Families Go Wild in the Garden!
The farm was very busy today - there were lots of people here for a birthday party - some of whom wanted to join in volunteering with us!
Today was a gardening session, but we had an important task to do first! The birthday party needed kale for their animal encounter, so we had to harvest some from the garden and give it to Mollie in the farmyard. While we were harvesting, we also noticed some weeds in one of our beds, so we pulled them out. We had to be careful to not pull out the seedlings that we had planted in the bed, as they were about the same size as the fast- growing weeds.
As we were going to the farmyard, we picked up wheelbarrows while we were there, and spent some time with the Sebright chickens - Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Bowser and Toad. We also looked at some other animals for a while, but then decided that we should get back to gardening, and we could spend some time with the animals later!
Back in the garden, there was more weeding to do. We also had to remove some old plants to make room for the next sowing. We made sure to leave some plants in that we like, such as calendula and nasturtium. They both have edible flowers, and you can eat the leaves of nasturtium plants too!
As we were digging up weeds, we found various worms and creepy crawlies. We always enjoy looking at the different creatures that live in the soil! We made sure to return them to the soil after looking at them.
Once we had cleared the beds of weeds, we got to sowing seeds. Now is a good time to sow peas and broad beans, to overwinter. Sowing them now, gives them a head start in growing, so they crop earlier than those sown in spring. We can also sow some of the same seeds in spring, so we have peas and beans for longer.
Once we had sown seeds, we went back to the farmyard for a bit, and sat with Arthur, the farm’s current foster cat. He was very friendly, and it was quite calming to be around him.