We’re pleased with our yields of onions (red and white), shallots and garlic and yesterday we divided them into 13 shares.

Together with the harvesting of other produce, we definitely needed wheelbarrows to convey all the goodies.

A week later and today’s harvest per worker –

Today’s harvest.

Plus a few more photos of the field, and one of our big lunch at the Fighting Cocks pub afterwards!

Apart from numerous other jobs, a leak in the water pipe was mended and with many hands, two patches were planted with leek seedlings.

At last, a catch up.

DCF continues to flourish, at the moment producing radishes, spinach, spring onions, rhubarb and herbs with the help of our homemade compost.

We’re looking forward to good crops from seeds sown directly into the plots, whilst others have been started at home and then transplanted to the farm.

There have been a few hiccups; gooseberry sawfly larvae have gorged themselves on some leaves on a gooseberry bush but hopefully they were picked off in time for the fruit to continue growing (see photos), blackfly has appeared on some of the broad bean tops, in spite of having been covered with netting and the Pink Fir Apple potatoes have had to be burnt as they had succumbed to potato blight.

Winter, a time of tidying (here cutting up stalks from Jerusalem artichokes) and transplanting strawberry plants.

Cabbages grown outside and growing under cover, purple sprouting broccoli and cauliflowers are proving extra treats to our cold weather take home boxes.

It was definitely warmer when I last posted but although winter temperatures are with us, crops such as leeks, spinach and chard are being harvested. In polys, rocket seedlings are slowly growing and cabbage plants are making progress, covered with net to try and deter pests.

One entire patch of lettuce seedlings has provided food for slugs, so around another patch the deterrent of eggshells may hopefully keep these molluscs at bay.

Among other jobs, areas under soft fruit bushes are being cleared of weeds, empty plots are receiving manure and then covered with mypex and a new strawberry patch has taken shape, planting through mypex to reduce weeding.

We are all keeping busy, weeding, harvesting and compost making.

Veg continue to grow and mature inspite of the rabbits, etc, although disappointingly many of the celeriac seedlings affected by the cold spell in spring, have gone to seed.

On the positive side, we have full take-home boxes.