It's been very Hot!
Hello Everyone,
Enjoying the heat wave?
This last week certainly has been a hot one. The Greenhouses, at the farm, hit a 45* temperature. That was hot! We have all paced ourselves, wearing summer clothes, drinking plenty of water and wearing sunscreen. I have to admit I go into ‘mother mode’ ensuring that the Crew are being sensible, not that I need to tell them but it makes me feel better.
The Farm
The heat always impacts the work we do and how we do it. For instance, the Polytunnels are a "no no" in extreme conditions like this last week. Any jobs which needed to happen in the tunnels…tending and harvesting…are always carried out at the very start of the day when it should be cooler. This week it was still in the late twenties or early thirties during the morning. When we have to go in the tunnels we take it slowly as it does become like a sauna. However, putting the overhead watering system on it is always cooling if you stand under the shower. Hopefully, next week the temperatures will be normal and we will play catch up on the list of jobs.
The weather has been perfect for the produce and everything is growing a mile a minute! This includes the weeds unfortunately. So, the Crew have spent time in the Pond Field and the outside growing beds. The Potato bed has been mounded up with a top covering of more compost. An increase in the number of Potatoes growing should follow this process.
The rest of the working week saw lots of tending and watering in this Field and also the Orchard Field which is now filling up with more Brassicas and Alliums along side the Summer and Winter Squash. Very often, when we plant out, the plants go into ‘transplant shock’. We find Squash tend to do this and this years plants were no exception. But, this week, they are back on track and have clearly rooted nicely and are beginning to grow. Squash have always been a popular item it the kitchen.
As the Strawberries ripen we are not the only people harvesting and eating these jewels. Other little critters enjoy the sweet, juicy, red fruit and they tend to nibble at the biggest! Each bed was covered with netting to reduce the number of fruits being spoilt. We do realise we are sharing the fruits (literally) of our labour.
As I mentioned, the Greenhouses were beyond hot. To keep our sowing plan on track more Beans needed to be sown. This was completed very early Thursday morning. All the sowing for June has now been completed. We may even jump the gun a little and start Julys sowing schedule earlier than next month. This should not affect the schedule and may even help by being ahead of the schedule. More leafy produce will be required and we are soon to consider the over Wintering goodies to be sown. It’s all in the planning.
Hugh, our new member of the team is settling in nicely. He has a great interest in gardening and is keen to learn. He does have a knowledge of trees and I am hoping Hugh can educate us on his tree experiences. Hugh and Graham did discover an abandoned nest with two live birds in the Strawberry Beds. Unfortunately, two other smelly birds were not so alive. Hugh was able to arrange for a vet to care for the birds and then on to a sanctuary. We think they were black birds. Fingers crossed for them.
We do have an abundance of bird activity around the farm. The singing and flying is always a joy to hear and watch.
The Walled Garden
As you can imagine, the temperature inside the walls of the garden is even hotter than everywhere else. Graham has spent a full day watering and weeding. He has also cut the grass. I did message to advise him to pace himself. Graham is a beast of a worker. He sometimes has only one gear - a top gear. The weather we have had this last week must slow even a beast of a worker.
We are still being patient re the Greenhouse build. Bob and I did have a nice job to do this week. We had to choose the door handles for the Greenhouse doors. A pleasant job made difficult due to the twenty handles we had to choose from. Decision was made by process of elimination and then a great feeling of another step forward.
The YouTube Channel
Bob is back this week after my little foray into the filming medium. It’s all about the Beans this week. You cannot beat the taste of Beans and Peas fresh from the pod. We do grow lots of these delicious, sweet, little gems. Successional growing is an art and we aim to have a variety of Beans and Peas throughout the Summer Season.
Well I am going to pop off now and go back to tending and watering. I will take heed of my own advice to the Crew and pace myself.
Till next time,
Ann
