“Coping” with the continued dry, hot weather. Very busy, so just a couple of photos, here of an individual share of garlic, dried in one of the polytunnels and ready to take home, plus freshly dug shallots, again picturing one share, ready to dry at home.

Very busy.

Lack of rain and water/pump problems have resulted in much time taken in tweaking our system but the fruits of our labours can be seen in our harvest take home boxes.

The weeds “wild plants”, continue to thrive and we’ve had disappointments with eg the French climbing bean plants being eaten, although protected, but other veg and fruit are developing well.

Our first radish harvest of this year.

Lack of rain has involved much time spent watering. We now have automatic watering systems set up with sprinklers and irrigation pipes to hopefully help.

The photo, sun worship or back stretching to combat leaning forwards while mending nets?

So much to do…

The site is looking good (although there’s still much prep to be done); and buds are opening on the strawberry plants and gooseberry and currant bushes.

Fantastic weather today, warranting some photos of progress.

More areas have been covered with straw to hinder weed growth.

Some plants have overwintered under enviromesh.

Compost creation continues year round. Fresh compost continues to be added to enrich the soil and manure rotovated in.

Dead leaves are continually removed. For this year’s harvest, some seeds are being sown direct, while others sown at home, are transplanted; here broad beans into a polytunnel for an early crop.

Winter – still a busy season, chiefly of preparation for this year’s harvest (hopefully). Outdoors, removal of weeds encroaching into beds, manuring and covering with mypex or straw. In the polys, weeding, manuring and construction of supports for cucumbers; and a take-home box of leeks, curly kale and the last of the parsnips.

A week later and sieved soil and manure is starting to fill the new carrot beds.

However crops still require covering. Enviromesh was discovered to have come adrift on one side of a no-dig bed, resulting in chopped off stems. I guess rabbits enjoyed the parcel and other plants. Whether they will regrow?

Last week two cabbage plants remained in one bed, uncovered; not a good experiment. This week, one remained, the other merely a half stalk… Probably the deer had an enjoyable meal.

It may be December but there’s a lot to do, eg sieving and combining old manure with soil from a now empty bed, for addition to new carrot and parsnip beds.

Other veg growing and being harvested include red cabbage and romanesco cauliflower.

We were greeted at the farm by this view – and it was cold. However the earth was still capable of being dug.

All the tomato plants have been removed from the polys and distributed to ripen at home or used for chutney, etc, and there are still plenty of goodies in the take home boxes.