Nov/Dec 2022 Newsletter
Croeso to the 2nd edition of the Hooma-Hu news letter, we hope you enjoy reading it and keeping up to date with some of the things going on here!
After such a long period of autumnal warmth we are finally starting to see the first few light frosts here in the fields and polytunnels. This is welcomed as a good frost can really slow down pests that have been unusually active at this time of year. We have been seeing caterpillars happily crawling about and munching away up till now (end of November) and we are hoping the cold will force them in to a type of hibernation called diapause. This is where they crawl in to loose soil, leaf litter or any other little protected space they can find and stay there, not moving or feeding until the warmth returns in spring. This means they stop munching on our brassicas for a while!
Another pest we have been seeing more of in this weather is Aphids. These can reproduce and spread at an alarming rate with aphids being born already pregnant with the next aphids inside! When a certain plant becomes too crowded with aphids they are suddenly born with wings instead of legs so that the next generation can migrate to the next plant along, incredible evolution! The lingering warmth we are having and the dry in the polytunnels has been the perfect breeding environment for them and we have been learning how to tackle them organically using a soft soap solution. This is basically a non-chemical and fragrance free soap mixed with water and applied to the aphid infested area. It works by breaking down the cells on the outside of the aphids, the cell content then leaks out and the insect dehydrates and dies. A totally organic and safe solution to tackle this tiny but destructive insect!
When it comes to this time of year we start putting our heads together and discussing how the veg growing has gone in the season just ended. We also begin talking about how we can improve things for next year and any possible new crops to grow. It is the first time in the year that our attention begins to turn to the prospect of a fresh growing season next year and what it may bring. If you have any crop suggestions then please do let us know, we would love to hear your ideas! We have also been looking at our growing spaces and marking out a new outdoor plot to grow in for next spring. We shall be covering this area over with a black plastic sheet soon to kill the grass in preparation.
We have seen the end to a few other crops in November, Carrots and Swede to name a few. We have also seen the unexpected continuation of our Chillie Pepper plants. These are still going strong, looking healthy and producing Chillie Peppers! This is also due to the lingering warmth we are experiencing. We have decided to leave these growing in the soil and see just how long they will keep producing. To be efficient with space we have under planted these with salad leaf crops that we will pick over winter. Most vegetable growers treat Chillies like annual plants, pulling them out at the end of the year although they are actually perrenials and given the right conditions will keep coming back year after year to produce more Chillies. Could this warmer climate we are seeing change the way we normally grow this crop? We will keep you posted in the next news letter on the state of these Chillie plants, could they still be producing Chillies in January?.. With other veg it has been lovely to see the Garlic we planted last month all popping up with their fresh green shoots reaching skywards. The Broad Beans are also now in the soil too, about 3 inches tall at the moment and waiting for spring to shoot up and give us early Beans, yummy!
Christmas really isn’t too far off now and we will be delivering our Christmas boxes as normal on Thursday the 22nd of December. We will then be taking a week out from delivering after Christmas so there will be no delivery on Thursday the 29th December. We will then be back up and running as normal the week after on the 5th January. Last year we put together local produce Christmas hampers which were popular so we are planning on doing the same this year. These are a bit of a treat, either for yourself or as a perfect gift for someone, we can even deliver it to them if they live in our delivery area.
As we enter December you can expect some more Salad Mix Bags, Spinach and Rainbow Chard from the polytunnel as well as Curly Kale, Cavelo Nero Kale and Leeks from the fields. Also, if we have timed everything right then the Sprouts in the field will all be ready for your Christmas box! Because of the warmer climate we are also considering trying a few experimental winter crops that would not usually work but may be worth trying out. A few that sprung to mind were a December sowing of Radish or Turnips or possibly some super early Carrots.. Who knows were this changing climate will take us in regard to vegetable growing, there will certainly be challenges, adaptations and new opportunities to grasp too.
As always our volunteer days will continue to run throughout December every Wednesday except for on the 28th. You are very welcome to come down and get stuck in! Kids always welcome too. Jobs in December may include clearing old crops, marking out and covering over new plots, starting work on a composting toilet and, if its raining, we can take cover and do some weeding inside our large polytunnel area. We are always happy to teach you a bit about what we do and we love meeting our customers! Just let us know you are coming beforehand and then pop along between 11am and 3pm. Food and Drink provided 😊
Thanks for reading our newsletter, we hope you enjoyed it!!!
Cariad Mawr
Rita, Luna and Will
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