April 2008

We have been extra busy over winter. We have planted a small orchard, a small wood , some windbreak and replaced much rabbit fencing . We took a chance and put in some early carrots, parsnips some beetroot and more broad beans in that brief window of good weather we had at the end of February. It seems to have paid off as they are now all up and away. Since then we have sown peas, mange tout peas and spinach. We were hoping to be planting courgettes in the polytunnel but unfortunately there has been a problem with seed supply. The nursery bed has kale, some leeks, some Romanesco cauli and various cabbages sown in it . We are still working at putting up our new big polytunnel whenever we get a moment. We have battled over the winter to keep our broad beans free from rabbits, pigeons and crows and many have made it. It is always and to find time to put them in . It is either too wet or we are busy with more pressing things. The autumn onions were a casualty and a very annoying one. We have to plant the onion sets by hand and to lose them all to rabbits is very galling. At the moment we are putting in onion sets but this is a boring, time consuming unpleasant job to do in an easterly wind, so consequently progress has been slow .

Wildlife.

Deers have been a constant visitor to the farm over the winter period and the fields have also been full of fieldfares and lapwing . As usual many goldfinch have been flying around in packs eating thistle seed . Herons are also constant visitors to our farm.As Winter turned into Spring we have seen and heard more skylarks and the occasional woodpecker . In fact I am sure woodpeckers are becoming more and more frequent residents of our farm along with woodcock . We see kestrels most days usually being bullied by crows but have not seen little owls or short eared owls , barn owls or a harrier for a while . We have a hawthorn hedge which is old and is being undermined by rabbit warrens . It is getting holes appear in it and we hope to thicken it up by laying it next winter .

Deliveries .

If anyone wants to get a group of people together so we can have one drop off point we can knock 50p off the price of each box or bag that is delivered .Three or more people having their veg delivered to one address would be a great help as we are continually trying to balance our time between delivering and growing. Or this might be something a charity group of PTA might be interested in to raise funds . We could donate the 50p for every bag delivered to your charity .