By Rhian Williams
Spring has truly arrived at Kirkstall Valley Farm! What are the signs of spring for us?
Sowing seeds – in February we began sowing things like peppers, chillies, tomatoes and even aubergines, as these take a long time to grow. Early in March, we sowed seeds for things that will go into the fields, and don’t mind it being a bit cold: beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, lettuce. All these seeds grow in trays of compost in a polytunnel until we plant them around April. We’re also planted peas and broad beans outside.
Getting the tractor out – Keith spotted an ideal weather window for ploughing in early March. Keith’s very own vintage 1959 Fordson Dexta tractor out ploughing the fields is always a sign of spring! It’s one of very the early ones, and still going strong due to careful maintenance. As long as the weather stays dry, we’ll be using this plus the farm tractor (a Kioti DK35, if you’re interested…) to prepare the ground so we can plant our first crops.
Manure deliveries – we’ve been working with local farmers and horse owners to get some of their manure on site. Instead of using artificial fertilisers – which usually take a lot of energy to make and can pollute the river – we use organic material like manure to feed the soil, and replace what we take out when we harvest veg.
New volunteers – it’s been great to welcome lots of new faces, and some that we haven’t seen since last summer. People come for all sorts of different reasons, whether you want to enjoy being outside, learn more about growing food, move your body, have a chat or just be quiet around other people. Join us! We have sessions throughout the week and there is no regular commitment needed. More info here.
Eating salad – you might think of salad as a summer thing, but actually the polytunnels are producing LOADS of salad in February-April! We grow lettuces, plus a mixture of other leaves that add colour, flavour and variety. Do you want to eat salad from KVF? Then sign up to get a veg box.
More people on the farm – with sunny spring days we see more allotmenters returning, plus more of the kids groups are starting up again – find out more about what is on offer here.
Finally, please do join our open day on 12 April and meet our volunteers and growers to find out more about the farm. Farm tours at 11am and bring and share lunch from 12-1pm.
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