New Ground, New Plans 🌱

🪏🌱 Today, My mamma and I (Rita) got stuck into clearing a big plot that has been resting under black plastic for quite a few years. The plastic had done its job, but the nettles, thistles and a few determined goat willows had still managed to push their way through!

We strimmed around the edges, lifted all the tyres, and started pulling out the weeds that had made themselves at home. There’s still an hour or two of work to do before the plot is fully ready, but we’re well on the way to turning it into nine lovely growing beds.

Two of those beds are already earmarked for asparagus — a proper long-term investment in delicious future harvests.

After a few years of experimenting with different crops and multi-cropping our beds, we’re excited to bring everything together into a proper four-year rotation.

Our outdoor rotation will most likely follow this pattern:

🥬Brassicas

🧅Alliums

🫜Roots

🫛🥗Legumes and Salad

The newly uncovered plot will begin life under brassicas, giving our existing plots a well-earned break from these hungry, heavy-feeding crops.

Before the brassicas go in next spring, we’ll be busy this autumn covering all the beds with compost in the no-dig style. No-dig growing means feeding the soil from the top with organic matter rather than digging it over, helping build fertility, protect soil life and keep weeds down.

With this extra plot in action, we’re hoping to grow more of the crops you love and have even more seasonal veg available throughout the year.

Watch this space — the beds are nearly ready, and spring planting will be here before we know it! 🧄🫘 🥔