Stats for March: 409 hours of volunteering by 32 volunteers over 16 sessions; 1 new volunteer; 1 work experience placement.
Stats for 2024: 1267 hours, 44 active volunteers, 8 new volunteers, 2 work experience placements.

This month we were looking ahead to our Spring Celebration (Sat 23rd), making preparations and tidying up. We had a big load of wood chippings arrive just in time to finish off some of the muddy areas. Spring bulbs were in full swing by now.

The celebration was wonderful, with a cake, crafts and day-old chicks which were especially appreciated.

Music and yoyo tricks were provided by friends David and Guy (one of which appeared as Albert the Lion).

This month we were also running a £10k matched funded Crowdfunder, which hit the target in the last week. It was amazing to receive generous support from so many members of the farm community.

On Wed 27th we had 27 pupils from Oakwood primary for a tour. They were looking especially at birds so we talked about the wild and the working birds on the farm. It was pouring with rain as they walked here from the school – they bravely and keenly persisted with their tour, and the rain eased off.

Cari Stewart, our volunteer animal lead, took volunteers onto her land, improving drainage and maintaining things for the ponies and lambs. We created a gap in the hedge by Chickens 1 so that visitors can look through to see the lambs in their shelter.

We rationalized our goose and chicken housing to release houses for the second batch of ducks/chicks, which arrived in time for the open day. We have five chicks and 3 ducks in this batch. The chick with a bad leg from the first batch is now with second batch, getting around ok. The chick and ducking from batch 1 are going out into a day hutch each day now.

Pots of perennials like currants, gooseberries, strawberries and day lilies were smartened up for the shop. Our chilli seedlings were all eaten – the slugs beat us again. We set up 15 potato sacks and planted our first early potatoes. Our first direct sow of carrots, parsnips and turnips was hampered by the prevalent rain. On 20th March at 9.30pm we picked about 100 snails off bed 1, mostly making for the newly planted radish seedlings. Many of these snails were small.

The oriental leaves and over-wintered lettuce in the polytunnel began to really produce and give us 10 bags at a picking. Delicious!

We continued the routine tasks of processing logs, clearing sand from the spring and irrigation system refurbishing the compost yard and building up the hot boxes. We started getting horse manure from the ponies next door.

We had a lot of rain to contend with, and the month ended very wet and extremely windy. We closed the shop early on Thursday 28th because the wind was lifting water butt lids and other objects and throwing them around the farm.

By the end of the month the apple blossom was showing. And of course the ducks were still working hard…