Our farms across the UK are constantly planting, growing and harvesting fruits and vegetables for you to eat! Here is an update on all the activities that have been happening over the past month with loads of photos to take a look at.
Harvesting
We harvested our first spring onion crops this week, and they are looking delicious! We have also been very pleased with our asparagus from this growing season, which we have been able to pick earlier than usual.
However, all the nice weather and hot temperatures has caused some flowering amongst the purple sprouting broccoli, which has decreased the amount of plants which we can send to the supermarkets. Purple sprouting broccoli grows best over the winter season, so we are now nearing the end of this years harvest!
Harvesting the purple sprouting broccoli.
A view across one of the farming fields.
Planting & Growing
We often use protective fleeces to cover our younger plants, and protect them from birds and other predators during the growing process (take a look at the photos to see them in action!). Our tenderstem broccoli has been growing nicely and we will be able to remove their fleeces next week, at the beginning of may.
The fleeces are ready to come off the tendersteam broccoli!
Look at how well our roots are growing!
Many of our plants are grown from seeds in trays and are stored in large greenhouses. After the seeds sprout, and they grow much bigger, they are taken out of the trays and planted into the fields where they have more space to grow. This month we have planted out our Pak Choi, Choi Sum and Courgettes.
The Pak Choi ready to be planted out.
Pak Choi are protected by fleeces in the fields.
Pak Choi have been freshly planted out.
The beans have been planted.
Courgettes are ready to be planted out.
Courgettes which have been planted out.
Finally, throughout April we have also planted our sugar snap peas and our beans. Make sure you look out for our next farming updates to see how they get on!