22 May: Another week, another whirlwind of activity on the farm. In a turn up for the books the lack of sunshine and warmth is actually helping for once. Slowing everything down just a little bit, allowing us some precious extra time to prepare the site (and ourselves) for the explosion of productivity hoped for.
We constructed a cathedral of steel to support our climbing beans. The experience of bending and securing 600 steel rods (5m high and 10mm thick) will stay with me mentally and physically for a long time. There are also wigwams of bamboo for more beans. It’ll be interesting to see which option is better. Bamboo is cheap, aesthetically pleasing, probably ecologically less damaging. Steel is much more durable and will probably hold up better in the wind. The jury’s out.
The discovery of wireworm in the newly planted out shallot field has driven us to biological control methods. We bought in some nematodes – a natural micro-organism that attacks the pest. So far they’ve been released in our courgettes (planted out this week) and shallots. We’re monitoring carefully to see how the nematodes help to manage the infestation and save our plants.
Rotavating this week I was lucky enough to enjoy the company of two enormous crows that boldly tailed me around the field pecking up grubs exposed by the whirring blades. I hope they were mindful of our soil fertility and choosing a buffet of wireworm, leatherjackets, etc leaving the earthworms be!
600 steel rods arriving on a very large lorry
Gladiators, ready? Let bending commence!
Gggrrrr
Bouncy bouncy
Field of steel. A team of volunteers then made short work of sowing bean seeds.
Some particularly impressive examples of steel bending
Bamboo bean supports – much less muscle power involved but some ingenious knot tying skills required!
Courgettes – planted through Mypex for weed suppression and moisture retention
Rare grazing mammals found only in Wallington? No, a team of garlic weeders. It’s really important to clear the weeds as the garlic cannot compete with them. We mulched the beds with hay but the persistent grass and thistles have grown through. The beds seemed pretty dry too so we might have to water to make sure the bulbs swell up big, strong and potent.
Charlotte