Posted on Mon, Mar 29, 2010
It doesn't feel like a year ago but it is... since the last graduation and having to say good-bye to all the great agriculture students at the college. The thing that makes the good-byes easier is the fact that the work really gets going at this time of year, I don't know how I'd survive if they all disappeared over the winter, I'd be a bit lost as to how to spend my time. They have all been great fun to be around and I will miss them all, luckily a few are still around working at farms close by so there will be some company close to hand, oh and I have a second year as my apprentice this year Sarah Vaughan, she'll be starting with me on 12th April.
So what have I been up to recently? Well I am now officially a member of the Tablehurst farm team and will be growing vegetables and some fruit for the farm shop. I've got one Polytunnel on the go now and have Corriander, Rocket, Radish, Spinach, Spring Onions, Carrots, Lettuces, Peas, and an Italian leaf on the go so far, and it's getting rather full in there now, we have two more tunnels which should get covered by early May, in time for my tomatoes, cucumbers and basil to go in the ground. I have had to order in a large quantity of transplants this year to allow the garden to become more productive. In order that all my costs were covered I calculated the number of plants I needed and the prices I would get them and realized that I didn't have the space or equipment to produce so many seedlings, the solution was to buy in some plants, mainly the ones that take up most space and take the longest to produce, so most of my brassicas, tomatoes, leeks and courgettes are being bought in to save time and space. There is more pressure on me this year to achieve results from the garden than was initially planned, i'm happy with this and am pleased to be faced with such a challenge and opportunity.
So now all I need is for the weather to clear so I can get on and do some work outside, the ground is slowly getting warmer and my green manure lays are starting to grow again. I want to get them into the ground again so I can sow freshly and increase the Organic Matter content in the soil. The potatoes need to get planted in the next few weeks so that will be my first priority when the conditions allow. I know that my little green tractor is working and I'm fairly happy with the stone burier I got with it, it's helpful to know that the machinery you are going to use works well so I don't have to worry too much when I get going with it.
I've harvested the first of my Purple sprouting broccoli and some forced rhubarb (which was delicious baked with a little blood orange and ginger), the polytunnel also has thyme growing in it so I managed to get the first of the thyme out of there too, this went straight to the shop, selling my first produce from the garden... How exciting
Posted on Tue, Mar 16, 2010
I think we can say that spring is here, I haven't stopped for more than a week now and am getting up at first light everyday. It's a great feeling, I get a little light headed with all the coffee I drink through the morning. Things are moving very quickly for me and it's a game to keep it all under control, there is still no clear answer of who will own the land I work on in two weeks, and if I can work on it or not. But I'll carry on with some faith that we will not be kicked off too soon or can buy the land for the training and St Anthonys Trust.
The farm are meeting soon to make a decision about if I'll work for them in the future, it's a tense time for us all. This aside I am still getting quotes to repair the Polytunnels at the farm and learning (very quickly) about buying in transplants. It was not something I was intending to do this year but after I had done the sums for the farm I realized that there was no way I could produce so many plants in the area I have in the time I need to. The only realistic option is to buy in the plants. This does have some very clear advantages for me, mainly that I will not have to take too much time sowing, watering and weeding the trays, you order them and they are delivered to you at a stated date... There are a few disadvantages but this is the only way forward for me this year.
I have been on the (old) tractor the past week, lifting the soil and I started to roll it today to start and break up the larger lumps of soil and make it easier to rotavate later on. I also have a potato ridger which had been on loan at another farm for the past 4 years. This will make potatoes a lot easier this year, and the weeding of them too.
So we carry on, the garden continues to grow, I'm still sowing seeds and have plans to sow more... Watch this space
Posted on Sat, Mar 06, 2010
The whole process of change at Emerson seems to take an eternity. For over 3 weeks now we have been on tender hooks attending meetings waiting to hear what will happen to the beloved college and what future is held for all of us at the college, staff, students and residents of this community. After another 1.30 pm meeting yesterday i'm getting the impression we are sitting in some kind of T.V. show like Eastenders, every week and even some days we are left on a cliff hanger and will only find out what happens in a few days from now. Although when the day arrives it's never quite as good as you would have expected. I've come to the decision that similar to T.V. shows the whole process Emerson is going through is best avoided for the time being. I'm cracking on with what needs to be done in the garden instead.
A student asked me last week to join them for a cup of tea outside Pixton, I declined and said I'd go to the garden. She suggested that maybe I needed a rest and some company for a while, the answer which I came out surprised me in a way but in another way also gave me a renewed faith in what I'm doing and why I love working in a garden... 'No thanks I feel much more relaxed when I'm in the garden amongst the plants and animals I know and love'.... And it's true, I can have numerous conversations which can fill me with a sort of hope for the future, but if I get out there and do some work I feel a different and more wholesome sense of well being.
We have been asked as a staff to stop spending money on behalf of the college due to the hard financial situation we have found ourselves in. So how does one grow things without any capital? Well we just make do with what we have, luckily all the tractors are full of diesel, I have a supply of petrol for the strimmer and plenty of seeds and potting compost... so I'm just carrying on and trying to forget about any other things I was hoping to achieve this winter. Having said this I feel that winter is almost done now, just today Arjen and I were cultivating old beds, and I started to prepare the ground for the coming week.... It's all very exciting.
So as far as I'm concerned even if there is no cash one can still get a great deal of pleasure from being out side amongst nature and the ducks- who by the way laid their first egg today... should it be eaten or left for chicks???? I can't decide yet.
Warm sunny wishes to everyone and may the spring bring us all red skin and some joy
Posted on Thu, Feb 18, 2010
It's been a very hard week or two for everyone here at Emerson College, with hard news about the closure then some hope arising that for the future of the BD training and the garden.
As it stands the course leaders of the BD training are working very hard to find a way to keep the training alive in Forest Row, there are possibilities afoot that it will get transferred to the Rachel Carson Center and links between the BDAA and the farms could grow stronger. But these are all ideas and much work needs to go into them to make them fruit, we can only hope that they will come to something.
Obviously many of the students here have been hit hard by the news, but it was a delight yesterday to have 13 individuals come and work in the garden. With the sun shining and some people even singing in the gooseberries the energy coming from there was immense, for me it demonstrates the shear value of the sort of work and education which is provided here and the curative effect of being outside with friends can have on us all.
I wish everyone all the best for the time being and hope to write again in the future
Thanks for reading and keeping in touch
Robert
Posted on Fri, Feb 05, 2010
A BD year 2 student (John Twyford) and myself drove up to Birmingham this week to attend the Soil Association Conference 2010. I wasn't really sure how it would be and exactly how the conference would work (it was my first one). The confernece in Birmingham aslo clashed with the Biodynamic Conference in Dornach (Switzerland).
I was happy to attend this organic conference as the theme for the two days was, 'can we carry on into the future business as usual? or do things need to change to meet the future challanges?)
There were some fairly high profile speakers and insperational stories, most notable was 'The food for life partnership' where Jeanette Orrey has had a massive impact into the way that schools and particually infant and juniors are experiencing food. The partnership has provided fresh and local food to over 130,000 children across the coutry, it also encourages pupils to grow there own food at school which will then go to the kitchen and onto their own plates. We heard a story about one school where the children were looking at Brussel Sprouts, one child picked a sprout and proclaimed that they were delicious, all the other children then went to eat them and thought the same, commenting on how sweet and yummy they were (these are raw brussel sprouts we're talking about!!) Later that day during play time, the same teacher noticed the children had bulging pockets of sprouts which they were handing out to the other kids as if they were sweets..... It was so inspiring to hear that this behaviour is coming out of the future generation, if this FFL partnership can continue it will do nothing other that good. As well as growing they also visit local farmers, meet animals, hatch eggs and spend more time learning how to cook at school. And needless to say the behaviour of pupils has improved as a result of getting outside and eating less junk food.
I was also encouraged some what to hear so much about the CSA innitiative which seems to be taking off all over the coutry. And by the number of people who are so keen to get into agriculture and horticulture, particually the younger generations early 20's to 30's.
This conference will certainly be one I want to attend next year as well.
Posted on Fri, Jan 15, 2010
Great news at last... The greenhouse for Emerson has been accepted by the council, albeit with a lot of recommendations that we need to follow. But the main thing is they have said yes and we can talk seriously with the Greenhouse sales people about timings and costs. A moment I have been waiting for, for months (actually over a year) and am so glad that we have finally reached a solid stepping stone.
In other news..... My new tractor had some problems before Christmas and has gone to hospital (mechanics), I'm hoping that it will come back soon. Affordable Tractors who I bought it from have been most helpful with offering support and the warranty, there were no questions about taking off to get fixed, which is also a massive relief.
The Kitchen is up and running again for the term and we are getting some great meals with loads of local produce luckily. It will be interesting to see how the term progresses and what rhythm the kitchen gets into.
My seed order for the coming season is completed and I'm trying to send it off in the many formats different companies ask for. It seems that, like last year it always takes longer than one would expect. Some companies ask for fax, others you select online and others ask that you send a cheque.... I'm quite sure I'll be ordering more in the coming months as I use the stocks up, I'd rather keep to a minimum and not waste seeds than order too much and have to start throwing them out.... making seeds is a form of art that should not be thrown away.
Posted on Wed, Jan 06, 2010
I am surrounded by people from the continent at the college, and have for some time been hearing how it is the law that when it snows people have a responsibility to clear the snow from in front of their houses. I have been inspired by this, if I can't prune trees or rake leaves then I'll clear the snow from foot paths and the drive up to the college. After the last snow we had it became a little treacherous on the drive where the snow had been compressed and then frozen again and become ice. So this is a little bit of a preventative measure, before the students come back at the end of the week I hope the drive will be safe and clear for people and taxis to move up and down freely. I've also found it's a great way to meet the neighbours as they walk up and down.
Stay safe and don't forget to clear your drive, it's going to stay cold so everywhere will become an ice rink if you don't ;0)
Posted on Sun, Jan 03, 2010
Well, we made it. 2010 and another calander year is underway. Funny though because somehow I don't feel that the year is really over yet. I have finished putting the final touches to the seed order and deciding what are the must haves in the garden in terms of tools, machinery and things but there are still reminders that I am a while off my new year..
I'm living on campus now which is making life easier in many ways, mainly the walk in the morning and evenings is shorter to close the ducks in but also it takes me through the campus and helps me to think about what is happening around the college more. Before I used to pass through an old railway line and a couple of fields to get to the garden.
I started the new year with a crack, not me luckily but a few dead old trees that needed to come down, one of them was a Scotts Pine. It was the largest tree i've taken down and not the easiest to get to, but it came down safely and with a loud thud when it hit the ground. Most of them have been taken down now and I still need to finish clearing them up a little.
My new flat looks out onto the orchard at college, this is my next big project, usually done with the students and takes up to 2 months to finish, although it shouldn't take so long. I like to guide the students through the prunning so they can get a real understanding of how to work with such large apple trees and see a long and short term veiw of the pruning process.
It's one more week until college starts back and I'm eager to start supplying again to the kitchen, some plants have died off with the freeze we're having but others are doing very well and I hope that I can stock the cellar ready for the new term and cook.
Happy New Calander Year
Posted on Sat, Dec 19, 2009
Things in this country seem to fall apart when we have just a little snow, and this week was no exception. We had a heavy snow fall on Thursday night and now the country side has a blanket of white covering everything... The garden was beautiful on Friday morning, with just lumps in the ground where the vegetables are hidden by the deep snow, but as usual after the aware had worn off the cracks appear. Most of the students had planned to leave over the weekend or on Friday but travel was not easy, the drive up to the college is a bit dangerous when the snow turns to ice so people tend to slide down rather than drive. And just at the moment it doesn't look to be over for a week or two.
There have been a few hard frosts over the week and the ground was hard enough to drive the tractor over it so I started to move some manure around that I'll be using to mulch the rhubarb and raspberries. I have found some insperation too after my Father showed me a book about the 'Lost Gardens of Heligan' it's an inspiring place and another Biodynamic Gardener has been involved in the process Tom Petherick. They have recreated an old victorian garden including a vegetable plot which particually interests me. I've taken some notes on crop rotations and it has inspired me to finish the rotation plan for this year and to make a good start on the planning fo next year, there isn't much else I could be doing at the moment though. (Other than snow man building).
The end of this term also sees an end to the way the college kitchen is run, due to redundancies and re staffing the current cook (Cilla) has now finished making way for a new business oppertunity for a local producer who has been processing food and selling it at local retailers. It will be interesting to see how the relationship develops over the coming months. I haven't met him yet but I've heard he has some great ideas to bring people from the village as well as maybe taking hte college to the village.. So 2010 might be cold to start but the excitment and enthusiasm from new collegues will surely keep us warm
Wishing everyone a very warm holiday season, I'm not sure when I'll write again, the next two weeks look to be very busy.
Posted on Sat, Dec 12, 2009
One would think that a gardeners role would simply be to work with the soil and finish when it's dark. This is not always the case, and especially when you are connected to a far larger farming enterprise.
Tablehurst farm, every year they sell Turkeys for Christmas to the village, about 400 in total. The farm has a license to kill it's own birds on site rather than having to send them away, this also means that they all get plucked by hand at the farm... this as people may know is no small task. The farm asks that people come and help with this job from Emerson Biodynamic training and other people involved in the farm. It's hard for the farm to manage all this work by themselves and there is an understanding that this is an opportunity for the students to 'give something back' to the local farm and come to realise a little how local support is so important for one another.
The experience is a hard one for people who are not used to it, to see so many animals pass through. So understandably some people choose not to do it for this reason. Those who choose to help see a different side of things, once the rhythm starts and you understand what order to take the feathers out the conversations, stories and jokes start coming out. It's a great time for myself to catch up with how the farm is doing and talk of concerns and lessons learned over the past year. As David the farmer there says, it's not so often that they have the chance to stand around one another for such a long time.For the students they can quiz the farmers and apprentices on things they've been learning in class or ask for advice on placement opportunities.
The other great thing about being on the farm is that we see all the children there, every year there are either new ones appearing or young ones growing and becoming more helpful and independent. Farm children always seem to want to help and carry things or push things, for people and don't hesitate if they see you doing something wrong to tell you about it. To have a two year old boy reminding me to close the gate to the trailor before I walked off is very sweet.
So even though my fingers hurt and I have missed a full week of sun (which is the first time since October), I don't mind because we had fun and got a good job done for our fellow neighbours, building the communtiy spirit.