For previous years, see 2024 and 2025. 2023 information is in our archives. Ask if you want it.

February

Plots 1 & 2

• Plot 1: Potatoes have been harvested and sorted for storing. 
• Plot 2: Beetroot are being harvested.  
• Herbs are available to pick for free on the herb patch.

Plots 3 & 4

• Plot 3: A few small swedes and some cavolo nero remaining for harvesting.  A few small turnips harvested. They were sown too late in the season.  
• Plot 4: fallow. 
• We’re selectively weeding out clumps of grass and trying to keep the plots tidy. 

Plots 5 & 6

• Plot 5: Shallots and onions doing OK although moles have disturbed some. 
• Plot 6: We have pulled back about half the plastic, marked out and prepared some beds and paths ready for the calabrese and cabbages, and re-covered with the plastic.

Plots 7 & 8

• Plot 7: We have a few small leeks still growing on the plot and we have phacelia growing on a third of the plot, the rest is covered with black plastic.
• Plot 8 is still completely empty and covered in plastic. 

Plots 9 & 10

• Plot 9: the kale didn’t love the wet weather but should rally as things lighten up.
• Plot 10: plastic cleared and the soil prepared for broad beans and peas. We’re starting the peas in Polytunnel 4.

Plots 11 & 12

• Plot 11: A limited number of cabbages are being harvested each week as the slow growth continues.  Preparations for salads have started with the first sowing of lettuce, 17 of 20 padron pepper seedlings have germinated and tomatoes have been sown.
• Plot 12: Chard and perpetual spinach have died back and cut down to the roots to await spring growth.
• Red onion seedlings were struggling in the polytunnel with some attacks by mice and too much humidity. 12 trays were taken home and quickly improved with a good germination rate. They were then swapped with the remaining trays that had germinated. All are now doing well. Six tray, the ones sown with last year’s seed, showed no signs of germination and have been discarded.  
• Summer leeks were sown in large pots in the polytunnel and are showing early signs of growth.  
• We have started to dig in the Phacelia at the orchard end of the plot in preparation for planting out the red onions in early April. We removed black plastic from the centre of the plot.

Plots 13 & 14

• Plot 13: The plan for this month is to turn in the phacelia and prepare the ground for our rows of celeriac and beetroot, some to be started in trays.  
• Plot 14: A big push to sow thousands of white Santero onion seeds in the poly tunnels this month and gradually move them over to the hardening off area.   

Plots 15 & 16

• Last two weeks of parsnips

Plots 17 & 18

• Plot 17: overwintering with phacelia 
• Plot 18: The shallots are showing good signs of growth and were preparing beds ready for first early peas to be planted later in March.

Plots 19 & 20

• Plot 19: The carrots are now finished, apart from one bed that was sown late — those are still too small to harvest. We’ll leave them in and see if they improve in the spring.The plot is now being prepared for the second early potatoes. 
• Plot 20: Currently being prepared for beans. 

Polytunnels

• Winter salad leaves are beginning to improve so small bags of mixed leaves should be available each week, weather permitting. Occasionally lettuce as well. 

Soft Fruit

• Focus has been on cage maintenance, over the last month. 
• The first forced rhubarb was harvested 21st February. 
• Remaining pre-season work includes further net and cage maintenance, path renewal when we get woodchips and raspberry pruning/mulching. 

Orchards

• We are proceeding with winter pruning, structures and general maintenance

A Team

• On the 14th, the team helped the children to build some bird boxes. These were then installed in the pond orchard.  
• Last Saturday, the team welcomed a new member, Andy and we started work on the fence posts and gate for the orchard. Despite the persistent rain, we managed to get most of the fence done. We’ll continue with that next Saturday. 

January

Plots 1 & 2

• Plot 1 Potatoes have been harvested and sorted for storing  
• Plot 2 Beetroot are being harvested.
• Herbs are available to pick for free on the herb patch 

Plots 3 & 4

• Plot 3: A few small swedes and some cavolo nero remaining for harvesting. A few small turnips harvested. They were sown too late in the season.   
• Plot 4 is fallow. We’re selectively weeding out clumps of grass and trying to keep the plots tidy. 

Plots 5 & 6

• Plot 5: All shallots and red onions now planted, and the mesh has been removed from all the beds. We are weeding the beds as necessary. 
• Plot 6: We removed the larger weeds and re-used the black plastic to cover the plot. 

Plots 7 & 8

• We have a few small leeks still growing on the plot and we have phacelia growing on a third of the plot, the rest is covered with black plastic. 
• Plot 8 is still completely empty and covered in plastic. 

Plots 9 & 10

• Some rows of kale still going strong on Plot 9.
• Plot 10 is covered in plastic at the moment but we’ll be starting to prepare the ground for the first sowing of broad beans in February.

Plots 11 & 12

• Plot 11: Cabbage growth slowed right down as the weather turned cold and we have only had a few small red and green cabbages to harvest each week so far.  
• Plot 12: Chard and perpetual spinach have died back with the arrival of colder weather; chard has been trimmed down to the roots to await spring growth and the same will be done to the spinach. Giant winter spinach has not germinated well so far.  
• 28 trays of 100+ red onions seeds have been sown and stored in Polytunnel 4. Padron peppers are about to be sown and kept on a warm windowsill at home for a few months.  

Plots 13 & 14

• Plot 13 features a handsome crop of phacelia. We’ll be working on the planting and sowing plans this month.  
• We have cleared Plot 14 of all sprout stalks now the crop is fully harvested, nets and hoops stowed back in storage. We have a few beds of netted Cavalo Nero to harvest from. Seed sowing will be started soon.

Plots 15 & 16

• Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips growing well. 

Plots 17 & 18

• Plot 17: all planted with phacelia. We will be reinforcing the bed/path structure and tidying up the edges over winter 
• Plot 18: leeks are being harvested, there are only 4 1/2 beds so we will have to stretch them out as long as possible. The rest of the plot will have overflow shallots on it for next summer. 

Plots 19 & 20

• Plot 19: Carrots continue to be harvested. THO Saturday, PYO other times. 
• Plot 20: Now fully covered for winter. 

Polytunnels

• Winter salad leaves are beginning to improve so small bags of mixed leaves should be available each week, weather permitting. Occasionally lettuce as well. 

Soft Fruit

• All soft fruit except raspberries now pruned and mulched. 
• New variety of strawberries planted. 
• 15 Rhubarb crowns covered to produce forced rhubarb. 
• Some rotten posts in the cages removed with new ones. 
• Remaining work before the season starts includes net and path maintenance and raspberry pruning/mulching. 

Orchards

• We are proceeding with winter pruning, structures and general maintenance.

A Team

• With the cold, wet weather, we have been restricted in the jobs we can do, such as painting or concreting. However, we have been able to make the cover boxes for the water pumps which will be set up in the Spring and also replaced some rotted fence posts.
• You have probably seen a large team of volunteers filling in the potholes on the road and the paths between the plots. This is a big job and will need a lot of stones, so please let that team know if you are removing stones from your plots.
• As always, we require more pallets or other timber so please look out for anyone who could donate some. 

2025

2024

• The potatoes on plot 9 are growing well.
• The squash on plot 10 are growing well and have started to grow side shoots. 

Plots 11 & 12

• We harvested the first of the carrots from Plot 11. Carrots from the next beds have been sown too thickly and need to be thinned with the smaller thinnings going on sale for a few weeks until more full-size carrots are ready. 
• On Plot 12, Main crop potatoes are flowering well and looking good. We are watering twice a week using the pond pump and working with team 9/10 by watering all our potatoes in one go.  
• 5 rows of Jazzy new potatoes were sown on 12 in error. We started harvesting and the yield is 3lb per plant.  
• Sunflowers are doing well and should soon be providing much needed shade around Polytunnel 4.  

Plots 13 & 14

• Onions continue to do well on plot 13 
• Lettuces, spring onions and radishes are being harvested from plot 14. 

Plots 15 & 16

• Plot 15: We are harvesting turnips. Kohl Rabi plants that were stripped, probably by pigeons, have mostly recovered. We have sown three beds of Cavolo Nero and will shortly be sowing two beds of swedes.
• Plot 16: Red onions are being harvested and the shallots are doing well.

Plots 17 & 18

• Plot 17, acoustic potatoes all planted and growing well 
• Plot 18, 5 beds of celeriac planted and 3 beds of beetroot sown. Another 2 beds of beetroot to sow to provide successional harvests. 

Plots 19 & 20

• 19 – We are three weeks into harvesting the calabrese and have been delighted with the quality and quantity so far.  They are enjoyable to harvest especially as we haven’t grown them before.  Also, on plot 19 we are currently planting out Red Drumhead cabbages and harvesting comfrey to make comfrey tea fertiliser. 
•  20 – We are anticipating our first picking of courgettes this weekend and have already started harvesting chard.  The spinach is looking good too. We have a fallow patch on the plot due to team shortages but hope to start chipping away at it. It hasn’t compromised our crop sowing.  
• Our new team members have been brilliant at getting stuck in!

Polytunnels

• Tomatoes have begun to ripen in Polytunnel 1 with limited quantities available, so please if you buy some one week give someone else a chance the following week. 

Soft fruit

• Harvesting well underway. The strawberry harvest has been poor. Following a trip to Wisley this week, they said theirs had been poor too and suggested that it was because the plants didn’t have many flowers due to the cold spring/early summer. There are also issues with some of the summer raspberries canes which are dying… we will get some, but they aren’t thriving where they are. 
• With regards to the other soft fruit, the currants, tayberries and gooseberries have good amount of fruit on them, the blackberries are covered in flowers and the autumn raspberry canes are growing strongly. 

Orchards

• We are now heavy into thinning season (in fact at the end of it) and the early stages of summer pruning.  
• Our new trees must be constantly watered every week until the establish, as this hot weather can knock them out. We are also finding a lot of damage from deer, chewing up tender branches, so we have added more protections. 
• The trees seem healthy enough, with some small signs of ermine moth, the usual limited damage of sawfly and codling moth, but in general fine.

A team

• The A team are working hard on the compost bins and the polytunnel and Bryn has also been working on the farm toilet. We are still in need of some scaffold boards for both the compost bins and the woodchip store. We’re hoping to get some boards in soon.
• Bryn has also fixed some of the tables and bench seats so we can replace the remaining plastic furniture.

May

What’s available? (HCF stakeholders only)

• PYO
  • Parsley – plot 1, near herb garden, 15p/handful (plentiful) 
  • Herb garden, Mints, Sage, Rosemary, Bay leaves, Oregano, Thyme – all free to pick.
• Team Harvest only
  • Chard (Swiss) – plot 18, 25p/handful 
  • Spring greens – plot 5 and PT, 25p each, no limit now 
  • Radish

Plots 1 & 2

• On plot 1 the peas are doing well and the broad beans are in flower.
• On plot 2, lots of potatoes are doing nicely. 
• Herb Patch: Sage, Rosemary, Bay leaves, thyme. Oregano – all free to pick

Plots 3 & 4

• Plot 3: The red onions are in and we’re just beginning to plant out the summer leeks. 
• Plot 4: The summer cabbages are filling out nicely with all the rain. We’ve started planting out the Brussel sprout plants. Cavolo nero and more Brussel sprout seedlings are in the hardening off area. These will be potted on and then planted out later. 

Plots 5 & 6

• We have about 3 weeks of spring greens left on plot 5. We have sown sweetcorn seeds but had bad germination (25-30%), maybe it was too hot in Polytunnel 4 and they slowly cooked!? We’ve planted out most of the larger survivors onto plot 5 and plan to plant out the rest when they are big enough and to sow the sweetcorn directly into the soil there. 
• We have also had bad germination of the parsnips in plot 6, so we will re-sow into the gaps there. The tomato seedlings are doing well (thanks to Anne and Richard) and we have planted them out at the end of plot 6. 

Plots 7 & 8

• Plot 7, the peas are doing well. 
• Plot 8, we are getting the plot ready for climbing and dwarf beans. 

Plots 9 & 10

• Have planted 160 squash on plot 10. Potatoes are coming on well on Plot 9.

Plots 11 & 12

• Plot 11: Carrots: just two more beds of stone clearing and soil riddling to do. As per last year the first bed of Early Nantes has taken a while to establish itself.  The third bed of Maestro and Berlicum are looking really good after extensive weeding. We now need to weed the next 5 beds of Autumn King and get the final two beds riddled and planted. A watering rota has been in place over the last few weeks when there has been some warmer weather.  
• Plot 12: The potato plants are looking really healthy.  Edges of rows need a bit of weeding, but weeds will soon be shaded out by the potato plants.  
• Attempting to grow some sunflowers to provide a bit of shade for Polytunnel 4. There is a colourful display of poppies at the other end of plot 11. 

Plots 13 & 14

• Plot 13 is planted with many onions. 
• Plot 14 has salads, lettuce, radish, spring onions and tomatoes. 

Plots 15 & 16

• Plot 15: Onions and shallots are growing well and should soon start to dry off prior to harvesting. 
• Plot 16: Of four rows of turnips sown, two rows had limited success while two rows did quite well.  We have thinned them out and transplanted some in gaps. We will shortly resow the gaps.  
• Kohl Rabi plants that were stripped, probably by pigeons, have mostly recovered. 
• We have sown three beds of Cavolo Nero and will shortly be sowing two beds of swedes.

Plots 17 & 18

• Plot 17: All the Acoustic 2nd early spuds are planted, ridged and weeded. They will be harvested after the first earlies from plot 2 are finished to keep us going until the main crop potatoes are harvested in September. 
• Plot 18: All the celeriac has been planted and settled in well – it will enjoy this wet weather we are having now. Two beds of beetroot sown with more to follow for successional crops. 

Plots 19 & 20

• Plot 19: Our calabrese plants are growing well but the extra ones we grew are proving useful to fill gaps where slugs have destroyed plants!  One floret has already been spotted. We are also preparing the ground for sowing summer cabbages.  
•  Plot 20: We have only recently stopped harvesting kale and have been struggling to dig over the patch over as weeds suddenly sprouted everywhere.  Our summer crop is courgettes and we have cleared the kale sufficiently to plant 39 plants so far. We had problems with seed germination both at home and at the farm with Moles seeds but have enough now thanks to fresh seeds, the persistence of team members and a trayful of plants from Penny! At the end of the plot, we have sown chard and spinach which are doing well. 
•  We welcomed two new team members this week and are delighted to have the extra help.

Polytunnels

• Tomatoes are developing well, as are chillies. There will be some surplus tomato plants for sale again. They may look a little weak but this is because they need potting on into larger growing areas. The tomato plants alongside poly 1 are not for sale. 
• Thank you to Andrew & Julie from plot 1 & 2 for Basil seedlings. These are now in poly 3 as companion planting for tomatoes.

Soft fruit

• Good harvest of rhubarb at the start of the season perhaps because they loved the rain. However, the season has been shorter than usual, possibly because the rain washed away the nutrients in the soil! The crowns are beginning to recover so we may get one final crop before the end of the season. 
• All other fruit coming along well with strawberries being our next harvest, in a couple of weeks. 

Orchards

• The orchard team has been working on the vines this week: the 4 we planted last year from cuttings and the two perched on the farm fence: cleaning brambles and bindweed, pruning and mulching ready for the season 
• We have also been busy laying out the wires to espalier the pears, pruning them to guide their growth and fixing them to the trellises. 
• Last, we have paid attention to the new flower hedge and border. Watering and weeding to help it establish, and putting some fences around the tender fruit trees to stop some signs of animals eating the bark  
• Coming up next: thinning season.

A Team

• The A team are working hard on the compost bins and the polytunnel and Bryn has also been working on the farm toilet. We are still in need of some scaffold boards for both the compost bins and the woodchip store. We’re hoping to get some boards in soon.
• Bryn has also fixed some of the tables and bench seats so we can replace the remaining plastic furniture. 

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April

Plots 1 & 2

• Plots 1 & 2 and herb patch have had some tidying, weeding and trimming of edges of the plots. The top of plot 2 has plastic covering currently to eradicate the bindweed. 
• We still have Parsley from plot 1 and spinach on plot 2. The cavolo nero has now finished. 
• Herb Patch: Sage, Rosemary, Bay leaves, thyme. Oregano – all free to pick  

Plots 3 & 4

• Plot 3: We have started planting out the red onions. The phacelia, which was about to flower, has been chopped down and used as a mulch.
• Plot 4: The brassica cage has been erected and several rows of summer cabbage planted. We have seedlings of Brussel sprouts in poly 4.  These will soon be potted on. 

Plots 5 & 6

• We have sown the early parsnips in the first 4 beds on plot 6 and are continuing preparing the rest of the beds ready for the main crop and some outdoor tomatoes. We’ve sieved compost ready for sowing the sweetcorn seeds. We have harvested all the Spring Greens in the polytunnel and have now started on those on plot 5. 

Plots 7 & 8

• Plot 7: We are planting and sowing peas. 
• Plot 8: We are getting the plot ready for climbing and dwarf beans. 

Plots 9 & 10

• Plot 9: potatoes are in
• Plot 10: squash seedlings are coming on in the Polytunnel. Ground is marked out ready for them.  

Plots 11 & 12

• Plot 11 – Carrots: stone clearing and soil riddling prior to planting of carrots continues. We have sown two beds of Early Nantes and a third bed of Maestro and Berlicum. Next beds will be Autumn King. 
• Plot 12 – Main Crop Potatoes: All potatoes planted, and first earthing up done.  Once all the Cara had been planted, we managed to plant 4 rows of Jazzy new potatoes in error, before completing the plot with Java. 
• Leaf compost behind Poly 4 has been turned but not yet ready to use.  
• Team members Jenny and Uli are in training to take on some of the Experienced Growers’ workload. 

Plots 13 & 14

• We have been tending lots of onion seeds. 

Plots 15 & 16

• Plot 15: Onions and shallots growing well.
• Plot 16: Kohl Rabi plants transplanted to the plot but since stripped, probably by pigeons. They have been netted and might recover but we have resown trays in poly 4 as a backup.
• Also sown first lot of cavolo nero. 

Plots 17 & 18

• Nothing happening on 17 yet.
• We are harvesting chard and perpetual spinach from plot 18. 

Plots 19 & 20

• Plot 19: We have finished planting out 7 rows of calabrese and are saving 4 rows for planting cabbages later. 
• Plot 20:  We have 2 trays of Chard and of spinach sprouting in the poly-tunnel. Our kale is coming to an end soon.  We are sowing courgettes in pots.

Polytunnels

• Repotting tomato plants and the surplus will be put for sale at 25p a plant. (Money into the farm please.) It’s a varied assortment but they should have their name on the pot. If you aren’t lucky at first, there will be more in the next few weeks. Do not plant them out yet as they will be killed by frost, if we have any.
• Chillies have had a slow start but are now potted on and sweet peppers have failed to germinate so a second sowing is underway.
• Please if you have any medium size yogurt pots, please can the poly team have them for potting on. Thank you. 

Soft fruit

• Now picking main crop rhubarb, which is looking very healthy, loving all the rain we had a few weeks ago.  
• We’ve had our first wave of sawfly caterpillars on the gooseberries and redcurrants, but both are still looking healthy with lots of berries forming.  
• Other areas of focus have been on mending the netting in the cages and production of compost using grass clippings, cardboard and woodchip. 

Orchards

• After putting in 9 pears that will be espaliered around the farm’s outside fence, we have been working hard to create a new planting border at the entrance of the pond orchard. We have matted down to avoid immediate weed regrowth, and planted 2 medlar trees, 2 quince ‘Serbian gold’, 2 honeyberries, and an assortment of bushes and a lilac tree we got from Tesco to increase the overall beauty of the border.
• We have also lined up 72 lavender plug plants, and 15 Verbena bonariensis all from special deals. Come April and May we would like to interplant some annual and perennial flowers and hope it all grows into a stunning new patch. So, if you are interested in helping, please pop along to the orchard team and let us know! 

A team

• The foundations for the first three walls of the compost bins are now in and we’ve started building the walls. As usual, the weather has delayed the progress considerably. 
• Bryn is working to remove a mould infestation in the children’s Wendy house. Unfortunately, a leak developed and the insulation in the walls became damp. He is also plumbing in the new toilets that Henry has provided. 
• And finally, we’ve started repairing the first of the garden benches. 

March

Plots 1 & 2

• Plots 1 & 2 and herb patch have had some tidying, weeding and trimming of edges of the plots. The top of plot 2 has plastic covering currently to eradicate the bindweed. 
• We still have parsley from plot 1 and spinach on plot 2. The cavolo nero has now finished. 
• Herb Patch has sage, rosemary, bay leaves, thyme, and oregano – all free to pick.

Plots 3 & 4

• Plot 3: We finished harvesting the parsnips 23rd March. We’ve wolf-hoed the empty beds to limit weeds. The remaining beds have the cover crop phacelia growing. These beds are where we will plant the leek and red onion seedlings later this year. 
• Plot 4: We’ve edged the plot. We will soon be re-erecting the metal structure, moved from plot 8, to protect our tall brassicas later in the season. We have cabbage seedlings, which have been potted on, in the hardening-off area. 

Plots 5 & 6

• The Spring Greens in PT3 have overtaken those we planted earlier on plot 5 and we have started harvesting them. 
• We continued hoeing in the Phacelia on plot 6 and have prepared the first four beds for the early Parsnips. We are waiting for the soil to warm up before sowing them. We continue to weed both plots and the fence line. 

Plots 7 & 8

• Plot 7 the field beans are being dug in. 
• Plot 8 Cavolo nero has now finished. 

Plots 9 & 10

• Both plots 9 and 10 are in prestige condition, no weeds, no woodchip and all marked out ready for potatoes and squash. Just want the weather now!

Plots 11 & 12

• Plot 11 – stone clearing and soil riddling prior to planting of carrots has been heavy going because it has been so wet, but we are ready to sow the first bed of carrots (Early Nantes) by the end of March.  
• Plot 12 – the first row of Cara potatoes has been planted using a new tool – a large version of a bulb planter. 

Plots 13 & 14

• We have been tending lots of onion seeds. 

Plots 15 & 16

• The artichokes are now finished. 
• Onion setts planted on plot 16 appear to be growing well and we have just started planting shallot setts. 

Plots 17 & 18

• Nothing happening on 17 yet.
• We are harvesting chard and perpetual spinach from plot 18.

Plots 19 & 20

• We have Calabrese growing in single pots in the hardening off area in preparation for planting out in plot 19. 
• Plot 20: We have 2 trays of Chard sprouting in the poly-tunnel. Our kale is still going strong with weekly harvesting. The Russian kale is particularly abundant as well as colourful. 

Polytunnels

• Lettuce and mixed salad leaves are coming to an end very soon as we begin preparing to recover some of the poly tunnels. The tomato and chilli seeds are now growing and more have been sown to give variety.

Soft fruit

• We managed to get 6 weeks of forced rhubarb this year… both the dark tunnel and the compost daleks worked well. We are now picking the early rhubarb, with all crowns looking very healthy. All other soft fruit showing early signs of life. 

Orchards

• After putting in 9 pears that will be espaliered around the farm’s outside fence, we have been working hard to create a new planting border at the entrance of the pond orchard. We have matted down to avoid immediate weed regrowth, and planted 2 medlar trees, 2 quince ‘Serbian gold’, 2 honeyberries, and an assortment of bushes and a lilac tree we got from Tesco to increase the overall beauty of the border. We have also lined up 72 lavender plug plants, and 15 Verbena bonariensis all from special deals.
• Come April and May we would like to interplant some annual and perennial flowers and hope it all grows into a stunning new patch. So, if you are interested in helping, please pop along to the orchard team and let us know! 

A team

• The foundations for the first three walls of the compost bins are now in and we’ve started building the walls. As usual, the weather has delayed the progress considerably. 
• Bryn is working to remove a mould infestation in the children’s Wendy House. Unfortunately, a leak developed and the insulation in the walls became damp. He is also plumbing in the new toilets that Henry has provided. 
• And finally, we’ve started repairing the first of the garden benches. 

February

Plots 1 & 2

• Plots 1 & 2 and herb patch need some general autumnal tidying / weeding and trimming of edges of the plots. The top of plot 2 has plastic covering currently to eradicate the bindweed. 
• Produce is slowly declining. We still have Parsley from plot 1, spinach and Cavolo Nero, on plot 2. 
• Herb Patch: Sage, Rosemary, Bay leaves, thyme. Oregano – all free to pick 

Plots 3 & 4

• Plot 3 harvesting parsnips weekly.  Still plenty left.
• We’ve sown 40 seeds x 50 deep pots of leeks and 40 seeds x 25 trays of red onion seeds. All in poly 4. Hopefully the mice won’t eat any of them. Soon we’ll be sowing cabbages in trays. 

Plots 5 & 6

• We have marked out some paths and beds on plot 6 ready for the parsnips and tomatoes and cut down the phacelia with hoes. The spring greens on plot 5 and in polytunnel 3 are doing well. We have sieved compost ready for sowing sweetcorn.  

Plots 7 & 8

• Plot 7 sown with field beans. 
• Plot 8 Cavolo nero still being harvested, 
• Not so many sprouts now as most have been harvested.

Plots 9 & 10

• Both plots in good shape ready for the new season’s crops.

Plots 11 & 12

• Plot 11: We have dug in the Phacelia green manure and plan to riddle the soil to remove more stones, when and if the soil dries out a bit, ready for planting carrots – Early Nantes followed by Autumn King. 
• Robin prepared a pallet that will allow a second IBC to be stacked on the plot.  
• Plot 12: We have started to remove larger stones and preparing the soil for main crop potato planting next month. We are leaving the two areas with spud mix until last in the hope these plants will grow a bit more. First, we are digging over a small area which was left bare and next we will remove the black plastic and prepare that area. We need to dig in the spud mix and quickly stamp on it to release the gases that eel worms do not like – a whole team effort on a dry Saturday we hope. 
• Chris and Willow attended the edging workshop and have been sharing their new skills with other team members. We have used any turf removed to fill in holes and level up the area on the Roman Road where the trench was dug for the water pipes 
• We completed our sieving of leaf mould and filled 3 Wheelie bins. 

Plots 13 & 14

• Plot 13 – the cabbages are now finished. 
• Plot 14 – potatoes harvested. 
• We have been sowing lots of onion seeds 

Plots 15 & 16

• The leeks on plot 15 are now finished. 
• Onion setts planted on plot 16 appear to be growing well and we have just started planting shallot setts. 

Plots 17 & 18

• Nothing happening on 17 yet. We are now harvesting chard and perpetual spinach from plot 18. 

Plots 19 & 20

• Plot 19 – we still have a few winter lettuces growing slowly but not enough to harvest leaves at present.  We are removing weeds across the rest of the plot. 
• Plot 20 – we are harvesting kale and Cavolo Nero on a weekly basis and the remainder of the plot is resting until the spring

Polytunnels

• Only a few lettuces now and feeble winter salad leaves. Planting tomato and chilli seeds has begun.  Hope for some warmer weather soon. 

Soft fruit

• First harvest of the forced rhubarb took place on Saturday 17 February, a full week earlier than last year following the mild January we have had. 
• Both cages looking tidy ready for the new season, with several soft fruit bushes starting to shoot. 

Orchards

• Several pear trees have been planted on the edge of the main community farm site. These will be espaliered. Some more fruit trees have been planted near the pond. 

A team

• The A team have completed the repairs on the large gate and started work on the compost bins. We need a lot of stones for the foundations, so if you find any on your plots, please bring them to the compost bin area. This is one of the major infrastructure jobs that Steve mentioned on Saturday and to keep expenses to a minimum, we would appreciate any donations of concrete blocks, treated timber and bags of ballast and cement. If you know anyone doing building work, please ask if they have any leftover materials. We can arrange collection. We are also expecting some scaffold boards to complete the woodchip store. 
• Finally, a lot of the woodwork around the farm will need painting when the weather warms up in the Spring. While the A-team is busy with the major construction jobs, we would appreciate it if we anyone could help during quiet periods on their plots. 

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January

Plots 1 & 2

• Plots 1 & 2 and herb patch need some general autumnal tidying / weeding and trimming of edges of the plots. The top of plot 2 has plastic covering currently to eradicate the bindweed. 
• Produce is slowly declining. We still have: Parsley from plot 1; spinach, Cavolo Nero, turnip, some swede, plentiful mooli and kohlrabi on plot 2. 
• Herb Patch has Various mints, ABUNDANT Sage, Rosemary, Bay leaves, thyme. oregano, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena – all free to pick 

Plots 3 & 4

• Plot 3 harvesting parsnips weekly.  Still plenty left.
• We’ve sown 40 seeds x 50 deep pots of leeks and 40 seeds x 25 trays of red onion seeds. All in poly 4. Hopefully the mice won’t eat any of them. Soon we’ll be sowing cabbages in trays. 

Plots 5 & 6

• Plot 5: The Calabrese produced an amazing amount over several months, but it is now all finished and pulled up to make space for Spring Greens. The Spring Greens that we have already transplanted into the beds are doing well and even those still in pots in PT4 seem to have survived the frost. Still have a few red cabbages to harvest. 
• Plot 6: Phacelia still growing. 

Plots 7 & 8

• Plot 7 still being sown with field beans. 
• Plot 8 Cavolo nero still being harvested. Not so many sprouts now as most have been harvested. 

Plots 9 & 10

• All leeks harvested on plot 10. Both plots ready for the new season. 

Plots 11 & 12

• Phacelia sown on plot 11 is doing well and providing a good green manure covering for the winter. 
• ‘Spud mix’ green manure was only sown on part of plot 12 as the final beetroot and celeriac were in the ground until November when it was too late to plant the mix. One area was covered in black plastic and the third area left open. 
• Our team has been working to strengthen and level the base ready for two IBCs to be stacked on Plot 11. 
• We have taken on the preparation of potting compost for sowing seeds. We are using 4 parts of our own compost from the bins to one part Perlite. We are riddling leaf mould from the leaves deposited just over a year ago. So far, we have filled 2 wheelie bins. This will be added to compost and soil mix for use when potting on. A good number of leaves have been deposited in the second bay to mulch down for use next year. We will soon be de-stoning plot 11 as we need good soil for growing carrots. 

Plots 13 & 14

• Plot 13 – We’re continuing to harvest the cabbages 
• Plot 14 – Potatoes harvested 

Plots 15 & 16

• Leeks on plot 15 will probably be finished within a week or two and we will then be out of food production until the early summer 
• Onion setts planted on plot 16 appear to be growing well and we have just started planting shallot setts. 

Plots 17 & 18

• Nothing happening on 17 yet. 18, we have been tidying up the perpetual spinach and have put some white netting over it to protect it so, hopefully, it will start to regrow quicker for a spring harvest. 

Plots 19 & 20

• Plot 19 – we still have a few winter lettuce growing slowly but not enough to harvest leaves at present.  We are removing weeds across the rest of the plot. 
• Plot 20 – we are harvesting kale and Cavolo Nero on a weekly basis and the remainder of the plot is resting until the spring. 

Polytunnels

• We are picking limited quantities of salad leaves and lettuce. 

Soft fruit

• All soft fruit bushes now pruned and ready for the new season. Mulching complete for currants, strawberries and blackberries, further work required for tays and raspberries. 
• The netting in the main cage was damaged again in the recent winds so there is work to tidy that up along with continuing to tidy all the paths around the soft fruit areas. 
• 15 crowns of rhubarb were covered just before new year, so we should be harvesting some forced rhubarb in about 3 weeks. 

Orchards

• Several pear trees have been planted on the edge of the main community farm site. These will be espaliered. 

A team (infrastructure)

• The A team have completed the repairs on the large gate and started work on the compost bins. We need a lot of stones for the foundations, so if you find any on your plots, please bring them to the compost bin area. This is one of the major infrastructure jobs that Steve mentioned on Saturday and to keep expenses to a minimum, we would appreciate any donations of concrete blocks, treated timber and bags of ballast and cement. If you know anyone doing building work, please ask if they have any leftover materials. We can arrange collection. We are also expecting some scaffold boards to complete the woodchip store. 
• Finally, a lot of the woodwork around the farm will need painting when the weather warms up in the Spring. While the A-team is busy with the major construction jobs, we would appreciate it if we anyone could help during quiet periods on their plots. 

---

2023

December

Plots 1 & 2

• Plots 1 & 2 and herb patch need some general autumnal tidying / weeding and trimming of edges of the plots. The top of plot 2 has plastic covering currently to eradicate the bindweed. 
• Produce is slowly declining. We still have: Carrots and Parsley from plot 1: spinach, Cavolo Nero, turnip, some swede, plentiful mooli and kohl rabi on plot 2. 
• Herb Patch has various mints, ABUNDANT Sage, Rosemary, Bay leaves, thyme, oregano, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Chives – all free to pick. 

Plots 3 & 4

• Plot 3 – parsnips: Germination and growth of the White gem was not as successful as the Gladiator F1. If we had earthed them up, we might have minimised the canker.  Very pleased that the parsnips are not woody when cooked even if they are very variable in shape. 
• Tomatoes: Our proximity to potatoes on plot 6 which got blight meant that our blight resistant tomatoes also suffered from some blight.
• Plot 4 – squash: We suffered with mice eating our germinating seeds in poly 4 in spite of valiant efforts to keep them at bay. We ended up germinating them at home. Due to good summer rainfall, we ended up with a bumper crop of butternut squash. 

Plots 5 & 6

• Plot 5: The Calabrese produced an amazing amount over several months, but it is now all finished and pulled up to make space for Spring Greens. The Spring Greens that we have already transplanted into the beds are doing well and even those still in pots in Polytunnel 4 seem to have survived the frost. Still have a few red cabbages to harvest. 
• Plot 6: Phacelia still growing. 

Plots 7 & 8

• Plot 7 is being sown with field beans as a green manure, some small young fennel still being grown on the plot. 
• Plot 8 We are picking cavolo nero. Brussels sprouts are now being harvested. 

Plots 9 & 10

• Overwintering now.

Plots 11 & 12

• Potatoes harvested and phacelia sown on all of plot 11 
• Beetroot and Celeriac are now finished on plot 12. Extensive weeding is ongoing to prepare soil for sowing of ‘Spud Mix’ as space becomes available once present crops come out.  
• Compost bins by poly 4 continue to be filled with veg leaves.  We now need to make sure lots of leaves are brought in by farm members for making leaf mould.  
• Non storable potatoes have been checked and sorted into 6 potato boxes and the last of these are being sold along with 1st class potatoes at 25p per pound. Potato shed is full of stored potatoes now. 

Plots 13 & 14

• Plot 13 – We’re continuing to harvest the cabbages 
• Plot 14 – Sarpo potatoes in Eastern half – approximately 2 rows left to lift & bag.   Hopefully be finished this coming Saturday, weather permitting.  Cara potatoes in the Western half – we are into the second dig.  Hopefully continuing this coming Saturday, again weather permitting. 

Plots 15 & 16

• Plot 15. Early potatoes went well but we perhaps didn’t start to harvest them as soon as we could have done. Some of them proved to be larger and with tougher skins than was ideal. This was despite some very dry weeks needing frequent watering. The foliage got blighted but was removed with no damage to the crop.  
• Leeks sown in the seed bed in February took well, were transplanted into the plot as potatoes were removed and have grown well with some variation in size. There are a few that are going to seed, possibly because of water shortage during the extended dry period. 
• Plot 16. We had poor germination of beans sown early in poly tunnel 4, possibly because of excessive heat or insufficient watering.  Most were subsequently sown direct into the ground. Green beans grew faster than we could cope with, PYO didn’t seem very popular and a lot went over. Quite a lot of dried beans didn’t dry in time and were lost to the rain. 

Plots 17 & 18

• Plot 17, cleared and pre-spud mix sown 
• Plot 18, the summer squash are harvested so it is being cleared for Phacelia. Perpetual spinach and Swiss chard are having a tidy up and feed. Swiss chard is not being harvested at present to give it a rest. 

Plots 19 & 20

• Plot 19 – we still have a few winter lettuce growing slowly and are sometimes able to harvest a few leaves.  We are removing weeds across the rest of the plot. 
• Plot 20 – we are harvesting kale and Cavolo Nero on a weekly basis and the remainder of the plot is resting until the spring. 

Polytunnels

• The frost will stunt the salad leaves for a little while but hopefully we shall be picking limited quantities soon.

Soft fruit

• Lots of pruning underway now with the red/black currants and gooseberries all being prepared for next year. Blackberries and Tayberries are all tied in ready for next season. Focus is also on the rhubarb with the crowns marked out and area weeded in readiness for building the dark tunnel over those crowns being forced next year. The aim is to cover the crowns early January so that we can get early rhubarb mid-February. 

Orchards

• The apple harvest is now finished. We must complete pruning with time for the trees to heal well before the frosts bring everything to a halt. 
• Apples are doing ok, but it’s not a bumper crop like last year, the trees have most definitely gone biennial. There most likely won’t be any surplus to do fruit juice this year.  
• Quinces are sitting happily on the tree, slowly ripening. 

A team

• The A team has put in the posts for the compost bins. We replaced half of these bins with concrete blocks a few years ago because the old timber frames were completely rotten. The remaining bins are still made of timber and should last a little longer, but we’re installing concrete posts to hold the boards at the front of each bin. Three of these posts are already installed and we’re hoping to have the rest done in the next few weeks as the contents of the bins are rotated out.  
• The A team also has Alan working hard to maintain the motorised tools like mowers and cultivators. He is currently working on our farm trailer so we can use it to pick up anything that people donate to the farm.  
• As always, there are many more items on our “to do” list, so we are always looking for people to join the team, even if that is only while they are short of work on their plots. With all the wooden structures, painting is a major job, so anyone who can swing a paintbrush now and then would be most welcome, during the week especially. A bit of paint also means that the structures would last a lot longer. 

Green team

• Wild Hive’s test bed at HCF is one of a handful of local community/education sites trialling our Local Grow (a meal) Packs.  The plot yielded a super selection of autumnal ‘Soups and Stews’ ingredients in September and October, which Wild Hive’s Green Teamies have been harvesting and transforming.  These included an assortment of Squash, Giant ‘Courgettes’, Potatoes, Carrots, Beetroot, Spinach, Broccoli, Amaranth, Kale, Dill, Parsley and various seeds for seed saving sessions from the little ‘potager’ plot.  To demonstrate how nourishing meals can be grown in relatively small spaces, photo updates and some trial ‘instructional videos’ have been posted to Instagram/Facebook @wildhivecollective (with HCF invited as a collaborator so that posts about this initiative at HCF can be shared).   
• Jo and Lizzie have now got all Wild Hive’s ‘Winter Greens & Beans’ ingredients in the ground. If any existing or new HCF stakeholders are interested in offering regular weekend or after-school support for younger members wishing to form a Green Team @HCF, and get involved in the perpetual growing cycle of activities on this patch, please do get in touch with Jo Hutchison and Lizzie Dunn at wildhivecollective@gmail.com 

---

November

Plots 1 & 2

• Plots 1 & 2 and herb patch need some general autumnal tidying / weeding and trimming of edges of the plots. The top of plot 2 has plastic covering currently to eradicate the bindweed. 
• Produce is slowly declining. We still have: Carrots and Parsley from plot 1: spinach, Cavolo Nero, turnip, some swede, plentiful mooli and kohl rabi on plot 2. 
• Herb Patch has Various mints, ABUNDANT Sage, Rosemary, Bay leaves, thyme, oregano, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Chives – all free to pick.

Plots 3 & 4

• Plot 3: Harvesting parsnips week by week. 
• Plot 4: Squash tops creating a good mulch to protect the soil over winter. We have been tidying up the edges to prevent ingress of weeds, especially couch grass. 

Plots 5 & 6

• Plot 5: Continuing to clear Calabrese beds and replacing with Spring Greens, although latest batch of seedlings may have been damaged by frost. Still have red cabbages to harvest. We decided to re-use some of the black plastic sheets to cover some of the bare ground on the plot. 
• Plot 6: Phacelia growing well on some parts of the plot but very patchy in others. Maybe the seed was old or eaten by birds? 

Plots 7 & 8

• Plot 7 is being sown with field beans as a green manure, some small young fennel still being grown on the plot. 
• Plot 8 We are picking cavolo nero. Brussels sprouts still growing nicely. 

Plots 9 & 10

• All leeks harvested on plot 10. Now preparing the plots to overwinter and tidying up the edges.

Plots 11 & 12

• Potatoes harvested and phacelia sown on all of plot 11 
• Beetroot and Celeriac are now finished on plot 12. Extensive weeding is ongoing to prepare soil for sowing of ‘Spud Mix’ as space becomes available once present crops come out.  
• Compost bins by poly 4 continue to be filled with veg leaves.  We now need to make sure lots of leaves are brought in by farm members for making leaf mould.  
• Non storable potatoes have been checked and sorted into 6 potato boxes and the last of these are being sold along with 1st class potatoes at 25p per pound. Potato shed is full of stored potatoes now. 

Plots 13 & 14

• Plot 13 – We’re continuing to harvest the cabbages 
• Plot 14 – Sarpo potatoes in Eastern half – approximately 2 rows left to lift & bag.   Hopefully be finished this coming Saturday, weather permitting.  Cara potatoes in the Western half – we are into the second dig.  Hopefully continuing this coming Saturday, again weather permitting. 

Plots 15 & 16

• Winter leeks are now being harvested with a limit of 1lb/week so that they hopefully last until, Christmas.  
• Five beds being prepared to receive onion sets and two beds already planted up.  
• Dried beans are still available for sale, limit one half pound per stakeholder. There are six varieties, supplied as two varieties in quarter pound bags or a half pound bag of mixed beans. 

Plots 17 & 18

• Plot 17, cleared and pre-spud mix sown 
• Plot 18, the summer squash are harvested so it is being cleared for Phacelia. Perpetual spinach and Swiss chard are having a tidy up and feed. 

Plots 19 & 20

• Plot 19, we are still harvesting some lettuce leaves and a few peppers.  
• Plot 20, our kale is doing well and we are harvesting. 

Polytunnels

• The frost will stunt the salad leaves for a little while but hopefully we shall be picking limited quantities soon. 

Soft fruit

• All soft fruit harvests complete for this year. Focus is now is on preparing all of the soft fruit for winter, weeding, pruning and mulching, as well as tidying up in and around the cages. 

Orchards

• We are now full into apple harvest and ending our summer pruning. We must complete pruning with time for the trees to heal well before the frosts bring everything to a halt. 
• Apples are doing ok, but its not a bumper crop like last year, the trees have most definitely gone biennial. There most likely won’t be any surplus to do fruit juice this year.  
• Quinces are sitting happily on the tree, slowly ripening. 

A team

• The A team has put in the posts for the compost bins. We replaced half of these bins with concrete blocks a few years ago because the old timber frames were completely rotten. The remaining bins are still made of timber and should last a little longer, but we’re installing concrete posts to hold the boards at the front of each bin. Three of these posts are already installed and we’re hoping to have the rest done in the next few weeks as the contents of the bins are rotated out.  
• The A team also has Alan working hard to maintain the motorised tools like mowers and cultivators. He is currently working on our farm trailer so we can use it to pick up anything that people donate to the farm.  
• As always, there are many more items on our “to do” list, so we are always looking for people to join the team, even if that is only while they are short of work on their plots. With all the wooden structures, painting is a major job, so anyone who can swing a paintbrush now and then would be most welcome, during the week especially. A bit of paint also means that the structures would last a lot longer. 

Green Team

• Wild Hive’s test bed at HCF is one of a handful of local community/education sites trialling our Local Grow (a meal) Packs.  The plot yielded a super selection of autumnal ‘Soups and Stews’ ingredients in September and October, which Wild Hive’s Green Teamies have been harvesting and transforming.  These included an assortment of Squash, Giant ‘Courgettes’, Potatoes, Carrots, Beetroot, Spinach, Broccoli, Amaranth, Kale, Dill, Parsley and various seeds for seed saving sessions from the little ‘potager’ plot.  To demonstrate how nourishing meals can be grown in relatively small spaces, photo updates and some trial ‘instructional videos’ have been posted to Instagram/Facebook @wildhivecollective (with HCF invited as a collaborator so that posts about this initiative at HCF can be shared).   
• Jo and Lizzie have now got all Wild Hive’s ‘Winter Greens & Beans’ ingredients in the ground. If any existing or new HCF stakeholders are interested in offering regular weekend or after-school support for younger members wishing to form a Green Team @HCF, and get involved in the perpetual growing cycle of activities on this patch, please do get in touch with Jo Hutchison and Lizzie Dunn at wildhivecollective@gmail.com 
• Wild Hive Collective CIC have just been selected as one of the Co-Ops local causes, and would be delighted if any Co-Op members would like to choose them as their cause for the next year: https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/83043  

---

October

Image credit: Steve Grundy

Plots 1 & 2

• Plots 1 & 2 and herb patch need some general autumnal tidying/weeding and trimming of edges of the plots. The top of plot 2 has plastic covering currently to eradicate the bindweed. 
• Produce is slowly declining. We still have: Carrots, Parsley and Coriander from plot 1: spinach, Cavolo Nero, turnip, some swede, plentiful mooli and kohlrabi on plot 2. 
• Herb Patch has Various mints, ABUNDANT Sage, Rosemary, Bay leaves, thyme, oregano, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Chives – all free to pick. 

Plots 3 & 4

• Plot 3: The parsnips are ready to harvest and some of the carrots. The parsnips are ready to harvest and some of the carrots. 
• Plot 4: The parsnips are ready to harvest and some of the carrots. 
• A good harvest of squashes. Many already bought and taken home but lots still remaining in Polytunnel 4. Please buy these asap and take them home for safe keeping. We’ve left the tops of the squash plants on the plot to act as a mulch overwinter. 

Plots 5 & 6

• Plot 5: Pulling up Calabrese and replacing with Spring Greens. Still harvesting cabbages, although many have split. The IBC on plot 5 needs replacing as it has a hole in it which can’t be repaired. 
• Plot 6: Finished sowing whole plot with Phacelia

Plots 7 & 8

• Plot 7, we’ve cleared the plot of peas, and sunflowers. We have a late sowing of fennel growing, but we may not get a crop if we have an early frost. 
• Plot 8, we continue to pick sprout tops and Cavolo Nero kale. 

Plots 9 & 10

• Leeks are being harvested from plot 10. 

Plots 11 & 12

• Potatoes harvested and phacelia sown on all of plot 11.
• We continue to harvest beetroot and celeriac from plot 12. Extensive weeding is ongoing to prepare soil for sowing of ‘Spud Mix’ as space becomes available once present crops come out.  
• Compost bins by Polytunnel 4 continue to be filled with veg leaves.  We now need to make sure lots of leaves are brought in by Farm members for making leaf mould.  
• Non-storable potatoes have been checked and sorted into 6 potato boxes and once these have been sold, we can start sale of 1st class potatoes at 25p per pound. Potato shed is full of stored potatoes now. 

Plots 13 & 14

• Plot 13 – We’re continuing to harvest the cabbages 
• Plot 14 – Sarpo potatoes in Eastern half – approximately 2 rows left to lift & bag.   Hopefully be finished this coming Saturday, weather permitting.  Cara potatoes in the Western half – we are into the second dig.  Hopefully continuing this coming Saturday, again weather permitting. 

Plots 15 & 16

• Winter leeks are ready to take over when the summer leeks are finished.  
• All green runner and dwarf beans are finished and all frames dismantled. Many thanks to those members of other teams who helped with this. Five beds being prepared to receive onion sets and two beds already planted up.  
• Dried beans will be available for sale on Saturday, limit one half pound per stakeholder. There are six varieties. These can be supplied as two varieties in quarter pound bags or a half pound bag of mixed beans. 

Plots 17 & 18

• Plot 17, cleared and pre-spud mix sown 
• Plot 18, the summer squash are harvested so it is being cleared for Phacelia. Perpetual spinach and swiss chard are having a tidy up and feed. 

Plots 19 & 20

• Plot 19, we are still harvesting some lettuce leaves and a few peppers.  
• Plot 20, our kale is doing well and we are harvesting

Polytunnels

• We have winter lettuce growing in Polytunnel 1 if the mice leave them alone and, hopefully, mixed salad leaves in Polytunnel 2 in due course. 

Soft fruit

• All soft fruit harvests complete for this year. Focus is now on strawberries, cutting off runners and using the new plants to replace the old variety outside the cage. After harvesting since mid-February the focus now is on weeding and tidying up each of the areas before the pruning starts.

Orchards

• We are now full into apple harvest and ending our summer pruning. We must complete pruning with time for the trees to heal well before the frosts bring everything to a halt. 
• Apples are doing OK, but its not a bumper crop like last year, the trees have most definitely gone biennial. There most likely won’t be any surplus to do fruit juice this year.  
• Quinces are sitting happily on the tree, slowly ripening. 

A team

• The A team has put in the posts for the compost bins. We replaced half of these bins with concrete blocks a few years ago because the old timber frames were completely rotten. The remaining bins are still made of timber and should last a little longer, but we’re installing concrete posts to hold the boards at the front of each bin. Three of these posts are already installed and we’re hoping to have the rest done in the next few weeks as the contents of the bins are rotated out.  
• The A team also has Alan working hard to maintain the motorised tools like mowers and cultivators. He is currently working on our farm trailer so we can use it to pick up anything that people donate to the farm.  
• As always, there are many more items on our “to do” list, so we are always looking for people to join the team, even if that is only while they are short of work on their plots. With all the wooden structures, painting is a major job, so anyone who can swing a paintbrush now and then would be most welcome, during the week especially. A bit of paint also means that the structures would last a lot longer. 

Green team

• Wild Hive’s test-bed at HCF is one of a handful of local community/education sites trialling our Local Grow (a meal) Packs.  The plot yielded a super selection of autumnal ‘Soups and Stews’ ingredients in September and October, which Wild Hive’s Green Teamies have been harvesting and transforming.  These included an assortment of Squash, Giant ‘Courgettes’, Potatoes, Carrots, Beetroot, Spinach, Broccoli, Amaranth, Kale, Dill, Parsley and various seeds for seed saving sessions from the little ‘potager’ plot.  To demonstrate how nourishing meals can be grown in relatively small spaces, photo updates and some trial ‘instructional videos’ have been posted to Instagram/Facebook @wildhivecollective (with HCF invited as a collaborator so that posts about this initiative at HCF can be shared).   
• Jo and Lizzie have now got all of Wild Hive’s ‘Winter Greens & Beans’ ingredients in the ground. If any existing or new HCF stakeholders are interested in offering regular weekend or after-school support for younger members wishing to form a Green Team @HCF, and get involved in the perpetual growing cycle of activities on this patch, please do get in touch with Jo Hutchison and Lizzie Dunn at wildhivecollective@gmail.com  Wild Hive will offer a seed saving activity, along with a chance for anyone interested in the Green Team @HCF concept to help with an autumnal plot tidy on Saturday 25th Nov.  
• Back in the summer we showed Edible Perennial and Edimentals guru Stephen Barstow around HCF, Highbridge Permaculture, Aldermoor Community Farm and our Wild Hive test beds.  Stephen has kindly offered to give a talk on Sunday 19th November from 2:30-5:30pm at The Hilt in Chandlers Ford as a fundraiser to support our projects.  We are very excited to be able to offer this rare opportunity to hear from such an expert forest gardener (https://www.edimentals.com/).  This promises to be an inspiring afternoon, and, if Stephen manages to get some of his seeds over from Norway, a chance to experiment with growing some of the plants he recommends. Book tickets via: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/hiltingburycommunityassociation/1043494# 
• Wild Hive Collective CIC have just been selected as one of the Co-Op’s local causes, and would be delighted if any Co-Op members would like to choose them as their cause for the next year: https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/83043  

---

September

Plots 1 & 2

• Plots 1 & 2 and herb patch need some general autumnal tidying, weeding and trimming of edges of the plots. The top of plot 2 has plastic covering currently to eradicate the bindweed. 
• We are still producing a lot of food: carrots, parsley and coriander from plot 1 and basil, spinach, Cavolo Nero, turnip, some swede, plentiful mooli and kohl rabi on plot 2. 
• We hope to have more kale seedlings soon.  
• Pak Choi seedlings are doing well on plot 1. 
• Herb Patch has basil, mints, sage, rosemary, bay leaves, dill, lemon Balm, lemon verbena, white chives, pink chives, oregano, thyme – all free to pick. 

Plots 3 & 4

• Plot 3: we’ve taken out the tomatoes and have sown phacelia on those 3 beds as an overwinter green manure to protect the soil. 
• The parsnips continue to look good, and the carrots sown in the gaps have germinated well and we’re keeping them weeded. 
• Plot 4: the leaves on the squashes are beginning to die back to reveal the squash.

Plots 5 & 6

• Plot 5: calabrese still producing but probably only 2-3 weeks left. 
• Cabbages doing well. Spring greens sown in trays, germinated well, will be pricked out next Saturday. 
• Plot 6: all Cara potatoes harvested and only 5 rows of Sarpo Mira left. Many thanks to all who helped dig, dry, sort and weigh them. We will be preparing the plot for Phacelia green manure next. 

Plots 7 & 8

• Plot 7: harvesting peas.  
• Plot 8: summer cabbage is finished but we are now harvesting sprout tops, and Cavolo Nero kale. 

Plots 9 & 10

• The sweetcorn on plot 9 has finished now after the rats, mice and birds have had their fill. Leeks are being harvested from plot 10.  

Plots 11 & 12

• Five rows of Acoustic and 3 rows of Sarpo potatoes still to be dug on plot 11. 
• We have had some giant beetroot on plot 12 and enough of all sizes to keep us going for a few more months.  
• Celeriac will be harvested throughout October, 10p each. 
• As well as temporary use of two compost bins from the Fruit Team, we are grateful for the donation of two more compost bins.  More vegetable leaves are needed to allow us to make good compost for use next year. 

Plots 13 & 14

• Plot 13 – the brassicas seem to be developing nicely (fingers crossed) 
• Plot 14 – we are into the second dig of Cara potatoes in the western half. As for the Sarpo in the other half we are currently defoliating and have also started some harvesting as well. 

Plots 15 & 16

• All our winter leeks are now planted on plot 15 and coming on well. We hope they don’t come on too well as they are intended for Christmas and the new year.  
• French and runner beans are still on PYO where marked. We have had a glut of runner and French beans with the result that a lot have gone stringy. However, if the pod is inedible the beans can be removed from them and cooked and eaten as “undried” beans. One frame of green beans has collapsed in the recent winds. We are taking off the beans and these can be eaten as above. We have also started harvesting drying beans and putting these in Polytunnel 4 to finish drying prior to bagging for storage and sale. 

Plots 17 & 18

• Plot 17 – all onions harvested, and the ground is being cleared to plant pre-spud mix in preparation for next year’s potato crop. 
• Plot 18 – Patty Pan and courgettes are starting to slow down now and will probably be removed in the next couple of weeks. The squashes are looking good and will be harvested towards the end of next month. Swiss chard and perpetual spinach will be available soon after they have bulked up a bit more. 

Plots 19 & 20

• We continue to harvest tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers on Plot 19 plus the occasional spring onion, radish and a few Padron peppers.  The cucumber leaves are starting to turn yellow so their days are numbered.  We have just planted out some lettuce seedlings and plan to keep the lettuce supply going for as long as possible. 
• On Plot 20, the kale plants are netted and doing well. 

Polytunnels

• Tomatoes have finished from the tunnels but there are plenty of chillies to come. There may be a few peppers, if they ripen. We are now starting to sow winter salad crops. 

Soft fruit

• The soft fruit are starting to come to an end with all fruit finished except the raspberries which are beginning to look tired and producing only small fruit. We’ve been harvesting non-stop since mid-February when the forced rhubarb started… fantastic teamwork with amazing harvests. 
• Work underway starting to tidy up the cages and surrounding areas where the weeds are flourishing. 

Orchards

• We are now full into apple harvest and ending our summer pruning. We must complete pruning with time for the trees to heal well before the frosts bring everything to a halt. 
• Plums and pears are now finished. Apples are doing ok, but it’s not a bumper crop like last year, the trees have most definitely gone biennial. There most likely won’t be any surplus to do fruit juice this year.  
• Quinces are sitting happily on the tree, slowly ripening. Last week we saw grapes on the market stall. And rosehips! Don’t forget our foraging hedge! 

Green team

• Wild Hive have enjoyed working with some of the farm children and their families to plant/sow our Local Grow (a meal) Packs. Potatoes & Pollinators; Pizza Box & Summer Salad; Soups & Stews for Autumn are all growing along with lots of flowers. Kale and leeks have been planted and there are some nice butternut squashes developing. The first mini meal has been created from the harvest to demonstrate the concept, and you can read more about progress and other Wild Hive activities on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02GVyQ6CRbod4mkra6y18AzQTu31nrUJ42cyqethypkMowN8SW5DdJpbL5Mn
• If anyone wants to help on the patch, please email wildhivecollective@gmail.com. 

A Team

• The A team has put in the posts for the compost bins. We replaced half of these bins with concrete blocks a few years ago because the old timber frames were completely rotten. The remaining bins are still made of timber and should last a little longer, but we’re installing concrete posts to hold the boards at the front of each bin. Three of these posts are already installed and we’re hoping to have the rest done in the next few weeks as the contents of the bins are rotated out.  
• The A team also has Alan working hard to maintain the motorised tools like mowers and cultivators. He is currently working on our farm trailer so we can use it to pick up anything that people donate to the farm.  
• As always, there are many more items on our “to do” list, so we are always looking for people to join the team, even if that is only while they are short of work on their plots. With all the wooden structures, painting is a major job, so anyone who can swing a paintbrush now and then would be most welcome, during the week especially. A bit of paint also means that the structures would last a lot longer. 

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August

Plots 1 & 2

• On Plot 1, Autumn King carrots are doing well and being harvested. Parsley, Basil and Coriander all PYO – leaves only 
• On Plot 2, Kale and kohlrabi, swede and turnip being harvested. Mooli sown and germinated quickly.  Pak Choi to be sown shortly. 

Plots 3 & 4

• Plot 3: Parsnips looking lush with lots of foliage. We’ve planted a few carrots where there was poor germination of the White Gem parsnips.  We’re harvesting tomatoes. A few plants were lost because of blight. 
• Plot 4: The butternut and Kabocha squash are overflowing the edges of the plot. We’re hoping there are lots of squash hiding under the foliage.

Plots 5 & 6

• Plot 5: Calabrese still producing well, now on PYO and price reduced to 25p/lb. Started harvesting cabbages. 
• Plot 6: Started harvesting Cara potatoes. 

Plots 7 & 8

• Plot 7 planted with 4 rows of peas. Nothing else on plot 7 except the gorgeous sunflowers! 
• Plot 8 harvesting some summer cabbage. Brussels sprout plants growing nicely. 

Plots 9 & 10

Sweetcorn being harvested from plot 9 and leeks being harvested from plot 10. Onions growing at the end of plot 9. 

Plots 11 & 12

• Potato digging going well: 6 x 20kg sacks of Vivaldi and 4+ x20kg sacks King Edward are in the potato store so far. Probably a third of total dug are damaged class 2 on sale at 10p a pound.  Some worm holes, some very small, some green, some nibbled – hardly any spiked! We have had a go at gathering up labels from BGS and Produce store and made some more which are now in the potato store. Acoustic 2nd earlies have had tops removed and will be dug once supplies on plot 15 run out.  
• Beetroot doing really well and hopefully will keep going for the rest of the year. One or two celeriac went to seed and it has been a struggle to keep on top of weeding while team members have been on holiday or unwell or weather has not been good.  
• Two temporary compost bins have been set up behind poly 4 for vegetable leaves aiming to get some weed free compost as part of the mix used for sowing our seeds. Our team will be taking on the organisation of potting compost preparation. 

 Plots 13 & 14

• Plot 13 – Brassicas planted out and netted. Fennel has finished. 
• Plot 14 – Potatoes earthed up and doing well. In watering mode across the plots 

Plots 15 & 16

• We are now most of the way through planting out winter leeks.
• Runner beans and French beans are being harvested. We have multiple varieties of both climbing beans and dwarf French beans and, as last year, different varieties for harvesting green and for drying on the plant. There are signs indicating which halves of the plot have drying beans (those nearest the Roman Road) and which have green beans (the rest) and naming the varieties in each row. Because of the number of varieties, a few rows have more than one variety. We would appreciate your comments about which are particularly good and which less good so we can firm up on preferred varieties for the future.   

Plots 17 & 18

• Plot 17, the wet weather brought downy mildew to the onions and so they are being harvested slightly earlier. They are being put in Poly 4 to dry out, please take and store at home. These are maincrop and should store through the winter but do keep an eye on them and if any show signs of softening use them first. 
• Plot 18, all growing well and there is an abundance of patty pan and courgettes 

Plots 19 & 20

• We continue to harvest tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers on Plot 19 plus the occasional spring onion, radish and a few Padron peppers.  The cucumber leaves are starting to turn yellow so their days are numbered.  We have just planted out some lettuce seedlings and plan to keep the lettuce supply going for as long as possible. 
• On Plot 20 it has been a race between us and cabbage white caterpillars for the kale seedlings!   We lost a lot of plants in the hardening off area but think we have enough. The ones we have planted out are doing well.

Polytunnel

Sadly, both Poly 1 & 2 have been hit badly by blight which has rapidly gone through to the tomato fruits so there will be limited amounts from now on. The chillies are beginning to turn red so we hope for a good quantity in the next few weeks. 

Soft fruits

• This is our first season for blackberries. We planted 6 new plants the winter before last and they have done amazingly well with well over 100lbs picked so far with more to come. Take-up in the marketplace has been patchy though and we have been puzzling why… maybe lower demand because they are free when picked in hedgerows? Any feedback, greatly received… 
• We are now also harvesting boysenberries and raspberries with the latter expected to continue to fruit well into the autumn. 

Orchards

• Our fantastic plum season is now coming to an end. We still have some Mirabelles, Pershores and Victoria plums, but the fruit is in some cases overripe and suffering brown rot.  
• Following this, we are concentrating now on harvesting early apple crops like Beauty of Bath, Discovery, and Early Victoria.  
• Our next main chore will be summer pruning. We are not doing a workshop this year, but any member wanting to spend a morning with us in the orchards will receive hands on tuition. 

Green Team

Wild Hive have enjoyed working with some of the farm children and their families to plant/sow our Local Grow (a meal) Packs. Potatoes & Pollinators; Pizza Box & Summer Salad; Soups & Stews for Autumn are all growing along with lots of flowers. The first mini-meal has been created from the harvest to demonstrate the concept, and you can read more about progress and other Wild Hive activities on Facebook.

If anyone wants to help on the patch, please email wildhivecollective@gmail.com. 

A Team (infrastructure)

• The A team has just completed a major project, replacing the doors on the polytunnels. The next big project is to finish the posts for the compost bins. We replaced half of these bins with concrete blocks a few years ago because the old timber frames were completely rotten. The remaining bins are still made of timber and should last a little longer, but we’re installing concrete posts to hold the boards at the front of each bin. Three of these posts are already installed and we’re hoping to have the rest done in the next few weeks as the contents of the bins are rotated out.  
• The A team also has Alan working hard to maintain the motorised tools like mowers and cultivators. He is currently working on our farm trailer so we can use it to pick up anything that people donate to the farm.  
• As always, there are many more items on our “to do” list, so we are always looking for people to join the team, even if that is only while they are short of work on their plots. With all the wooden structures, painting is a major job, so anyone who can swing a paintbrush now and then would be most welcome, during the week especially. A bit of paint also means that the structures would last a lot longer.  

July

Plots 1 & 2

• On Plot 1, Autumn King carrots are doing well, with continuing sowing. Parsley, Basil and Coriander all ready for picking and are PYO – leaves only 
• On Plot 2, Kale and kohlrabi, swede and turnip growing.  Mooli sown and germinated quickly.  Pak Choi to be sown shortly. 

Plots 3 & 4

• Plot 3: Variable germination of the parsnips. Gladiator F1 consistently better than the White Gem. 
• 3 beds of tomatoes planted and tomatoes coming. The tomato plants are being tied onto canes 
• Plot 4: Full of Butternut squash and Kabocha squash. The Kabocha are already flowering.  
• Trying to keep everything watered and weeded. 

Plots 5 & 6

• Plot 5: Calabrese producing very well, cabbages growing well. All the cabbages have been planted out now. The bees nest has been cordoned off. 
  Plot 6: Potatoes growing well, lots of flowers on Cara variety, Sarpa Miro are catching up. There is a wasps nest on plot 6 which has been marked with a sign 
  Watering rota going well when needed. 

Plots 7 & 8

• Broad beans have now finished. About to start planting peas on plot 7. Plot 8 is 97% planted with sprouts, kale and cabbages. We are starting to harvest the summer cabbages 

Plots 9 & 10

• Everything now planted on both plots.  
• Just weeding and watering.

Plots 11 & 12

• We removed the tops from the Vivaldi potatoes as a precaution and they will be the first of our 2nd earlies to be harvested when supplies on plot 15 are done. Acoustic will follow thereafter.  
• We removed weeds and flowers from around the polytunnel as flowering plants were dying off and bindweed was planning a takeover. At the other end of plot 11, the first sunflowers are in bloom.  
• On Plot 12 beetroot is now on PYO with no limit. We have done a second sowing on the first two beds once we finished harvesting.  A few of the celeriac plants have been going to seed and are being removed because they won’t grow. Lots of leaves continue to be removed to encourage growth down below.  
• Now we have more rain, we have a lot more weeds to clear! 

Plots 13 & 14

• Plot 13 – Regular watering of fennel, which are now being harvested.  
• Plot 14 – Potatoes earthed up and doing well. In watering mode across the plots.