Mid-May Updates from the Farm!
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The last couple of weeks have flown by, and brought with them a real mixture of spring weather and activity. We were feeling a little behind on our tasks, as is often the way at this time of year, but we end this week feeling quite on top of things and pleased that we've even managed to get around to some of those maintenance jobs that always slip down the list! The weather has been busy; we had a very cold wind last week, which shifted into a few welcome wet days that left the land glowing with green vibrancy. And now, we're basking in full sunshine and mid-twenty temperatures that are set to follow us into next week! The plants are very, very pleased. It's mid-May now and you can really see that things are changing in the tunnels and out in the field. Quite a few of our crops are beginning to flower and stretch up-and-outwards. Our first sweet pea flowers are coming through, along with many other gorgeous flowers, giving us a glimpse of what's to come this season... Out in the field, we've put up the frame of our squash tunnel (yet to be covered in mesh), and planted out two 40m beds of delicious Cocozelle courgettes. This additional tunnel allows us to isolate our squash varieties from neighbouring squash crops, as they will readily cross-pollinate through insects and wind. We have also now strung up all of our climbing beans and tomatoes, which is a bit fiddly but vital for supporting their heavy growth. Blessed with a few days of wet weather, and feeling a bit more on top of planting, we took the long-awaited chance to give all of our polytunnels a good clean on Monday. It's a pretty wet and strenuous task but there was a lot of laughter, and now more light at the end of (and inside) the tunnels! Life on the farmIn wider farm news, we have some very happy new arrivals - barn owl chicks! Apparently, the resident barn owls are doing exceptionally well on the land here, and the Barn Owl Trust will be visiting soon to record what's been happening. Aidan from Green Ginger Organics (another project within the Baddaford Collective) got a lucky glimpse and managed to take this photo! I think the sunshine we are expecting in Devon is due to be felt across most of the UK, so I hope you're able to bask in it alongside us and all the plants. It's good for them, and it's definitely enjoyed by us! June is just around the corner, but May remains an especially delightful month, so enjoy it where you can, and try to lean into some moments of stillness amidst the spring busyness. Until next time, Izzy and the Vital Seeds team |
Vital Seeds Ltd
After a week away from the farm, I can suddenly notice just how rapidly everything is growing. I've come back to towering crops, new flowers buzzing with pollinators, and the first seed harvests underway! Time feels like it moves differently when working so closely with the natural world, and it's a true pleasure to return and reacquaint myself with each crop, noticing what has grown, where the newly emerged flowers are, which plants are favoured by which pollinators, and where precious seed...
The sunshine of May has given way to rain and more changeable conditions, which is only fair as we had a good long stint of hot temps and baking sunshine recently. Only a few weeks ago were getting into the fields early to avoid the scorching sun, and now thanks to the rain everything is really vibrant and growing rapidly. The tunnels have come alive with the scent and sight of towering sweet peas, with 'Enchante' in particular filling the tunnels with their sweet perfume. The first flowers...
It's been a great couple of weeks here at the farm, with the weather staying sunny and mild. We were promised a few showery days, so we broadcast our green manures out in the field - we've got 3 beds down to manure in our rotation, building up organic matter, storing nitrogen and improving the soil fertility. The rain hasn't made an appearance yet, so the sprinkler's have had to go on... This year we are doing a mix of white clover, red clover, phacelia and buckwheat. The phacelia and...