Soil Association Annual Review Time
Hello Everyone,
We hope you are all good and well. I have no idea where the last week has gone as writing this week's Journal feels like a continuation of last weeks with very little time in between each edition!
I do so wish the time would slow down, maybe even stop on the odd day. As per, it has been a busy one…including our annual review from the Soil Association. This was carried out last Thursday over both the Walled Garden and the Farm, double the admin!
And the results are in…..we have full compliance of the standards from both sites, and we are certified Organic for yet another year. The Farm has now been certified for eleven years and the Garden for two. We are very happy as Bob had to work really hard to continue with the records alongside the duties of the Freyja Project. I am very proud of my husband. But no rest for the wicked, the work continues…
The Walled Garden
Well it has been busy and very exciting in the garden. On Monday seven ‘brickies’ arrived to build the greenhouse 'dwarf' wall. As you can see above, the bricks match the back wall perfectly. The brickies completed the task in one day and a dam fine job they did to! When the whole Greenhouse is complete me thinks the wall will look as if it has been in the garden for ever.
The Greenhouse will consist of three distinct ‘rooms’ with a decent door dividing each area. The central room will have a grand entrance to the front of the Greenhouse. Each separate area will be used and controlled depending on the activity required. For instance, we may grow Tomatoes in one section, sow seeds in another and have a more exotic fruit in another. Excited.
We are also having a grand ‘Gardeners Office’ built right next to the Greenhouse. It will be a place for prepping the freshly harvested Organic produce before taking it to the kitchen. The Crew will store belongings and have lunch. Maybe some admin completed. (And, of course an ablutions area). It looks massive now that a wall perimeter has been established. More excitement.
Next Tuesday, the company building the Greenhouse are popping across to complete the final measurements before building it off site. They will be back the week commencing the seventh of July to, finally, erect it. Even more excitement.
The Farm
The excitement continues at the farm. We have a new Crew member…Hugh. He arrived last Monday to help with this busy time of bed prep and planting out. He slotted in perfectly and between us and him we will see how it goes.
Agricultural work can be, no, scrap that, is very hard physical work in all types of weather. It is not for everyone, so it is best to check if the job and individual matches up to each others expectations. Fingers crossed we have a keeper.
The Pond Field is more or less full of our Organic crops. We have about five beds left to fill and we have more than the five beds of seedlings to be planted out. We will then be going into the Orchard Field.
The Polytunnels are full, either full of crops or the beds have been assigned to a particular vegetable or herb which still needs to be planted out.
More seeding in the Greenhouses here, has been completed…we are now thinking of the Winter crops (see what I mean…time, please slow down!). Winter Cabbages and Leeks have been sown, more brassicas will be sown during the coming weeks.
We have also sown more Basils and Beetroots. The Basil had been sown earlier in the year but germination was not successful, hence more sowing. The Beetroot we direct sowed and again, germination was not successful. We decided to sow more seeds in the Greenhouse and within the week they have germinated. Both of these have a number of varieties and will go into the growing beds in a few weeks time. Thankfully, at this time of the year, everything catches up on itself, taking no time to germinate and grow.
We continue to water as none has arrived from above for weeks. Apparently, rain is forecast from next Friday. Great for gardeners and farmers. But sad for those on half term school holidays.
The YouTube Channel
Do you want to see a little more of what happens on the Farm tune in to see the Lovely Lucy explain what happens to the spent crops and much more. Lucy has been with us for five years now and is very knowledgeable, having trained in horticulture. She knows the farm really well and is full of top tips. A natural in front of the camera, even though she says it is not her ‘cup of tea’. Subscribe or just take a peek.
Boasting slightly, but the assessor who came and certified us last Thursday, was very complimentary on how the Farm and Garden were coming along. She thought the Pond Field and its growing beds looked amazing. This time of the year everything does look fresh and lush, especially if the sun is shining. But I will take the compliment and it is all credit to the great team of Lucy, Graham and now Hugh and how they do an amazing job for Bob and I. We do appreciate them and any compliments which come our way. Thanks to, to you all for reading, watching and scrolling.
All have a great week,
Ann
