercress Company, using water pumped from artesian bores reaching deep within the limestone strata of the Lincolnshire Wolds. In some years, the bores became naturally flowing artesian wells when pressure was sufficient to allow the water to reach the surface without the aid of pumps. Spring water with a slight alkalinity, such as that imparted by the limestone strata, is especially suitable for watercress. Some remnants of this industry can be found to the west of the old sluice gates, approximately eight hundred yards south of the Haven Inn. Other watercress beds owned by the company were located to the east of Ferry Road but have now been ploughed over and little evidence remains of their existence. At the eastern location, there were approximately twenty five watercress beds each ten yards wide by one hundred yards long. The beds were built with a slight gradient and water was directed through a channel into the highest end and then allowed flow gently down the length of the bed before leaving through a narrow opening at the lower end. The water then flowed into a channel which directed it into the Beck approximately fifty yards to the east of the Clew Gates. The watercress was gathered by hand and put onto wooden trays before being taken to a packing shed where it was divided into bundles, labelled and then the roots cut off. The bunches were then packed into wooden baskets, known as chips and transported by road to the rail and ferry centre at New Holland for delivery to customers. The severed roots were returned to the watercress bed where they were replanted. The company had similar watercress farms at Healing, Lincolnshire, Stamford, Lincolnshire and Fordingbridge, Hampshire. The company ceased its operations in Barrow Haven when it lost its water rights.