18 June 2013
The Cropshare for 2013 starts next week.
After a very slow and cold spring we are frantically trying to keep up with the planting and preparation that will ensure that this year's crop will be a success. The spring weather has had a number of effects. Firstly a number of crops usually ready by this time, broad beans and early beets, are not quite ready for picking. However in the next couple of weeks a whole variety of spring and early summer crops will be ready at the same time. We will be eating broadbeans with cucumbers, french beans with beetroot and spring cabbage with peas. This really does illustrate the joy of being part of a Crop Share where the focus is on the seasonality and freshness of the produce.
What we are able to grow is governed by each season's weather. Last year was our most difficult of the last ten years. I am hoping that this year will be easier. With the sun on our first courgette flower and the first trusses of tomatoes setting, lets hope it will be.
By James Smith, 18 June 2013 –
11 June 2013
I can never resist taking a group of school children into the ancient woodland behind our site. With Spring being late this year the wild garlic and bluebells didn't appear until late May and the wild garlic is in full bloom at the moment. Yesterday we had a visit from Slyne-with-Hest Primary school from Lancaster, it is pure luxury to facilitate a school visit in the new education yurt instead of the drafty old marquee. We spent the morning meandering in and out of the polytunnels tasting different leaves, it was a joy to see so many enthusiastic children eating broccoli plucked from the plant! What an enthusiastic group they were. After lunch we ventured into the woods with bug collecting equipment and spent an hour looking for insects. Our topic this summer is mini beasts and deciding which ones we welcome on our organic farm, is it a friend or foe? It was a lovely afternoon spent under a canopy of dappled sunlight and the children loved it.
By Pauline Sprott, 11 June 2013 –
11 June 2013
Earlier this year Growing Well asked the Brathay Trust's research team to undertake an independent evaluation of the impact that our service makes on the mental wellbeing of our volunteers. During the spring their researchers have been working their way through the anonymised records of our volunteers' monthly supervisions, and then conducted a series of face to face interviews to gather further detail.
We've just received their final report and it makes for really interesting reading. The report found that '...Growing Well offers an intervention that is incredibly well valued by the participating volunteers. Clear positive impact was shown with regard to volunteers' wellbeing and mental health recovery'. Our team finds that their social interactions at Growing Well have the biggest positive impact on their mental wellbeing. This is perhaps unsurprising given the emphasis we place on developing a sense of community at our farm.
Team members also found that their involvement in our training and work activities lead to increased feelings of positive self worth. Interestingly all these factors are indicated as having a greater positive impact than working in the outdoors (which was also found to have positive results). So the research suggests that it is not only what Growing Well does that improves mental wellbeing, but also how we do what we do.
It is really pleasing to know that we have been providing something essential and useful for local people, and we hope the report (which you can read in full on our website) will help us to continue to improve our process in the coming years.
By Beren Aldridge, 11 June 2013 –
11 June 2013
We have been participating in the Open Farm Sunday event, in partnership with Low Sizergh Farm, for the past couple of years but this year with our new gravel path to our site and the sun shining visitors streamed into Growing Well, taking in our extended polytunnels and newly erected yurts. The lure of free children's activities always attracts families and this year we welcomed Matt from Wetheriggs Animal Rescue Centre from Penrith who kindly brought along, spiny toads, an African Pygmy hedgehog, two birds of prey and some ducklings but the most popular animal was the friendly ferret who was more than happy to let the children play with him. It was lovely to see so many people and thank you to everyone for paying us a visit.
By Pauline Sprott, 11 June 2013 –
11 June 2013
I've just finished for the day with the Level 2 Diploma group, who have only 2 weeks left before they complete their course. The practical tasks that need assessing have been completed so we have had a different sort of day. A bit of amenity horticulture, planting up the tubs at the farm shop and preparing the ground and sowing a wild flower mix on a new bit of banking we have on site next to our new yurts. The flowers we hope will encourage a variety of bees, butterflies and other bugs that will pollinate our crops and help control some pests, as well as giving us a colorful environment to enjoy whilst having our lunch outside, weather permitting!
At the beginning of May we moved into our new training yurt, the same size as the old one, but it has a white ceiling and clear central dome, it feels bigger and is definitely brighter, especially with the gorgeous weather we have been having. We also have a new wood burner, which is very smart and although it has only been lit a couple of times it seems to pump out the heat really well. Just what we need during the winter months. Although I still need to find a new bookcase and unpack some of our teaching materials, it is starting to feel like home. The students certainly like sitting on a level floor rather than one that slopes!
The Level 1 Diploma group finished last week with a practical day on tasks they had requested to do, strangely this included weeding the broad beans! They also planted up some decorative tubs with herbs which are now proudly standing outside the yurts further enhancing our environment.
As the courses come to an end, planning is underway for the next academic year. At the beginning of September the plan is to start both a Level 1 and Level 2 based Diploma course, so if you are interested please do contact me to secure a place. Its a strange time of year for me, its sad to say goodbye to a group of people whom I have got to know, and often become friends with, but at the same time its exciting when a new cohort of students embark on a new course with us. Horticulture is such a broad subject, we all learn from each other, even the teacher doesn't know it all!
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By Hazel Sharples, 11 June 2013 –