Willow weaving workshops

Garden Cloches
I am running this workshop on Thursday 9th Feb staring at 10am, The cost is £35 this includes all materials and lunch.
Plant supports
 If you are interested in learning how to make these plant supports or cloches please contact me.
We have been offered some more willow to harvest so getting that cut, sorted and stored  along with still clearing the footpaths are the main tasks at the moment.
I will be running more workshops about organic vegetable growing and willow weaving  in March and April and will post the dates on the blog.

Willow Harvest

Our first homegrown willow harvest. I am always on the hunt for willow and hazel,. Some friends let me coppice one of their very old hazels so I now have quite a few straight uprights to use for plant supports. We also coppiced a willow fence which is crack willow it is not recommended for weaving but I am going to see how it works for hurdles.
In the garden the garlic and onions  have pushed through the soil and seem to be away, the broad beans are showing their first leaves . I still have rocket its seems happier now than it did in the summer. I have started  the process of spreading our compost on the deep beds it has been so dry I wanted the soil to have some moisture in it before before mulching. I still can't decide if I should  mulch the willow beds with wood chip or not ,
I have fed candy to the bees who have been out and about in this mild weather. The hens have stopped laying and the cattle have gone to Norfolk for a while.

Willow Cloches

I have  these cloches for sale at The Green Barn Ringshall, well worth a visit for meat ,veg and other goodies, and also at Hadleigh Pet Foods along with the bird feeders. In the spring I will be running  workshops in how to make these and also the plant supports. The cloches are really useful on top of tubs to stop ducks and hens from trying to nest as well as protecting small plants from rabbits and deer, wrapped with fleece they offer some frost protection. They can be made to the dimensions of your container. We also have bark chippings to sell at the moment (see previous blog).

Oak Tree

When the oak trees leaves drop we know its time to start hedging and coppicing again.

Horse Pond

We decided as the water is still so low and the weather just perfect to start clearing around the pond. We need to get more sunlight onto the pond. and remove some of the larger more overgrown ash and willows . Two thirds of the base is solid made up of round flints and chalk. Up until about 60 years ago the horses that worked the farm would have come to drink here. The pond must be hundreds of years old. We are very lucky that Margaret who was born here in the 1930's, likes to visit and tell us some of the history of Bungeons Farm.

Chutney

I had forgotten how satisfying making chutney is , it is another form of alchemy ,all the stirring and bubbling, choosing the spices and grinding them, walking back into the kitchen and it all smells so exotic.Izzy is working on a new design for the labels then I can take the jars of chutney and quince jelly down to the butchers to be sold. They have sold all my honey for me, The first year the bees have paid for themselves.

We have resumed working on preparing the pottery workshop, Hopefully one day soon we can get our hands back into clay and start making pots.

Visits

I had a visit from Adam and we sat in the sun, listening to the combine and talking about the exchange trip he has just returned from in Kenya .http://www.sjlhskenyaexchange.weebi.co.uk  , they will be doing car parking again at Henham steam rally to raise funds to bring some African pupils and teachers to Beccles next summer.
Kathryn also joined us with a gift of willow they had just coppiced. Although not perfect for weaving with there was just enough bend to allow me to practice my basket making and play as well.

The bees do not like the api var 2 hives had covered the first strips completely with propolis and last night the third hive managed to get the strip out from on top of the brood box ,through the super and on to the front step. Bees are amazing .