January in Pictures

2011 was a 'funny old year' weather wise, mild and wet from January (after a very cold and snowy Nov and Dec), then very hot and dry in April, May and June. We finally got a decent amount of rain in July, and then some more and some more! A definite lack of sun and warmth through July and August, followed by a wonderfully sunny September and October was pretty good too (even I went swimming in the sea that first weekend!). And winter has been very kind to us as growers so far, relatively mild with few frosts, our winter greens are faring much better than last winter, no complaints there, too mild even to affect the whitefly that like to hide in the curly kale.

But it does seem un-seasonally mild, and the spring and summer did seem a bit mixed up, so a bit unsettling. Its much easier growing vegetables when the weather does what you expect!

No photo blog in Nov and Dec due to my camera not working, but back in action now, so I thought I would show you everything that we are harvesting on the farm at the moment (despite it being January, we still spend at least 4 days a week harvesting and packing for farmers markets, our box scheme, other home delivery and box schemes (including Growing Communities, Harvest 4 U, Sutton Farm and Local Greens),  shops and restaurants in Kent and London (too many to mention, see our website for a listing).

We sell at Wye, Whitstable and Stoke Newington Farmer's Markets, all of which only allow us to sell produce we have grown ourselves.



sprouts - not just for Christmas!



A selection of cabbages........

Celeriac, most is covered by straw for frost protection.

Beetroot, again, most of the crop is snug under a layer of straw

Carrots under fleece, with more under straw.

And here's the beetroot under straw.

Not much to see, but there are some parsnips in these beds, we have to search for them, not our best crop this year, as many didn't germinate in the hot, dry spring

Spinach

Green Chard

Rainbow Chard

Swede

Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Green Curly Kale

Cavelo Nero (Black Kale)

Red Curly Kale

Tha mainstay of our winter salad bags - 'green-in-snow' mustard leaf

Rocket, going to seed now, but the flowering shoots are great in salads.

Sweet Red Russian Kale, the smaller leaves are harvested for salad,
 and the larger ones for stir fry bags and mixed kale bags

Sweet Hungry Gap Kale, again the smaller leaves are great in salads (similar taste to pak-choi)

A glasshouse full of Claytonia, the cultivated form of the wild plant 'Spring Beauty'. Also known as 'Miners Lettuce, getting its name due to its use as a fresh salad green by miners in the 1849 Gold Rush in California

Red Mustard leaves, growing in a glasshouse.

One of the more tender winter salad leaves, Mizuna. This crop has already been cut once, and if the mild weather continues we will get another cut from it.

And the crops harvested in the Autumn and now in store include potatoes (under the covers),
 as well as onions and squash.

Over-wintered garlic, something to look forward to in the Spring (we do still have some stored, dried garlic too).

And a late crop of leeks ( we do also have some larger ones we are harvesting at the momet)

October, Squash Harvest and More

'Crown Prince' squash, cut and windrowed, ready to pick up.

We've harvested all our pumpkins and squash now, not such a big job this year as we lost a lot of plants after transplanting, in the cool June weather. But the amazingly sunny September and October ripened those that survived.

'Hokkaido', probably the tastiest squash we grow, but doesn't store long, so taste it while you can.

Pumpkins in the field, cut and ready to pick up



Crown Prince, a very tasty squash that can store until April/May



Pumpkins in store, still ripening (they all start off green and ripen to orange just in time for Halloween, hopefully)



'Habanero' chillies



'Green-in-Snow' - a winter hardy mustard salad leaf, growing inside our Victorian walled garden

Autumn planted garlic, just emerging.
 It's a very difficult crop to weed, which is why we use this biodegradable plastic mulch.

So pretty, I had to take a picture! Rainbow chard harvested and bunched Monday, to be delivered into London shops early Tuesday morning.

September, Spud Harvest Time

September is Spud harvest time, so far we have been harvesting them as needed, but all the maincrop potatoes should be harvested over the next few weeks now ready for winter storage. A sunny, not too wet September will keep us happy, the squash will ripen, the tomatoes and peppers in the polytunnels will keep cropping and we can harvest potatoes anytime we're not harvesting and packing orders.  

Potato harvester in action at Ripple, with one tractor pulling the machine, one driving alongside filling wooden bin as the spuds come off the belt, and 4 workers on top, sorting the clods and stones from the spuds.



Plenty of wooden bins still
to be filled, the 'Long Plantation' woods in the background.



'Amorosa' - reds and 'Valor' - whites



The harvester goes back to the workshop for minor repairs, Wye Crown claerly seen here looking up from 'Orchard Field' spinach, late sown leeks and kales under cover bottom right.

Stripy spinach - the central darker green rows are true spinach, and the outer, lighter green are perpetual spinach

Early leeks, irrigated back in the drought of April/May, and now ready to harvest,
looking pretty as a picture amongst the poppies

This year's squash crop is not looking so good after a relatively cool summer, many plants died in the cool conditions after planting, and those that are there still need more sun to ripen up.



Crown Prince squash, not yet ripe...



and butternut..

What's happening in June

We finally got the rain we so were so desperate for, about 25mm on Sunday 5 and Monday 6 June and have had more since then, and everything is growing well and no need for irrigation for now, happy again!  

Ridging up potatoes before the rain (with a little help)




Picking up the first of the new potatoes by hand



Seeding into module trays, the majority is done now, but crops such as lettuce will be seeded every 2 weeks until August.

Sweetcorn and courgettes transplanted into nice moist ground, but not enjoying the wind and cool nights since.

Our quiet bird-scarer, a hawk kite, acts as a potential predator keeping smaller birds away from the crops

Basil growing well in a polytunnel, the scent from so many plants
is amazing

Nasturtiums just starting to flower to brighten up the salad bags

Squash plants ready to be transplanted.