Farming in Summer
A busy season of growth and careful management
Summer is here!
Summer is one of the busiest and most important times on the farm, as months of planting, nurturing and caring for crops lead us towards harvest.
This season has brought plenty of challenges, including severe water shortages, late frosts which damaged some of our Christmas trees, hailstorms and now another heatwave. Despite this, we’re still looking forward to the harvest months ahead.
THE END OF ASPARAGUS SEASON
Our asparagus season has now come to an end. This year, our 7.5 acres produced over 10 tonnes of green spears, all hand picked by the team. Across the season, we travelled over 810km to pick them, and once bunched, they would stretch over 80km tip to tip!
APPROACHING HARVEST
We are now preparing to harvest our main arable crops, including malting barley and wheat, followed by potatoes and sugar beet in the autumn.
Across the fields, the colours will soon change from the verdant greens of spring to golden browns as the crops ripen. As we move through July and August, the combines will begin cutting in the fields, while hay is cut, dried and baled before rain has the chance to spoil the crop.
THE WORK CONTINUES
Harvest is a huge team effort, with farmers working tirelessly, day and night, to help bring in healthy, home-grown food.
Once harvest is complete, there is no time to stop. The team begins establishing next year’s crops, starting with oilseed rape, followed by cover crops and the main cereals through September and October, while potatoes and sugar beet are gathered before the land becomes too wet as winter approaches.
VEGETABLE PRODUCTION
Vegetable production on the farm, grown by Fresh Approach, is now in full swing. Fresh lettuce, cabbage and cauliflower are being picked, with sweetcorn expected towards the end of July.
At the same time, winter and spring vegetables are being planted, including sprouts, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, leeks and more for Christmas and beyond. All of these crops need skill, hard work, favourable weather and plenty of irrigation during the dry spells we continue to experience.
PUMPKINS FOR AUTUMN
As we enjoy the summer months, thoughts are already turning to autumn. We have planted a fantastic crop of pumpkins in a wide range of varieties, sizes, colours and shapes, ready to create brilliant Halloween displays later in the year.
