I was invited by the Norfolk Green Care Network to give a short talk about Diss Community Farm on 7th April 2021, which is linked above. I had 10 minutes, as part of an online event called “Growing Together” which included talks about other community farms and gardens: Grapes Hill Community Garden in Norwich, The Escape Garden in Swaffham, a talk about community gardens in London, and group allotments in Norwich from the allotment officer at Norwich City Council.

I found it to be very interesting overall, to find out how much is going on in the area that is similar to what we are doing here in Diss. My short talk might also be of interest to people who want to find out more about our Farm and its history, and I did give a preview to the Farm members a few days beforehand and incorporated their comments.

It was a cold but glorious January day. There were 3 of us, in a bubble, but very aware of COVID. Diss Community Farm is doing well, although we all miss coming at the same time, and our lovely coffee and cake breaks. We have regular Zoom meetings, and keep up to date using an online spreadsheet, and a white board in the caravan.

Today’s harvest was quite small: broccoli, leeks (which we are sharing with the rabbits) and a last stalk of brussels sprouts.

Mostly, we are getting ready for planting. The photo shows one of our no-dig beds, where we are putting a thick layer of compost, so the new plants will have just that to grow in.

The sunset was stunning!

We had our first working day of the Coronavirus Era yesterday. We had our coffee break outside on the tables, for the first time this winter, and even then we spread ourselves out widely.

But we were all there!

Some of us will not come to the Tuesday work days for the time being, but will come at other times, and we will liaise by email as to what needs to be done, what to harvest.

We did have quite a large harvest this week as you can see from my boxes. That was partly finishing off some of the last season’s veg to make room for new planting, like last bits of the brussels sprouts plants, and some cabbage fragments. Also, the leeks are beginning to bolt, so we did a very large harvest of them. Not many of them left now.

The weather was mild and windy, the sky was blue, with low clouds whizzing along under a higher layer of slower clouds. Working on Diss Community Farm was a wonderful way to spend a few midwinter hours.

We had quite a full turnout of our regulars, and our usual excellent coffee and cake. We had a good harvest for midwinter, leeks, sprouts, salads, broccoli, red cabbage, and did quite a bit of useful work, weeding, preparing our no-dig beds for planting, layering the compost piles.

We had a lot of people out today, including several children (and grandchildren) because it is a school holiday and also one dog.

We all enjoyed the warm sunshine, and got a lot of work done. We had some yummy cake and brownies with our coffee.

You can see how well the new crops are coming along in the beds and the polytunnels, so we had a nice Spring harvest.

The rain forecast for today held off, allowing us to work in the dry, eg to sow carrot and parsnip seeds.

It was decided to harvest the last of the leeks

and important news – our first asparagus spears were cut.

The rotovation was speeded up, including inside one of the polytunnels and among other jobs a raspberry patch was weeded and brassica stems chopped up to aid decomposition.

Last Thursday we had an excellent turnout, including lots of children who were off school, and one grandmother. The weather was wonderful, so we had our coffee break outside for the first time this year. And we also got a lot of work done.

Raspberry canes have been cut down and, with the help of children (off-school as it’s the Easter holidays), new strings have been added for support, in anticipation of a good crop.

Manure has been added to more patches and then rotovated in.

Of course weeds are growing, frost or not; careful weeding is needed on the patch of tiny onion shoots.

Brassica stems are removed and more broad beans sown, to replace those that vanished from an entire patch; a new problem, possibly mice?

Blackcurrant and worcesterberry bushes are in flower and yet again, we thankfully have boxes of produce to take home.

and there are plenty of salad leaves.

More seedlings including spring cabbage, were added in the polytunnel, while outdoors the autumn planted garlic is growing well amongst the straw.