Relaxed Farming - our farm in your classroom

Sowing...We are in the season of plenty in June and sowing depends upon crops being on their last legs and needing replacing, and empty spaces becoming available!! Salad (spicy lettuce, radish, rocket and other leaves), radishes, parsnips (again - we have just a few plants growing and hope for more, but it is getting very late in the year for parsnip seeds to germinate) and dwarf French beans are planted this month. We are also planting out the squash that has been started in pots together with thinning the brassicas.

Harvesting... This really is the time where all the vegetables we are eating come from the polytunnel. The Elephant garlic is quite large (see the top right photo which shows Picardy Wight garlic and Elephant garlic) but very mild. We dare not say the same for the smaller garlic; it really does pack a punch! Carrots, courgettes, salad leaves and asparagus are frequently on the dinner plate, and the cucumber is gorgeous!

Jobs... Clearing the old brassicas from last winter, a favourite food of the goats!! Watering, tying the peas and beans to the netting (right at the front of the photo below) and weeding. The onions we pulled in May are drying well in the garage (lifted and put in the sunshine on dry days). We are also keeping an eye open for caterpillars which will probably start appearing very soon - more on this subject in July no doubt!!

Comments... A busy month where it is very easy to become overwhelmed by the speed of growth of the plants... What were small seedlings in pots on the 3rd May are now quite large courgettes capable of dominating other plants. We also need to listen to the weather forecast - on very hot days the bedding in the polytunnel may dry out and shallow rooted plants may well dry up and die - watering is vital, and sometimes needs to happen three times a day!

June in the polytunnel
Relaxed Farming

Picary White (left) and Elephant garlic
Relaxed Farming

One of our first courgettes
Relaxed Farming