Lower House Farm Project Update July 2024
- Getting on the ground was delayed due to the wet Spring. The field had been heavily compacted by horses over the Winter months. Therefore, to prepare the ground for planting, a contractor was brought in to plough and power harrow the field. A contractor was also sourced to do the direct drilling of the seed.
- Following a consultation with crop specialist Chris Creed from ADAS, the farmer decided to purchase additional seeds, adding further recommended varieties to the project.
- On 3 May 600 seeds were sown by the farmer into modules to compare establishment with direct drilling and the plug plants.
- The squash plug plants from Delfland Nurseries were planted on 22 May 2024. This was done by hand. On the same date a contractor direct drilled seeds for comparison. Fortunately, the planting dates coincided with a spell of warm weather however this meant irrigating to aid establishment.
- Irrigation is currently happening by hand with a hose but the farmer is looking into a sprinkler system as a more suitable option.
- The squash plants have been established successfully. However due to the warm wet weather (June 2024), weeding has become a challenge in the field. The farmer is currently hoeing by hand which is time consuming and less effective than other methods. Therefore, alternative methods for weeding are being looked into.
