homegrown and handmade
Written by Bev Askew
Wow! The last couple of weeks have been manic in the fruit and veg plot! So many things ripening – sweetcorn, peppers, tomatoes, fennel, courgettes, and more! Huge quantities to pick, preserve, blanch, freeze… and eat! Happy summer days!
Written by Bev Askew
I’m trying to increase fruit and veg yields by attracting more pollinators to the plot. I sowed yellow rattle last autumn, which feeds off the nutrients in the roots of nearby grasses, creating bare patches for native meadow plants to take advantage of. I’m hoping that by next year, we’ll start seeing ox-eye daisies, ragged […]
Written by Bev Askew
Things are full steam ahead at Acre Fare now. Male flowers are appearing on the sweetcorn plants, the onion bed is looking really good and potatoes have been earthed up. The strawberries are ripening and tomato plants are flowering nicely. Looks like it will be a good year for courgettes too! The pigs are growing, […]
Written by Bev Askew
My first producer’s market is the 3rd of May in Langholm. I’ve been busy drying herbs, making preserves, collecting eggs, designing cards, and tending to my veg plants – the tomato, courgette, herb and leek plants are looking healthy and ready to go to new homes! It’s still too early for much fresh produce, but […]
Written by Bev Askew
My new polytunnel is now built! I’ve now got 2 tons of gravel to dig in around it to improve drainage, 3 raised beds to build, and 3 tons of topsoil to put in them. Then…. the planting out begins!
Written by Bev Askew
Fantastic news at Acre Fare! I’ve recently been awarded funding from both SoSE Pathways and the Business Gateway Enterprise Seed Fund. This will enable me to expand operations on the smallholding, to turn it into a thriving market garden business! I’m installing a second polytunnel and getting some essential jam-making equipment to get the business […]
Written by Bev Askew
Happy New Year! There’s not much going on in the veg plot at the moment, it’s minus 6 here this morning and about 0 degrees in the polytunnel. The garlics and autumn onions are keeping their heads down. Plenty to do, though – planning the polytunnel and raised beds, making sure crops are rotated to […]
Written by Bev Askew
I’m taking on 2 Oxford Sandy and Black weaners again in spring 2025! I can’t wait – they are such characters, and have a lovely temperament. I raise them outdoors, so they are free to roam in a large area in the paddock. They get fresh veg from the plot – brassica leaves, etc., as […]
