The sun is shining, and it is remarkable to see how everyone’s spirits have been immediately transformed. It’s amazing what a difference it makes after a very long and gruelling winter and to see how some extra warmth and light can make so many of our crops burst forth after sitting there, not doing very much for weeks.
The onions are germinating, the first tomatoes and green garlic are popping up, and we've got some gorgeous herbs and salady bits coming through, so we’re definitely finally feeling very spring-like.
Green garlic is up!
The tunnels have been direct seeded this week with radishes, spring onions (something we haven’t done a lot of previously), frills, rockets and mustards. We're also using the burst of warmth to plant lots of peas, which we’re really, really excited about. Expect lots of trials this season as we experiment with lots of different pea varieties that have different maturation times and flavour profiles. We can’t wait to see them all growing together…
Saigon Double
The tulips are absolutely exploding from the tunnels. We did multiple successions that are now kicking into life, with new varieties bursting forth by the day.
In farm jobs, we're starting the big winter clean-up, which means removing all the nets, sandbags and other winter protection from the production fields. All the radicchio is finished, a great deal earlier than last year. We found that demand was much greater this past season than in previous years, so we know we need to grow more next year.
We are also putting up a new farm sign, which is really exciting. It’s the first big change we've made to it for some time, and a makeover was long overdue. Paul and Michael have been working hard to get it finished (above) - we’ll show you what it looks like when it’s up.
And finally, keep an eye out for some new packaging which we're trialling. Things are going to get very yellow this season!
