Posts in Spring

Woodland Regen Project update

This year, there has been good progress with the regeneration of the site of the woodland project at Plaw Hatch.

April, Spring, Farm, Environment, Volunteers, WoodlandKitty M20 April 2023Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Lambing 2023

Lambing is pretty much the most important time of the shepherding year. This lambing we have had just over 90 lambs born in 3 weeks.

April, Lambing, Sheep, SpringKitty M19 April 2023Plaw Hatch FarmComment

End of chicken lockdown

This week on the farm we celebrated the lifting of avian bird flu housing measures. Watching the hens go back onto fresh pasture is a great relief after six months of restricted housing for our hens.

April, Spring, Chickens, FarmKitty M18 April 2023Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Springtime growth

Since the last newsletter so much has changed. You would expect as much in spring, but I suppose the rate of change is the part that takes my breath away

April, Garden, SpringKitty M16 April 2023Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Anticipating the arrival of Spring

Each year around this time we all anticipate the arrival of Spring for real.

March, Garden, Spring, EnvironmentKitty M12 March 2023Plaw Hatch Farm Comment

May in the garden

May sees increasing growth in the garden. The cucumbers, tomatoes, peas and beans are picking up speed, and even the sweet peas with their tough start to the year are catching up.

Spring, Garden, Flowers, MayKitty M18 May 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Grass fed Sussex beef

Winston, our Sussex bull, will be 10 years old in August this year. During his time here he has sired nearly 200 calves, many of which have been raised here on the farm.

Farm, Spring, April, Cows, Dairy, Meat, MilkKitty M19 April 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Lambing 2022

Lambing went by very quickly this year, with 55 ewes lambing in just under three weeks! Miriam Fuller, who came back from being a full time Agriculture student to run lambing, gives an insight into her experience.

Farm, Lambing, Sheep, Spring, AprilKitty M16 April 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Sheep scanning 2022

Scanning is an important point in the shepherding year, allowing our farmers to prepare for the coming lambing that is now just over a month away.

Farm, Lambing, Sheep, Spring, Volunteers, TrainingKitty M15 February 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Candlemas and Imbolc

Imbolc falls around half way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, hailing in the coming spring and lengthening days.

Farm, Spring, Arable, Winter, FebruaryKitty M12 February 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Flowers for the Garden

The winter months give us some time to dream and make plans for the growing season ahead. I love to dream about flowers.

Winter, Garden, Spring, January, FlowersKitty M9 February 2022Plaw Hatch Farm Comment

January in the garden

The garden starts up slowly in January. At the beginning of the month it is still dark, but I’m definitely starting to notice the difference as we approach February. The days are getting longer and we have already started with sowing.

Winter, Garden, Spring, JanuaryKitty M21 January 2022Plaw Hatch Farm Comments

Epiphany and the Three Kings Prep

On January 6th, Epiphany, the Three Kings Preparation was spread around the boundaries of the farm. Walking the boundaries of a farm of this size, carrying buckets, in the middle of winter with so little daylight, is a big task. However, walking the fields in this way is beneficial in several ways.

Winter, Spring, Farm, January, SustainabilityKitty M13 January 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Small beginnings...

Simply put, everything has to start from somewhere; be it the beginning of the universe or growing blueberries somewhere in that universe!

Garden, Spring, WinterKitty M17 December 2021Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Goodbye from Miriam

Miriam is moving onto exciting pastures new. We’ll miss her but are looking forward to hearing about her future adventures!

Sustainability, Farm, Lambing, Spring, SheepKitty M25 June 2021Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Pigs and plastic

Our farm apprentice, Louisa, gives an insight into the management of the pigs this year, which are predominantly under her care.

Pigs, Spring, SustainabilityKitty M27 May 2021Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Cicely and Eliza

With the grazing season well underway, milk production is picking up.

Spring, Cows, MilkKitty M18 May 2021Plaw Hatch FarmComment

A very different spring

The prolonged cold has taken its toll on the cucumber crop. Having lost all but three of the first sowing, the more recent additions to the tunnels are starting to grow, but the garden team are hoping for warmer weather soon.

Garden, SpringKitty M16 May 2021Plaw Hatch FarmComment

The cows are out

On Sunday 11th of April the milking cows were finally turned out to graze after living in the big barn for the winter.

Spring, Farm, CowsKitty M13 April 2021Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Farming nature

In farming, sometimes it’s less about what you do, and more about what you don’t do. Tali explains how conservation on the farm is developing, and the exciting species she has already seen appearing.

Garden, Spring, Farm, SustainabilityKitty M18 March 2021Plaw Hatch FarmComment

9 Jan 2024

Why cows have horns

It has long been a policy of Biodynamic husbandry to keep cattle with horns. As well as the aesthetic value, the horns have an important function in the life of the cow.

23 Nov 2023

A year as a farm Apprentice

Approaching the halfway mark in my 2-year placement here at Old Plaw Hatch Farm, the coming of the shorter days has allowed me to reflect on what has been one hell of a ride this past year.

27 Oct 2023

The realities of a garden

Growing vegetables in a political climate that has very little understanding of how food actually gets from the producer to anyone’s kitchen table (let alone the unpredictability of that same climate) means we are very grateful to the crops that have been successes, and we move on quickly from those that were or are, to put it bluntly, failures. Let me briefly talk you through our growing year so far…

24 Oct 2023

Supply and demand

Recently we’ve seen a real surge in new customers and have also noticed that existing customers are coming much more frequently and seem to be doing the majority of their food shopping with us. These changes are rarely down to one thing, and I believe at the moment there are several reasons.

24 Aug 2023

Why should I go to the AGM?

Firstly, because we would really love you to. Of course, at an AGM there is the dry procedural stuff, it’s a legal requirement, but there is so much more. It’s an opportunity to hear directly from the people who grow your food.

15 Aug 2023

The garden this summer

The summer is flying by and we have already started to get the first harvests off the fields like onions, potatoes and squash. The Spring was very late this year, however, Summer is not over yet.

4 Aug 2023

Woodland update

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PLAW HATCH FARM, Plawhatch Lane, Sharpthorne, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 4JL

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