A big hurrah. A job that’s been waiting to be tackled for a long time has been completed (other tasks had obviously taken precedence). A new tarpaulin has replaced a rather leaky cover on the shed awning.

The red currant bushes are thriving, as are broad beans and now courgettes are being added to our take-home boxes.

A new month, not quite summer and here in Norfolk, it’s cold. However, crops are growing, some slower than others.

Pink Fir Apple potatoes, planted on 4th May, are looking good.

While we have broad beans pictured on 30th May growing in a polytunnel, we also have outdoor, succession plants.

Squash raised at home by a crop parent, are now in their final growing positions.

Gooseberry cuttings are forming good new plants, while older gooseberry bushes and other soft fruits are in flower and fruiting.

Garlic is developing well, as are onions but constant weeding is essential.

Biomass has been strimmed and is raked before seeds set, then layered into a “Fill me” bin. So a “before” photo of a full bin, to go with an “after” photo from 9th February which showed the lovely quality compost being produced.

Our plants as well as weeds are growing well.

Busy.

Our compositors are producing an excellent product.

In one poly, parsley has overwintered, although now starting to go to seed; eggshells are being used to try and protect young cabbage plants from slugs and snails; broad beans are in flower, while lettuce, rocket and spinach seedlings are showing signs of progress.

Outdoors, strawberry plants are gradually producing leaves in our new, mypex covered beds, although recently purchased plants have had to be covered with enviromesh as the beautiful green leaves on half of the plants have proved too tempting to ? rabbits?

Onion sets and broad beans have been sown in newly rotovated beds.

Much weeding has been done beneath gooseberry and currant bushes and then manure applied.

Beetroot seeds have been sown, shallots planted, plus many other jobs.

A cold but sunny winter’s morning for working on the “farm”; adding manure, weeding, harvesting leeks and compost maintenance.

Adding this a week later on the 26th, a much milder day (though there’s still a nip in the air) and with nine of us, we got a lot tackled.

Last week fewer of us turned out but we got some jobs done, even if it was bitterly cold, as can be seen in the photo of a repaired and repainted tyre for one of the wheelbarrows

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Christmas 2022

After good crops of fruit and veg, we are now into November and still taking home produce –

this week spring onions, lettuce, peppers, carrots, brussels sprouts, purple sprouting broccoli, spinach, chard, leeks and parsnips.

We normally grow shorter varieties of carrots. The one pictured here has really swelled out.

Well, thunder and torrential rain were forecast. Rain is so needed and what did we have?Two brief, light showers…

There were only five of us but we got quite a lot done and a lot harvested.

It was great to see bees pollinating, especially as I’ve seen so few this year. Wasps, too many!

and our first aubergine of the year.