Farming

[bellinghman]

This evening, we should finish the planting that we started last Saturday.

On Saturday, we planted 40 strawberry plants (and surrounded them with rare breed bull manure), 80 tomatoes of two varieties, 160 cauliflours, and about 60 shallots. We also got netting over the strawberries and tomatoes.

Today, Brussels sprouts and beans.

Comments

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

Rare breed bullshit? Does it make a difference?

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

I doubt it. It happens to be what's conveniently available from a few hundred metres away, and it is organically traceable.

We're hoping for some tiger crap next, though that'd have to come, oh, nearly 9 kilometres.

[jon-a-five.livejournal.com]

Is "organically traceable" a polite way of saying "smelly"?

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Not exactly.

The area of the Home Farm (of which we rent 2 acres) is under Soil Association rules, with an Organic Certification pending once conversion is complete. This means that what we do will also have to operate under SA rules, or spoil the party for the rest of the farm. So making sure that manure that is used is also validly sourced is actually quite important.

[uitlander]

Ah, is it tonight? I may actually make it. Whereabouts on the farm is it? You turn off somewhere before you get to the house don;t you?

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Yes, despite the confusion, it is tonight and not Thursday.

As for getting there, you head along the A603 to the turn for Wimpole Hall, and head along that. Go past the left turn to the house, and carry on towards the farm. The next right turn is shortly before the farm itself, and you want to take that.

Go along that, passing over a (quite vicious) bump in the road, and then turn right through the gap in the hedge beyond that. You'll be in a grassy field, with a hedge to your left.

Go along that to where it cuts back, and you'll see ploughed land, some fencing and a gateway. There should be a vheicle or two there, quite possibly including my silver MG and Alex's green MX-5, and maybe a tractor.

Google Maps pin on that corner.

[bellinghwoman.livejournal.com]

Coming from Cambridge, turn right off the A603 as if you were going to the house. Follow the road but instead of turning left to go to the car parks, carry straight on for a couple of hundred yards. Turn right and follow the single track road for a couple of hundred yards - watch out for the stealth speed-bump! You will see a gap in the hedge - drive through that and follow the line of trees that will now be on on your left hand side for about 100 yards. Ahead of you, you will see other cars (and possibly a small tractor) congregated there - that'll be us.

Hope to see you later!