meddwl am goed – coed sy'n meddwl
We camped out at Nant-y-Meillion last Sunday night. We were intending to stay Monday night as well, but as the temperatures plummeted from a positively balmy -1 down to a rather nippy -6 and we began trying to work out if we could sledge all the way from field 5 to Richard's farm further down... Continue Reading →
It's NOT the end of the world as we know it, but I do feel fine... I missed the 4.5 earthquake that rocked South Wales and the West Country on Saturday because I was in Brighton on a hen (a hen do, not an actual hen. I know this is a kind of farming blog... Continue Reading →
Who would be brave enough, or stupid enough, to camp overnight, in the pouring rain, in January? *looks askance at Roz* Well, that would be us. Partly to be there for deliveries in the morning, and partly to see if we could. One of the distinguishing features of Nant-y-Meillion is the mud. Thick, sticky, clay-y... Continue Reading →
We had an exciting day yesterday. It was the first time Roz and I had been up to Nant-y-Meillion since we exchanged and completed, and we were there for an Environmental Impact Assessment from the Welsh government to make sure we were safe to do what we wanted to do and we weren't going to... Continue Reading →
I promised you I'd come back today with the big reveal and some more information about our brand-new holding which is ours and belongs to us (still buzzing!) The farm is just off the A483 outside the village of Llandybie (pronounced Thlan-di-bee-ay, approximately), about three miles north of Ammanford. It's at the very top of... Continue Reading →
This evening by way of a tasty starter, I fried up the pearl oyster mushrooms I'd bought Jo over Christmas and which grew to world-take-overing dimensions in the course of a week or so. They would also make a great light lunch. Take roughly equal quantities of finely chopped shallots and mushrooms (any variety will... Continue Reading →
An interesting article about small-scale sustainable horticulture in Wales…
By Alicia Miller
When my husband, Nathan Richards, and I started our farm, Troed y Rhiw in West Wales, growing a wide range of organic vegetables and soft fruit, many of our local farming neighbours were surprised and even openly sceptical. Were we mad growing horticulture crops on what was thought of as livestock land, with 6–8” of poorly drained topsoil? The farm was not in good heart to start with, having been neglected for more than 30 years – the challenge to bring the land back to health perhaps seemed foolhardy to them. The east of the UK was much better for vegetable production – why should we bother way out here in the west to grow food?
Remarkably, just .08% of agricultural land in Wales is currently used for horticulture production and the sector is in long term decline in terms of land use. While this…
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Great news, everyone! We have officially signed the contracts for our land purchase, and we exchanged and completed on Friday. WE HAVE A FARM NOW! *leaps around excitedly* *loses a large chunk of toast to one of the Ungardeners* And our farm has a name - come back tomorrow for the big naming reveal!
Ever since Chris and I did an intensive three-day mushroom cultivation course at Feed Bristol we've been determined to grow some mushrooms of our own. Particularly winecaps, which grow well on most substrates (the substrate is the substance you grow mushrooms on, so coffee grounds, an old log, a pile of goat poo etc) and... Continue Reading →
