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JANUARY 2006
Welcome to the seventh 'Down on the Farm' newsletter. Going Quarterly!
Farm Update
Since the last Newsletter (in August 2004 - whoops how time flies...) my
business has grown at such speed that I have had difficulty in keeping up!
In 2005 I leased the Organic Egg Enterprise to Keith Croshaw (contact 01799
514900 mobile 07743 366471) and now concentrate on the fruit side.
2005 Top Fruit
The top fruit orchard is coming into full production, so far quality has
been good and therefore easy to sell. It needs a lot of work to continue to
improve yields and quality.
2005 Soft Fruit
Soft fruit has been much more difficult. Yields have been good, but shelf
life quality with strawberries and raspberries has been a problem. I am now
employing the services of an agronomist, together we will carefully monitor
our organic inputs to address this problem. In 2005 we had to pick two tons
of raspberries and throw them away. We have to pick fruit as it ripens to
keep the unripe fruit disease free. In 2006 I hope that improved quality
will enable me to sell a higher proportion of raspberries into the fresh
market. I am also looking for a processor to take two tons of fresh or
frozen raspberries.
Sales of Organic gooseberries went well in 2005, helped by Broughton
Pastures who took all of our surplus to make their excellent Organic
Gooseberry Wine. In 2006 I plan to nearly treble gooseberry production, so
once again, I am looking for a processor to take two tons (fresh or frozen).
Work In Progress
Winter is for tree pruning. The Joan Squires Nova-Cane Raspberries have all
been pruned to ground level, prunings cleared away and burned. The older
gooseberries have had a haircut to try to ‘open up’ the bushes and make
picking easier in 2006. The younger gooseberries have had some lower
branches removed to leave three or four strong upright ‘legs’. Drip line
irrigation has been stalled to all the soft fruit, including the Autumn 2005
planting of strawberries, redcurrants and blackberries. I can use this
drip-line throughout the 2006 season to feed the plants with organic
nutrients and hopefully improve fruit quality.
The mild autumn kept leaves on the apple and pear trees well into December,
so pruning started a little later then usual. I made good progress before
Christmas and have finished pruning the ‘Fiesta’ and started on the
‘Egremont Russetts’. I hope to start on the Bramleys early in the New Year,
weather permitting! The Bramley yield was a little disappointing in 2005
with too much green growth and too little flower. In 2006 I am changing the
organic fertilizer regime to include a little Boron and reducing the organic
nitrogen. I have pruned the pears back to buds on two year old wood this
year to try to ‘open up’ the trees. I don’t know if this will have the
desired effect, but in previous years I have cut back to an outward facing
bud on the current years growth and they have continued to grow vertically.
Two year old buds stand out from the wood at about 90degrees, so I hope that
cutting to these will lead to a more open centred tree. Please email any
comments.
Plums and cherries were pruned in late July, but have made a lot of growth
since then. They all look a bit ‘straggly’ with a lot of crossing branches,
in fact, they look as if they need a good prune! I have always been told to
only prune plums and cherries in Summer to reduce the risk of disease, but
my agronomist is urging me to prune now! Please email any comments.
January is a great time for optimism. Every fruit tree and bush is covered
in flower bud and showing exciting prospects of a great crop in 2006. All I
have to do is keep them clean and healthy for the next eight months, which
can’t be difficult can it?
Happy New Year
Kit.
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