WEST HILL BLOG NO. 118 Helping hands ...

There is never a dull moment at West Hill. Vegetable production is in full swing, projects a plenty & lots of effort keeping the site tidy & planning ahead.
Production wise I have got into a system now by which I am constantly sowing seeds in modules before transplanting into raised beds. As soon as one crop is planted out, another is sown, that way there is always succession. 

                         

Polytunnel raised beds are full of Rainbow Chard, Rocket & Basil.                        Sowing seed in modules

Although having 8 acres at West Hill, there is perhaps less than half an acre of vegetable garden, so for this reason I am currently planning to enlarge the kitchen garden in the field by an extra 800 square feet. This will include pathways & gates to make it accessible for our students & a large walk in fruit cage, to protect the produce from grazing deer. 

Under plastic, the old tunnel will soon be recovered & will house a new 260 square foot raised bed to be used for more vegetable production.

In the large glasshouse as tomatoes and aubergines finish, fennel, radish & coriander is being planted. 

Vegetable harvesting continues. Each week I take trays of freshly harvested veg to our friends at the Cold Harbour Farm Shop & the Jack in the Green Pub

Ross has been the first student to return who with his extraordinary energy is helping to move pallets which we will use to make a new log store. 

On the volunteer front, the weekly help is enormously useful. Ruairi comes always with great enthusiasm & a thirst for knowledge. Every week he does something different; propagation, pruning, soil preparation, planting etc. 

Ruairi pruning the Alder suckers  

Anthony comes every Friday & helps with every aspect of estate work. Here he is starting to tackle the overgrown vegetation which will form part of the future Woodland Border.

Helen is always a huge help; here removing old tomato plants & preparing the house for overwintering frost hardy plants. 

Project wise, we are progressing with the classroom ramp. Building ramps is a bit of a science & Steve has put considerable effort into calculating how much timber we need, the angle of the slope & how to build it. The next stage is sloping the ramp and erecting hand rails.  

The verandah too is also progressing well thanks to the team effort. Last week Don completed the floor

And today Paul & Don strengthened the roof using upright timbers & angle brackets & attached the picket fence.