Getting Ready for Spring

Hello Everyone,

Bob and I hope you are very well and enjoying the nights which are soooo much lighter. 

To answer a few questions which keep cropping up…

Q.1. Do we want our boxes returned?

Answer. Yes please. Plus any egg boxes or glass containers. We will reuse all as often as we can and then they will be recycled. 

Q.2. What day do we deliver?

Answer. We deliver on a Thursday and a Friday. On a Thursday we deliver to the Newcastle/Coast/Morpeth areas. On a Friday we deliver in the Tyne Valley and West Northumberland areas. The area between these two areas, e.g. Ponteland, maybe delivered on either the Thursday or Friday. This is dependent on the addresses we have for that week. 

Q.3. Do we have a physical shop to visit?

Answer. No. We are a working farm which means that we and the Crew are busy all the time. Our produce is harvested as close to delivery time as possible. Our time is very precious to us which means that manning a shop is not part of our process. Sorry.

All of this information and more can be found on our website. My weekly Journal is also on the website if you want to read how we have progressed over the last five plus years. Any extra pictures you wish to look at can be found on Instagram. (These pictures do go on Facebook, however, I have to admit that I do not look at Facebook on a regular basis). Any communications will be answered via email or Instagram which is my preferred media platform. 

This last week has been another productive one. The fence has been going up and around the large, no huge, vegetable bed in the Orchard Field. This guard against the pesky rabbits is going to look amazing…we may have to tweak the fence around the outside growing area within the Pond Field to make this fence look just as good as the new one. Well done Graham. 

The lovely Lucy has been prepping beds within the Pond Field. They are looking amazing and ready for ‘the off’ when the Spring planting out days arrive. 

Lots of local wood-chip has been delivered during this week. The paths between each inside and outside bed has been getting a good layer of the chipping. As you can see from the above picture of the soft fruit area the paths allow good access but they also help to retain water, keep weeds away and act as a good mulch. 

A new bed for the extra rhubarb, created from splitting the rhubarb, has been created. We will first place a layer of cardboard, to act as a weed suppressant, and then fill with compost. Then the rhubarb can be planted. 

We have increased the size of a bed which is being used to grow horseradish…we tried growing a little last year. We are hoping for much more in this much larger bed. 

This bed is right next door to our two greenhouses and we have action happening within the greenhouses. Earlier in January Lucy began the sowing of the seeds and we now have life! The broad beans, celeriac, peppers, chillies, aubergines and tomatoes are all popping thru’. We do heat the greenhouses but we also use heat mats and propagators. It is just so, so good to see new little seedlings. The new year has now arrived for me. 

A new year is on the cards for our two volunteers (Rachel & Ted) who have now returned to Scotland. They were brilliant and we wish them every success for the coming seasons. 

Thank you for ordering early, it helps enormously. We hope you are enjoying your goodies. Till next week,  have a good one,

Ann👩🏻‍🌾