We had a busy time building things in March during some unseasonably warm weather. The main job was to sort out the ‘hub’ area in the centre of our five crop rotation in the raised beds. The first part of the plan was to build a treebog (a simple kind of composting toilet) along side a pair of donated greenhouses. We got a basic rectangular frame erected quite quickly in one afternoon. We were then very lucky to receive a load of old shiplap timber that was perfect for cladding the walls. A couple of salvaged windows provide some light in the west wall and the roof cleverly re-uses an old garage door that was rusting away in a corner of the farm.



We then fenced off the remaining area with a low picket fence to provide a safe area for the toddlers and laid some turf for them to run about on. The unseasonal spell of warm weather meant we had to water the lawn in well but it has taken root quickly and put on some lush new growth.

The warm weather has caused us some other problems – the rhubarb is ready to bolt already!
We were also lucky enough to have the bottom few acres of our field ploughed and rotavated by a very helpful neighbour. However after a couple of dry, warm weeks the field had dried out to leave the topsoil feeling like a bed of gravel. We’ve now planted all the early potatoes and most of the onions but need a good few days of rain to get them growing!

With the hard work of digging trenches for potatoes behind us, we can sit down in the new kids area and enjoy a well earned cup of tea.

In preparation for our spring planting this year, we made a number of cloches from various bits of junk that we had accumulated. The first design was an old favourite, using water pipes to form arches over a rectangular wooden base and then covering the lot with offcuts from the polytunnel covering. With a little bit of bracing, these frames can be made relatively robust but they do end up being quite heavy. The next lot of cloches were made to a much simpler design, simply hinging together two sheets of polycarbonate with loops of fencing wire.
Both designs have stood up well to the end of the winter weather, protecting our early peas until they can be uncovered.
We have also been digging over the ploughed areas and building new raised beds. We’ve made up a dozen beds for the roots rotation which have had beetroot and parsnip seeds sown in to them. The legume rotation was the first to be fully completed with 18 beds, half containing a succession of pea varieties and half containing broad beans.
We also extended our perennial fruit area to include nine beds of raspberry canes. They will take a while to get established but hopefully the wait will be worth it!