We were very glad to get the sheep clipped before the really hot and humid weather hit us last month. Not only do the sheep look a lot more comfortable without several kilos of wool on their backs, the risk of flies finding dirty or damp patches of wool to lay their eggs in reduces massively. The heat also reminded us of how valuable tree shade is in such times, and reconfirmed our resolve to plant more so that as many of our fields as possible enjoy that benefit. 

The clip from the experimental wool flock looks very promising - if you would like to know more about the shearing process, please watch the short video we made.

Work on the farm is now mainly focussed in the vegetable garden. The last of the winter crops are out and the summer ones are nearly all in, with only have a few summer squashes left to transplant. Lettuce, spring onions and herbs are cropping well, we've harvested the first early potatoes from the greenhouse and it won't be long until we can pick our first peas, beetroots, fennel, broad beans and kohlrabis. The end of the hungry gap is nigh. 

This year I'm doing a seed saving course and as part of that will be growing some peas, tomatoes and onions specifically for seed. It's a new approach to growing for me, quite different to growing for food. But I'm really enjoying the process and am excited that, if done rigorously, we could start selecting varieties and genetics that really suit our soil and climate and can cope better with challenging conditions. 

We're also trialing a different grazing system with the sheep where we allow the grass to grow longer and move them more frequently around small paddocks made with electric fences. The idea is that the grass isn't so stressed, can develop deeper roots and then recover more quickly. It also mimics more closely the natural way that herbivores would move through a landscape in large, tight groups, graze intensely and then move on. We're hoping it will also mean the livestock are always eating grass that has far fewer parasites on it, having been stock free for much longer between being grazed. It means a bit more work for us each day, but if it makes the stock and the farm more healthy it should save us work in the long-run.

Beltane, the high point of Spring growth, has passed. And suddenly, it feels different - winter dormancy is over and vibrant spring growth is everywhere.

Most of the trees are now in leaf, each with its distinctive shade of green. The swallows and martins are back. And the verges, hedgerows and woodland floors are bursting into colour as wildflowers thrust themselves into the strengthening sun. 

We've finished lambing now and its great to see the ewes enjoying the fresh grass and the lambs gambolling through the fields. Much of our attention has been focussed on the market garden - its a busy time getting the beds ready and planted up as in our short growing season every day of sun counts. We've taken our first harvests of over-wintered brassicas, early salad crops and a precious few spears of asparagus.

The long month of March lurches between winter and spring in huge, erratic strides. Longer days, stronger sun and even moments of warmth are interspersed with bitter winds, biting rain and winter clart. But the signs are clear that Spring is ascendant. Our oystercatchers have returned from the coast and fly noisily over the farm, the piping of curlews hangs in the early morning mist and on sunny days queen bumble bees are out looking for nest sites. The primroses and celandine are in flower and the first buds of hawthorn are tentatively opening into leaves. There’s a subtle but unmistakable hint of green slowly spreading over the land as life wakes up.

On the farm, our attention is shifting from the winter planting of trees and hedges to the imminent growing season. The greenhouse is filling with seedlings and soon we’ll have lambs leaping around the fields as the cycle of life begins again. Its an invigorating time of the year that inspires optimism and reassurance in an otherwise uncertain world.