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.

Gooseberries

Redcurrants

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.

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.

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.

Brian at work on the Polytunnel doors (photo: Steve Grundy)

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.

Plots 15 & 16

We are now halfway through our new potatoes and have replanted two beds with winter leeks.
Last weekend, we started harvesting runner beans and they are now speeding up. 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 rain has really helped the onions to put down their roots and bulk up. They were looking really good but some have developed Downey Mildew due to the damp. We have taken infected onions out to try and minimise it spreading and put them in Poly 4 to dry off and go on sale. Infected onions will not store overwinter.
Plot 18; the squashes are all growing well. The courgettes and patty pans are cropping well with 3 harvests a week to ensure they are not getting too large – please check the cool store for them during the week, recipes will also be available. Chard and spinach are improving but we may need to sow some more seed to replace plants that bolted in the heat.

Plots 19 & 20

On plot 19, we have had a good supply of lettuce through successional planting every two week, and filling gaps with the seedlings. Some lettuces have bolted and some (Little Gem) rotted in the middle so it’s been a big learning curve as well as difficult to assess the varying weekly demand.
Our tomatoes are flourishing now but due to being an outdoor variety, will never win best in show, but they taste good.
Our radishes are a bit gnarled but our cucumbers are plentiful and excellent quality.
Sadly the spring onion seeds didn’t germinate but we have now planted some fresh seeds.
Plot 20: It’s been an intense time with harvesting the onions and shallots. These red onions are not keepers but we are hoping they will last until the summer onions are ready. The shallots are not large but we have hundreds of them in poly tunnel 4. We are now planting out kale seedlings for the winter and have lots of varieties of them in the hardening off area.

Polytunnels

Basil is dwindling now but tomatoes are finally ripening. Cucumber and Gherkins (ideal for pickling) in limited amounts, occasionally. Small quantities of Padron peppers. I am hoping that Sweet peppers, Chillies & Aubergines will be available in the next month

Soft fruit

Currently in between major harvests. Harvests completed so far this year:
- 90lbs forced rhubarb
- 336lbs main crop rhubarb
- 60lbs strawberries
- 26lbs red currants
- 140lbs blackcurrants
- 84lbs gooseberries
- 49lbs summer raspberries
We are coming to the end of the tayberries and loganberries having picked 94lbs so far. The autumn raspberries are just starting and in a couple of weeks we will also be harvesting the boysenberries and blackberries.
Great harvests this year!

Orchards

Many punnets of mirabelle plums, nice and ripe, good for eating or making jam, in the cold store. There will be more to harvest.

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. Pizza box and salad crops have been harvested for the in-school celebration of growing. For more details, see their Facebook page
If anyone wants to help on the patch, please email wildhivecollective@gmail.com.

June

PLOTS 1 & 2

On Plot 1, Chantenay carrots are doing well. Basil planted at the end of the plot.
On Plot 2, bed of turnips coming on. Kale and kohlrabi have been planted out and more turnips and kohlrabi have been sown on the plot.

PLOTS 3 & 4

Plot 3: Variable germination of the parsnips. Gladiator F1 consistently better than the White Gem. 3 beds of tomatoes planted and some with flowers. We’re beginning to tie these 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, old perpetual spinach and chard dug up ready for planting out more cabbages.
Plot 6: Potatoes growing well, lots of flowers on Cara variety, Sarpa Miro not so well advanced.
Water rota going well.

Plots 7 & 8

Broad beans on plot 7 are now PYO. Field beans have been harvested, just broad beans now. 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 – 700 sweetcorn plants on Plot 9, leeks and onions on Plot 10.
Just weeding and watering now.

Plots 11 & 12

We have had lots of flowers on the early Potatoes on plot 11: watering them twice a week using the fireman’s hoses and pumping directly from the pond. A good soaking of the person holding the hose is also obligatory!
Plot 12 is now fully planted – half celeriac and half beetroot. There is a daily rota for watering plot 12 with watering cans – a great way to make up time on our 10 hours a month minimum on the plots. We are harvesting beetroot in limited quantities and the young leaves can also be eaten.

Plots 13 & 14

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

Plots 15 & 16

On Plot 15, commenced harvesting new potatoes on 24 June. 2 varieties: Jazzy Salad potatoes and Casablanca 1st Earlies. Once finished, we will transplant winter leeks to the plot.
On Plot 16, all runner and dwarf beans now sown.

Plots 17 & 18

Plot 17, maincrop onions are finally putting down their roots and starting to grow although a struggle for the later-planted babies.
Plot 18, started harvesting swiss chard but heat is causing some of it to bolt already. Perpetual spinach planted and growing well. Courgette sowing has been a real challenge and we had to buy fresh seed which has had slightly better germination. What we thought were yellow courgettes are actually Patty Pan so they will be our first harvest, with green courgettes to follow and then a late crop of yellow courgettes ….. well, that is the plan!

Plots 19 & 20

On plot 19, we are planting radishes and spring onions every two weeks. Lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers and padron peppers have been planted out and we are harvesting lettuces. We have also started collecting comfrey and nettles to make comfrey tea to use as a feed once the baby tomatoes set and to assist the lettuces.
On plot 20, our over wintered red onions are now being harvested to make way for kale. The shallots on plot 20 are doing well.

Polytunnels

A few of the tomatoes are beginning to ripen but it could be another month before there will be enough to go round. Basil is plentiful. If you don’t see any on the sale bench, please ask a member of the Polytunnel team to harvest it for you.

Soft fruiT

Currently harvesting strawberries, tayberries, summer raspberries and red currants. Both the red currants and strawberries are close to finishing, but the tays/logan/boysenberries and raspberries will go on for a few weeks yet.
The blackcurrants will be ready for harvesting in a couple of weeks alongside the gooseberries and we are expecting good crops from both.
The new blackberry bushes are covered in flowers and small berries and the autumn raspberries are looking very strong.
Overall, everything is doing very well!

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. Some children designed their patch, and have so far put the following ingredients in the ground: Potatoes & Pollinators; Pizza Box & Summer Salad; Soups & Stews for Autumn. Most things are growing well despite the heat thanks to some keen helpers. 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.

May

PLOTS 1 & 2

On Plot 1, Chantenay sown.
On Plot 2, bed of turnips coming on. Kale and kohlrabi growing on in pots in the hardening off area.

PLOTS 3 & 4

On Plot 3, the parsnips are beginning to germinate and grow. We’ve sown two full beds of outdoor tomatoes and have space for a few more in the third bed.
On Plot 4, We’ve planted out the butternut squash and kabocha squash. The mice ate all the Uchiki kuri and the Crown Prince failed to germinate. We’re hoping a second sowing of Uchiki kuri will go on an overflow plot.
Everything needs watering regularly in the dry weather and hoeing to keep the weeds down.

Plots 5 & 6

Plot 5: All Calabrese planted out in netted beds and growing well. Red Drumhead cabbages planted out in 2 netted beds. Greyhound and Sunta cabbages sown in trays. We will be pulling up the perpetual spinach and chard which have now mostly gone to seed, to make room for more cabbages.
Plot 6: Cara potatoes in half the plot, Sarpa Miro in the other half. Both growing well and are being earthed-up.
Water rota is organised.

Plots 7 & 8

Plot 7: Fully planted with Broad beans. See their beautiful flowers in Steve’s photo.
Plot 8: Brassica cage completed, 50% of Summer cabbages have been planted, Brussels sprout plants now in pots and growing on. Cavolo Nero will be sown this weekend.
Photo credit: Steve Grundy

PLOTS 9 & 10

Only another 350 sweetcorn to finish Plot 9! But we are on schedule.
Plot 10 is completed with a third red onions, third leeks, and third white onions.
A lot of weeding and watering!

Plots 11 & 12

Potatoes have been earthed up on plot 11: we added 4 rows of Sarpo main crop potatoes as we had a bit of space left after planting acoustic, vivaldi and King Edwards.
Four beds of beetroot have been sown so far on plot 12. There has been a problem with germination on the first two beds and we have been testing for germination of our various seed packets by sowing seeds in pots at home.
Spring green/cabbage have all been harvested and bed prepared for planting celeriac
About 500 Celeriac have been planted out.
We have a daily rota for watering all of plot 12.

Plots 13 & 14

Plot 13 – Regular watering of fennel & peas, all of which are looking quite good.
Plot 14 – Have given the potatoes their first earthing up. In watering mode here too between now & time when next earthing up becomes necessary

PLOTS 15 & 16

Continued sowing beans in pots and erecting bean poles on 4 beds ready for climbing beans. Mid May we will think about sowing beans in the ground.

Plots 17 & 18

Plot 17, all maincrop onions planted and are being hoed and watered.
Plot 18, 2 beds of Swiss Chard planted and a bed of Perpetual Spinach waiting to be planted. There was zero germination of green courgettes so I had to re-order more seed. Yellow courgettes coming on well so will be the early crop with green to follow.

PLOTS 19 & 20

On plot 19, we are planting the initial rows of radishes and spring onions for successional planting every two weeks. Lettuce seeds, tomatoes, cucumbers and padron peppers are growing (slowly) in Polytunnel 4. We have also started collecting comfrey and nettles to make comfrey tea to use as a feed once the baby tomatoes set and to assist the lettuces.
Our over wintered onions and shallots on plot 20 are responding to the warmer temperatures and regular rainfall and showing good signs of growth. We have been weeding very carefully around the onions for the past 2 months.

POLYTUNNELS

The Polytunnels are now filling up with tomato plants, some with fruit already, plus a few extras like padron pepper, sweet pepper, aubergine, cucumber, gherkin and basil. A late start due to cool weather slowed germination & mean produce won’t be available until July, sadly.
Assorted chillies are coming on.

SOFT FRUIT

We had a great harvest of forced rhubarb at the start of the year, however the main crop rhubarb has struggled and is now looking leggy.
We will be harvesting strawberries next, probably in 2-3 weeks. The plants are all looking very healthy so we are expecting a good harvest.
In the main cage, the currants have set and the red currant branches are already starting to droop with the weight of the fruit. The gooseberries are looking the best I have seen them with masses of fruit and the tays, logans and blackberries are covered in flowers and buds.
In the raspberry cage the autumn raspberries are growing really strongly and we may get a small harvest from the new summer raspberry canes.

April

PLOTS 1 & 2

On Plot 1, 3 rows of Early Nantes finally sown in bed. In early April, Chantenay will be sown in the next bed.
On Plot 2, bed of turnips sown. Kale and kohlrabi sown and growing on in pots in the hardening off area.

Plots 3 & 4

Plot 4. We’re keeping the beds hoed and weed free. We will finish sowing the squash seeds (350) on Saturday 29th April. These are in polytunnel 4.
Plot 3. We hope to finish sowing the parsnips on Saturday 29th April. Nine beds in total. The remaining quarter of the plot will have Crimson Crush tomatoes.

Plots 5 & 6

Plot 5: Perpetual Spinach and Chard still available on PYO. Half the plot planted with Calabrese and netted. We have also sown 2 trays of Red Drumhead cabbages which have germinated well, but not yet ready to prick out.
Plot 6: Whole plot planted with potatoes – Cara on one half, Sarpo Mira on the other half.

Plots 7 & 8

Plot 7: Fully planted with Broad beans
Plot 8: Brassica cage completed, 50% of Summer cabbages have been planted, Brussels sprout plants now in pots and growing on. Cavolo Nero will be sown this weekend.

PLOTS 9 & 10

Sweetcorn seedlings are hardening off.
Red onions ready to plant.

Plots 11 & 12

Potatoes have been sown on plot 11: Acoustic (2nd earlies), Vivaldi and King Edwards.
Two beds of beetroot have been sown so far on plot 12 but not much sign of any growth yet.
Spring green/cabbage are being harvested and selling quickly.
Celeriac is now in the hardening off area and will be planted out on plot 12 once all risk of frosts are past.

Plots 13 & 14

Plot 13 – continuing to sow peas & fennel.
Plot 14 – finishing off the ground prep ready for sowing our maincrop potatoes in a couple of weeks time.

Plots 15 & 16

We are still taking some cabbage leaves but, with spring cabbage coming on, they probably won’t last much longer.
We have started sowing beans in pots and that will continue and we will continue erected bean poles on 4 beds ready for climbing beans. Mid May we will think about sowing beans in the ground.

Plots 17 & 18

On plot 17, we have planted the first 2 beds of ‘Santero’ onions with more to follow.
On plot 18, we now have 2 beds of chard and one of spinach. In Polytunnel 4, we have sown some courgette seeds also for plot 18. Still harvesting lots of lovely kale.

Plots 19 & 20

On plot 19, we are planting the initial rows of radishes and spring onions for successional planting every two weeks. Lettuce seeds, tomatoes, cucumbers and padron peppers are growing (slowly) in Polytunnel 4. We have also started collecting comfrey and nettles to make comfrey tea to use as a feed once the baby tomatoes set and to assist the lettuces.
Our over wintered onions and shallots on plot 20 are responding to the warmer temperatures and regular rainfall and showing good signs of growth. We have been weeding very carefully around the onions for the past 2 months.

Polytunnels

Winter salad leaves finish this Saturday ( 29th) as they are bolting. There will be lettuce for another week. The tunnels will then be washed down and ground prepared ready for planting tomato etc later in May.

Soft Fruit

We are going to get some gooseberries this year! At last we seem to be overcoming the sawfly issue and the bushes are currently covered in flowers and little berries.
The rhubarb has also been amazing this year with it flourishing in all of this wet weather! Strawberries will be the next to harvest however they are a little behind last year due to the cold weather, but hopefully we’ll be harvesting in about a month’s time.

March

PLOTS 1 & 2

On Plot 1, 3 rows of Early Nantes finally sown in bed. In early April, Chantenay will be sown in the next bed.
On Plot 2, bed of turnips sown. Kale and kohlrabi sown and growing on in pots in the hardening off area.

Plots 3 & 4

Waiting to sow parsnips at two-week intervals once the soil temperature has reached 12°C. Probably start in the next 2 weeks.
On Plot 4, our compost and pots are ready to sow 350 squash seeds in the middle of April.
We’re keeping both plots clear of weeds.

Plots 5 & 6

Chard and perpetual spinach on plot 5 are showing signs of life after the frosty weather but are not yet ready for picking.
Calabrese seeds have been sown and have germinated well in polytunnel 4.
Team members have been helping with soil sieving, pot washing and tidying the plot edges.

PLOTS 7 & 8

Parsnips are finished now. Planting broad beans

PLOTS 9 & 10

Sowing sweetcorn in pots.

PLOTS 11 & 12

On plot 11, the whole team worked hard weeding out grass and other weeds as well as digging in our spud mix green manure. We were ready to sow potatoes in April.
On plot 12, we have about 500 pots of celeriac seedlings in Polytunnel 4 & 3. Weeding and watering them twice weekly and they are so far all doing well.
We sowed our first bed of beetroot directly into the soil on plot 12.
Spring greens are growing well on plot 12 although there are some signs of slug damage.

Plots 13 & 14

The peas we’ve already sown in pots in Polytunnel 4 are already breaking ground & looking good. This weekend, we’re planning on starting to sow our fennel.
On Plot 14, still a couple of rows left with green manure to turn over and in. At least the soil should be more than damp enough to hold the turned green manure in.

Plots 15 & 16

Plot 15: IBC 2 mounted on top of IBC 1 ready for connecting up to the automatic pump system. Leeks sown in the temporary seed bed east of plot 15
Artichokes harvested . There are several plants still to go so they should be available for 2 or 3 weeks yet unless we have panic buying.
Remaining winter cabbages are not doing much but we don’t need the plots for several weeks so might improve before we have to take them out. Please send some warmth.

Plots 17 & 18

Plot 17 mostly weeded in preparation for ‘Santero’ onions which are growing in Polytunnel 4 and in the hardening off area.
Plot 18 still has kale which we are harvesting each week and turnips which are slowly getting large enough to harvest.

Plots 19 & 20

On plot 19, we are preparing beds to plant out salad crops when it gets warmer. Lettuce seeds are growing (slowly) in the poly tunnel. We also have tomato seeds and padron peppers in the Polytunnels.
Our over-wintered onions and shallots on plot 20 are responding to the warmer temperatures and regular rainfall and showing good signs of growth now. We have been weeding very carefully around the onions for the past month.

Polytunnels

We are still harvesting mixed leaves. Following a suggestion from Darren, we hope to begin a ” fill your box” trial this coming weekend in an effort to reduce the use of paper bags. Please bring a smallish box marked with your name and leave it on the bench in Polytunnel 1. The team will put leaves in for you and the boxes will be put in the sales area at about 11am for collection. There will still be a few bags for those without a box. There may be a few lettuces for sale but there is still a restriction: take either a lettuce or mixed leaves.

Soft Fruit

All soft fruit plants/bushes and canes starting to show signs of life again and everything ready for this year’s season.
The forced/covered rhubarb season ended last weekend with over 90lbs of picked (approx 6.5lbs per crown). Main crop rhubarb is now available with growth looking very healthy.

Orchards

February

Plots 1 & 2

Beds being prepared for carrots on plot 1. Early Nantes carrots will be sown during March.
On Plot 2, turnips to be sown and some trays of seeds will be started.
The Herb Garden is waiting for Spring.

Plots 3 & 4

Preparation for planting later in the year.
Re aligned the beds and paths. Hoeing to remove the weeds.

Plots 5 & 6

Chard and perpetual spinach on plot 5 are showing signs of life after the frosty weather but are not yet ready for picking.
Calabrese seeds have been sown and have germinated well in polytunnel 4.
Team members have been helping with soil sieving, pot washing and tidying the plot edges.

PLOTS 7 & 8

Planting Broad beans
Plot 8 Harvesting parsnips, sowing Greyhound and Golden Acre cabbage. Also erecting crop protection cages in advance.

PLOTS 9 & 10

Leek seedlings coming on in the Polytunnel.

PLOTS 11 & 12

We are hopefully potting on celeriac seedlings in Polytunnel 4 (might have a few stray tomatoes and onions growing in amongst the seedlings?) and will start to sow beetroot towards the end of March directly into the soil.
Team members, including the children, have been sifting lots of compost ready for seedlings to be potted up.
Plot edges have been tidied and weeding is ongoing.
Plan for next week is to do a tip run as another of our whole farm projects by tidying up a bit of the north west corner of the site.
Spring greens are still alive on plot 12 but not growing very much yet.
Looking forward to planting up plot 11 with potatoes before too long.

Plots 13 & 14

Plot 13 – All paths now restored, & ground now ready for brassicas sowing. We’ve also sown – in pots in the Polytunnel, the first 190 Meteor peas seeds.
Plot 14 – Ground almost 100% now ready for potato planting.

Plots 15 & 16

Plot 15: IBC 2 mounted on top of IBC 1 ready for connecting up to the automatic pump system. Leeks sown in the temporary seed bed east of plot 15
Artichokes harvested . There are several plants still to go so they should be available for 2 or 3 weeks yet unless we have panic buying.
Remaining winter cabbages are not doing much but we don’t need the plots for several weeks so might improve before we have to take them out. Please send some warmth.

Plots 17 & 18

Plot 17 mostly weeded in preparation for ‘Santero’ onions which are growing in Polytunnel 4.
Plot 18 still has kale which we are harvesting each week and turnips which are slowly getting large enough to harvest.

Plots 19 & 20

Plot 19 – salads are being grown on this plot so at the moment we are preparing the beds. We are spreading a thin layer of the farm’s compost on each bed.
Plot 20 – back in November/December the plot had been planted out with red onion and shallot sets. The red onion sets started growing when we had some mild weather but the shallots have only just started showing signs of life. The plot is also home to some garlic plants.

Polytunnels

Soft Fruit

All fruit bushes in the main cage (tays/logan/boysen berries, currants, blackberries, strawberries and gooseberries) now ready for this year’s season, just a bit of final tidying of support wires to do.
Ongoing work in the raspberry cage to mulch, build new supports and finish off the paths.
The first forced rhubarb was harvested on 25th Feb. The crowns were covered just after new year. The tunnel is proving much more successful than the compost bins.