April

We have been very busy finishing off our new raised beds part of our long term plan to work towards a more no-dig system of growing. We also hope to use these beds with children in the future as they are much more children friendly than the vegetable beds in the sloping field.

February

Wonderful start to the month! Welcome Hazel Mary Spencer born Feb 1st!
Fantastic water birth at home at Holyford (no not in the yurt unfortunately!).

Leo is a huge help around Holyford and loves nothing more than getting stuck in to a big job. A huge oak came down from Holyford woods into our neighbouring field in the recent storms. Jan and Leo did a fantastic job of cutting it into useful poles and firewood for the yurt and the house.

We have been enjoying kiwis all through the winter months, most of which were harvested by our friends Martin and Corrinne when they visited us in the Autumn.

However some kiwis were left on the vines and have ripened up over the winter, as the weather has been so mild these kiwis have not been damaged by frost and taste fantastic!

There has been lots of digging to do, planting new fruit trees and preparing the ground for planting.

Sometimes bringing its own rewards as Leo found a carrot from last year (still tasty!).

..and a slow-worm

Hazel is already joining in with jobs at Holyford.

We are still eating from the garden: leeks, lots of delicious purple (and white) sprouting broccoli, spinach, cabbage sprouts and kale as well as parsnips, celeriac, winter salad and pea shoots…and lots of kiwis!

which is lucky as all this hard work makes us very hungry…

..and tired zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

March

We are all very excited to be getting ready for spring. We have sown up the polytunnel with early carrots, potatoes and lots of spring salads and added manure in preparation for tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes and melons. Leo has been very keen to help out!

planting potatoes

sowing broad beans

We have also planted a living willow yurt and tunnels in a lovely spot by the wildlife pond, across from the yurt. It was lots of fun to make and everyone got involved. It was lovely listening to the frogs in the pond whilst weaving the willow.

living willow yurt

Outside in the vegetable terraces we made the most of the fine weather and sowed parsnips (tender and true) and planted onion sets (Sturon and red baron) and early potatoes (charlotte).

covering the parsnip seeds with soil

Leo sneeked a peak at the broad bean seedlings which have been slowly growing under fleece over the winter

Leo checking the broad bean seedlings

May

What a busy month! We celebrated the bluebells in Holyford woods by having a campfire cookup of nettle soup and toasted damper bread on sticks served with wild garlic butter – yum!

We have been having a few pest problems with rabbits (and Leo!) eating lots of our vegetables…

The gardens are full of blossom and flowers beautiful to look at and they smell heavenly.

Magnolia blossom

We have been planting up all the vegetable terraces. Here are the leeks being planted with Leo making the holes for the leeks

planting leeks

We are already enjoying some early harvests from the polytunnel, lots of little gem lettuces, strawberries, carrots and new potatoes

early harvest

..and with all this sunshine there is lots of mowing to do…