Title: Comment: <p>First time it has been quite wet and claggy at the Farm on a Wednesday.  No rain but damp air,  mild - rather still and pleasant to work in.</p><p>First job was to hoe the ground behind the raspberries, and plant another row and a half of broad beans - that is all the seed we have presently.  We will plant a large area of broad beans on the top field.  Broad bean pate - mmmm.</p><p>Second job is the ongoing hoeing and weeding round the lettuces and baby leeks. Chatting to the others, sometimes silence while working, the ducks and geese squawk and scream then settle again to pattering around looking for worms and caterpillars.</p><p>Less harvesting now, which took most of the time in the summer, picked one of the small cabbages which have grown on the crosses knifed on the stalk left after cutting the large ones, a couple of wormy carrots, plenty of chard and maybe some pumpkin from the store. </p><p>(posted by Roz)<img alt="claggy day on farm with geese" src="http://community.rivercottage.net/images/phpThumb.php/q=100;325x325;/var/members/member71695/farmgeeseautumncrsm.jpg" /> </p> Submit > < Back

Title: Comment: <p>Today was our first visit to the orchard at Iden.  Three cars set out to travel the 10 or so miles loaded with walking sticks to hook the fruit and empty boxes to fill with apples and plums.  A printed plan of the orchard puzzled us, but we began to identify and label the trees.  An idyllic field.  We twisted and shook the fruit and struggled to carry the harvest into the van.  Many more visits will be needed to manage the orchard and harvest more Worcester Pearmains, Egremont Russets, Warwickshire Droopers, Laxton's Fortunes, Ponds Seedlings, Warners Kings and loads of others.</p><p>www.crowhurstcommunityagriculture.org</p><p><img alt="apples in van" src="http://community.rivercottage.net/images/phpThumb.php/q=100;325x325;/var/members/member71695/farmapplesinvansm.jpg" /></p><p>(posted by Roz) </p> Submit > < Back

Title: Comment: <p>As well as watering the seedlings and sproutlings we have to water the ducks.  They love it - scrambling into the plastic pool, pushing each other out of the way to get as wet as they can.</p><p>(posted by roz) </p> Submit > < Back

Title: Comment: Another sunny day to harvest, weed and water.  Crops we are picking include this super cabbage, courgettes of course, potatoes of course, couple of parsnips, chard, few strawberries, and runner beans and green beans.  Quite a haul.  (posted by Roz) Submit > < Back

Title: Comment: <p>We had our first meal together inspired by the idea of THE BIG LUNCH (Tim Smit of Eden Project's national suggestion) we gathered next to the shop with the barbecue fired up.</p><p>We ate loads of vegetable kebabs, and farm pork sausages, pumpkin pie and peach cake.  We ate big, and talked big.  First of many community agricultural project meals. (posted by Roz)</p> Submit > < Back

Title: Comment: <p>Pink gloves lie discarded on the brown earth.  A headless scarecrow sees off the pigeons or is it the red wool strung round the cabbages that keeps the birds away.  Lots of colour this July morning on the farm.</p><p>Fiona pulls a lone carrot, one of the few to grow in this lovely sandy soil that is growing loads of courgettes, broad beans and chard.  Sylvia looks happy as she hoes the weeds in the cabbage patch. (posted by Roz)</p><p><img alt="pink gloves" src="http://community.rivercottage.net/images/phpThumb.php/q=100;325x325;/var/members/member71695/farmglovescrsm.jpg" /></p><p><img alt="happy hoeing" src="http://community.rivercottage.net/images/phpThumb.php/q=100;325x325;/var/members/member71695/farmhappyhoeingsm.jpg" /></p><p><img alt="one carrot" src="http://community.rivercottage.net/images/phpThumb.php/q=100;325x325;/var/members/member71695/farmlonecarrotcrsm.jpg" /> </p> Submit > < Back

Title: Comment: <p><img alt="ducks round blue plastic shell pond" src="http://community.rivercottage.net/images/phpThumb.php/q=100;325x325;/var/members/member71695/Farmducks24Mayweb.jpg" /></p><p>10 ducks have arrived from a local school which hatched them and then they grew and grew...</p><p>Planted the 2 pumpkins for the Crowhurst Pumpkin Competition.  </p><p>Watering, watering, watering.  Pulled some javelin early potatoes, tiny green courgettes and even tinier yellow ball courgettes.</p><p>(posted by Roz) </p> Submit > < Back

Title: Comment: <p>Busy Saturday morning on the farm, lots of people, lots of work.  Greenhouse watering and planting cucumbers, selecting seedlings to plant out.  Cutting black matting for the celery to save weeding later.  Next spinach picking for the shop - so much spinach -plenty to take home - spanakopitas tonight.  Lastly a few courgettes and some squash to plant out on the field.  We'll have loads of these to harvest in a few months time.  Hope for the forecast rain to come tonight.  (posted by Roz) </p><p> </p><p> </p> Submit > < Back