In the fields: asparagus, rhubarb, and glimmers of sunshine
Our asparagus has arrived a little early thanks to the mild temperatures, and asparagus PYO is now open daily, Tuesday to Sunday. Please see our asparagus page for directions to the fields, opening hours, picking tips and recipes!
Rhubarb will be ready to pick very soon, and next month our long strawberry season commences – stay tuned for updates!
Farm Tasks: planting and maintenance
Despite the weather, we are busy busy! We’re poised for potato planting once the soil allows, preceded by necessary ploughing and ridging. Spring barley drilling is also on the horizon, ensuring our fields are primed for growth.
Infrastructure and planting ventures
Progress on our strawberry tunnels nears completion, offering shelter for upcoming crops. Between rain showers, we’re busy planting strawberries, broad beans and dahlias. It’s going to be a very colourful 2024 of the farm – that’s for sure!
New tools and environmental initiatives
Excitement brews as a new sprayer joins our equipment lineup, which will help us protect our crops from disease and increase our yield. We are also currently working towards securing Sustainable Farming Incentive grant funding, which will help us invest in more schemes to support our farm biodiversity: wildlife, bees, birds, ground nesting birds and invertebrates. Watch this space…
Looking forward…
Next month we are expecting our first strawberries and gooseberries to join the asparagus and rhubarb, and we have a packed schedule of food and coffee trucks joining us for May half term week and the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May. There is SO much in the pipelines this year, from big 70th birthday celebrations to pumpkins and flowers to developments in the cafe and a full refurbishment of our toilet blocks thanks to a rural prosperity grant we have recently received.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus.
