Walled Garden starting to take shape

Hello everyone, 

Firstly, thank you to you all for the messages, emails and comments regarding our farm re-set and new Freyja adventure. Your positive responses and understanding really validates and confirms our decisions…I will continue the conversation with you all. 

If you follow us on our Instagram account, formally Hexhamshire Organics now @garden.freyja I am hoping you have enjoyed me trying to condense one year in to one week. You are now up to speed and up to date. Phew!!! 

Our second YouTube episode is now also available from today. Alex (our Michelin starred Chef) is cooking in this week’s episode, unfortunately I missed the opportunity to sample the delights. Not sure if Ben (the photographer) enjoyed telling me how good it tasted or actually enjoyed the tasting session more. Just kidin’. I will make sure I am around in the future. 

What an unseasonably freezing week we have had. However, the work has not stopped, here on the farm or in the Walled Garden. 

The Farm

The Lovely Lucy and Graham The Great spent time harvesting for the restaurants earlier in the week. The restaurants receive the choices, which we have available from the farm, each weekend. They select the Fresh Local Organic Produce they would like. We then harvest for them. We are very lucky that the chefs accept the seasonal goodies on the list, then produce their menu accordingly. The freezing conditions did not make harvesting easy as the ground became rock hard and the leaves were limp, the water within the leaf freezes as does the ground. During the Winter months (I know it is still just Autumn but Mother Nature is saying Winter!) it is best to wait till the later part of the day to harvest to reduce the chance of damaging the plant by snapping off more of the plant than expected. 

Having the polytunnels is a boon during freezing conditions. We have Kales and Cavolo Nero doing really well. These were planted out late Summer which gives them time to establish the root system and produce plenty of growth. We will then be able to harvest through the dark days of Winter. Spring Onions and Bulb Onions are ready or establishing. Then we have all the overwintering oriental leaves of Spinach, Rocket, Mustards, Chicory and Choi and other delicate leaves to pep up Winter dishes. These all will be in conditions only marginally warmer than outside the tunnel, so to increase the temperature more we have covered the tender plants with a fleece…similar to a duvet to make them cosy and warm. Again, it may only be a degree or so warmer than outside, however, this will make a huge difference to each plant. We may lose some, as the plants, like us, are not expecting late Winter weather at this part of the year. Soooo…we will keep our fingers crossed for recovery in the week ahead as the average temperatures return. Then the root system will get back on track and the leaves will slowly develop. 

The Walled Garden 

Big week in the Walled Garden. The big vegetable growing beds are starting to be shaped with big wooden beams then filled with the Pas100 compost. It was all hands to the pump or should I say rake. So far, five drops, of twenty tons a load, have been dropped off. The gate into the garden is not very wide, so the use of a dumper-truck was required to get the compost from the dropping off point to the destination beds. Once it was dropped off in the beds it was then raked level. 

The ground had been prepped by removing as many weeds from the grass as possible. The beams were placed and secured firmly in the ground (by the way we have stained the beams a grey to compliment…more of this later). Then from the bottom of the garden, we are working our way upwards. It is going to take some raking…a six pack on the way for Bob!

With all the work we are doing the Walled Garden is now beginning to shrink…it is still mega huge but it is starting to be less intimidating and more manageable as we get more work completed. This must be the dividing of the ground into selected areas of growing beds…now more doable. 

Thank you for your continued support. 

Keep reading! 

Take care, 

Ann