Future-focused this month. The evolution of the farm is a slow one that requires a long-term view and a healthy aptitude for delayed gratification!
This years tree and shrub crops are all in and we are looking forward to begin harvesting some great produce in the next 4 or 5 years - a wide selection of nuts, including butternuts, heartnuts and bladdernuts as well as the old favourites - walnuts, hickories, pecans, hazelnuts and sweet chestnuts. We have a nice selection of heritage apples and pears and some weird and wonderful berry crops too! The cider orchard will have to wait until next year - but this gives us some time to do some *serious* taste testing.
Three new hedges have been planted on the apex of the hill to break up the occasional "black-easterlies".
Double rows of sea buckthorn interspersed with roses and Willow create an effective windbreak that is both pretty and edible. Sea buckthorn is an amazing plant that thrives here on the farm - we've incorporated it into almost all our hedging. Insanely difficult to harvest, the bright, tart orange berries have a multitude of health benefits that are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
Matt has been busy clearing the existing gateways which were getting pretty overgrown - this project along with the new gates bought at the end of last year have improved access around the farm. Matt will be laying hardcore around the gateways and on the main tracks to soak up some of the mud - a welcome addition after a few close calls this winter involving some definitely-not-off-road vehicles!
Wow, the farm is coming along at a fantastic rate! Glad to see the windbreaks going in. There has been a lot of interest in Sea Buckthorn recently in the medical/ herbalist community: it really is an overlooked 'superfood'. The wonderful Robin Harford, (eatweeds.co.uk), has a great introduction to the culinary and medicinal uses of Sea Buckthorn plus some delicious recipes! I would also recommend checking out his writing about other hedgerow heroes such as gorse, blackthorn, etc. He runs highly acclaimed foraging courses around Devon too: perhaps you could persuade him to come and advise SSF on other suitable hedgerow species or even to run some foraging courses locally?