News

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 robin, cornflower, and cowslips joining the buttercups, cuckoo flower and clover. I’ve recently discovered spotted orchids in a couple of areas,  which I’m very happy about! Teasels, too, are appearing, the seeds of which the goldfinches love.

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, they’re just over 35kg at the moment! The new hens that arrived in April are settling in and laying nicely, they’re quite cheeky and very friendly, happily sitting on your lap for a cuddle, trying to steal flapjack crumbs! Last months’ farmers market was a success and I’m looking forward to the next one on the 7th June.

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 there’s always next month…

April is always a busy month! I’ve just taken on 2 Oxford Sandy and Black weaners and 6 more hens to add to the flock. All the seedlings and young plants are coming along nicely – we’ve had beautiful weather,  but still chilly at night.  Most things will be going into their final beds in the polytunnels or outdoors, towards the end of April. My first farmer’s market is in Langholm on Saturday, 3rd of May – looking forward to it!

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!

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 off the ground. I’m super excited and raring to go…. watch this space!

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 ensure the best use of nutrients. I’ve also got to build a new pig enclosure in time for the 2 new weaners arriving in March. The old enclosure was the victim of 2 escape attempts from the last pigs…. time for a re-vamp!! 

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 well as good quality pig pellets. I always make a mud pool for them and a scratching post from an old yard brush, which they love. My hope is that I can give them a happier, healthier, longer life than intensively farmed pigs destined for the supermarket get.