Summer 24
So far this summer has brought some extraordinary weather patterns. At times the same week has seen record high AND low temperatures. Dorset has already received 120% of the average rainfall for July. Those who believe that if it rains on St Swithin’s Day, it will rain for the next 40 days, may well be worried. July 15th was a very wet day!
Vegetables and Flowers
However, life goes on at Rails Farm. In the spring a group of friends gathered to re-cover the polytunnel, ready for the summer’s crops. In an event like a traditional barn raising, everyone heaved on the vast plastic cover, dragging it over the supports. The immense job was done in an hour. Gaby then served soup made from Rails Farm produce and home-made bread. The tunnel is now full of a range of salad and vegetables.
The outside vegetable garden is going from strength to strength, in spite of the cold late start. Courgettes, beetroot, celery and other crops cover the ground, while a profusion of calendula flowers attracts pollinating insects and encourages natural pest controllers such as lacewings to eat aphids.
Sheep and Alpacas
The alpacas and the sheep have been shorn. There is once again a good supply of fleeces to sell for crafters. Gaby can also make her amazing ‘welfare-friendly sheepskin rugs’. No animal is harmed in the making of these beautiful felted throws, which have the look of a sheepskin (with no guilt attached). As a bonus, each bears the name of the sheep which donated its fleece.
Luckily, they were shorn before the mini heatwave. Carrying thick fleeces can be a real concern during hot weather. It did not, however, stop the alpacas tormenting their temporary carer with their ‘dead alpaca’ game.
We were on holiday while Isla, the primary tutor, was in charge. The alpacas’ game involves lying flat out in the grass in the farthest corner of the field, waiting while she anxiously sprints across the field in the heat (rehearsing vets’ numbers in her head) then scrambling up last minute and turning their backs. With a sardonic side eye look.
Encouraging wildlife
More serious cause for concern this year than practical-joking alpacas, is the lack of insect life. The late, cold start to the year and unprecedented rainfall has meant that there are fewer bees and butterflies than usual. Or is it more sinister? This spring the government once again ‘temporarily’ allowed bee-harming neonicotinoid pesticides to be used in UK agriculture. The risk is that this pesticide leaches into wildflowers and the environment in an around field margins, and then into waterways. Already last year, traces of the pesticide were found in 10% of UK rivers; the smallest trace of these chemicals is deadly to bees.
Apart from lobbying the government, there is little we can do directly about this threat. What we can do is ensure that we do our best to provide a suitable environment for insects. At Rails Farm we plant flowering plants to cover all seasons and allow for areas of long grass and tall hedges which are vital for many caterpillars. And, as this summer MUST surely improve, weatherwise, we are hoping to see many more insects soon.
So, we are optimistic about the rest of the summer! Apples and pears are ripening, the berries in the fruit cage are nearly ready for jam making and the hives are full of wax and honey.
Don’t forget the other aspects of Rails Farm either: the next Deutsche Frühstück is on August 3rd, with great conversation and home-made Brötchen and jams, and tuition continues over the summer holiday.