Organic Certification Renewed

Hello Everyone,

We hope you are well.

The good news is that we have had our Soil Association organic certification renewed….Phew!!

To be honest, we had the quickest annual assessment yet. It only took four and a half hours! It normally takes at least seven hours. So, you are assured that everything you receive from Hexhamshire Organics is totally organic.

Bob has an opinion regarding the fact that we, and the shops we all use, explain that produce is ‘organic’!!!!! Surely the food producers should be telling us when produce is ‘non-organic’. Nothing is added to organic, whereas non-organic has additions to the seeds, soil and process! Me thinks Bob is so right.

Over the last ten days we have, unfortunately had a visit from the turnip saw fly. Sounds an insignificant little bug. However, it causes major damage to turnips and swedes. The fly has laid its eggs. The eggs produced jet black caterpillars. The caterpillars have eaten all the foliage of our turnips and radish…….virtually overnight! We could cry.

The pigs may cry too as, a lot of the swede we had sown to use as foraging food for the pigs, is also covered with these pesky creatures. We have had an expert from the Soil Association to visit us and provide advice. He had never seen the saw fly or its caterpillar in action. But, my goodness, he was soooooo knowledgable.

The way to eradicate them is by removing the crop and then carefully managing crop rotation going forward. No other crop has been affected as they do not eat other crops. (The name turnip saw fly gives a bit of a clue). Paul, the expert explained that the recent hot weather has brought it over from the continent.

OPEN DAY
Bob and I would like to invite you to Hexhamshire Organics on August Bank Holiday Monday. We are going to have an open day for anyone wishing to come along and see our set up. We will be open from 1pm till 4pm. Bob will be giving a talk from 2pm. If you would like to visit, please email us saying who will be coming. We hope you can make it.

Take care,

Ann