There’s something happening out there. You can feel it. The days are stretching longer, the soil is warming up, and everywhere you look, life is unapologetically pushing through. Every time I walk around the farm I notice something new, tiny flowers forming on the Elder in the hedgerow, pink blossoms on the Apple trees. Or the anxiety-inducing sight of weedlings (weed seedlings) popping up everywhere. 

I love this time of year. There’s a poetry to it if you stop long enough to notice. Last year’s growth has died back, returned to the soil, and quietly paved the way for the next generation. Seeds that fell months ago are now reaching for the light. It’s the circle of life playing out right in front of us. All that genetic material released into the world, waiting for its moment. You can’t help but feel part of something much bigger than yourself. 

And we’ve been busy.

New Faces on the Farm

Since the last newsletter, we’ve welcomed two new growers to the team. Mags joins us from Ballymaloe House where she was Head Gardener for over a decade. James comes from Kinsale Community Garden with a wealth of market garden experience. Between them, they’re bringing incredible knowledge, innovation and creativity to the farm this season. I couldn’t be more delighted to have them on board.

Deep in the Sowing

The nursery is bursting at the seams. Trays of seedlings everywhere you look. Tomatoes, peppers, brassicas, salads, herbs, flowers. We’re actually extending our germination tables into the large polytunnel to make room for all the plant sale stock while keeping the market garden seedlings in the nursery. Long term, we need to think about our propagation space. But we’ll make it work this year.

Fruit Caging

This is one I’ve been dreaming about for a while. Organically grown fruit that’s not plundered by wildlife. The fruit cage structure is well underway and we have all the plants heeled in and waiting to go. Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries, currants and many more. Mags has been meticulously preparing the ground and laying Mypex cover to keep the weeds at bay. We’re hoping to become one of the few certified organic fruit producers in the area. Watch this space.

Veg Box Scheme Launching in June

This is a big one. Our veg box scheme is launching in June and I couldn’t be more excited and nervous. 

We’ll be offering two sizes. A medium box for 2-3 people and a large box for 4+ people. Same types of vegetables in each, just higher quantities in the large. Collection will be available from the farm or from the Grumpy Baker in Midleton on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. We’re also looking into delivery if the demand is there.

And if you’d prefer to pick your own items each week, we’ll have click-and-collect on the website too.

The veg box is a pre-prepared box where seasonal organic vegetables, fresh from the ground, go straight in the box with the occasional surprise. It’s a box that rolls with the seasons. It allows you to eat with the seasons, support your local farmer, and know exactly where your food comes from. A beautiful model that works for your health and the health of the environment. It shortens the food chain, reduces our reliance on global systems, and supports local producers. That feels more important than ever right now.

More details coming soon. If you want to be first to know, make sure you’re on this newsletter list or following us on Instagram.

Organic Plant Sale: Saturday May 16th

Mark it in the diary. Our second annual plant sale is happening on Saturday May 16th and it’s going to be bigger and better than last year.

This is an open day for the farm. A chance to walk around, see how we grow, take in the beauty of the place, and maybe learn something new. We’ll have thousands of organically grown transplants ready to take home. Vegetables, herbs and flowers across a brilliant variety of cultivars. New this year: basil, larkspur, hollyhock, zinnia and cornflower. We’ll also have bags of organic certified compost if your beds need a bit of love. Find out more about the day here.

Workshops on the day:

We’re delighted to welcome Chloe Dempsey who’ll be running two fermenting workshops. Learn how to make your own sauerkraut, kimchi and more. We’ll also have Kara O’Donnell of East Cork Nutrition sharing her knowledge on nutrition, good health, and why eating organic matters.

For the kids:

Sunflower planting and other games. It’s going to be a great day for the whole family. We’ve booked the sunshine but you know how it likes to cancel last-minute, or just not show up. 

The sale runs from 10am to 4pm under our all-weather pergola, so rain or shine we’ll plough on. Last year was a great success and things sold out fast, so get here early for the best choice. And bring a box to carry your plants home.

Glamping update

For those following the glamping project, a quick update. We’ve hit some regulatory hurdles around building regulations, fire safety and disability access. All of the boring stuff that was overlooked at the start. We now have a building consultancy firm on board to help us navigate it properly.

This means the glamping will launch a little later than we’d hoped. But we’re still on track for the cabins to arrive this summer, we just don’t know exactly when they can open. It’s more important to get these things right now than hit problems down the line.

The good news is we’re self-funding this project. We’re not beholden to investors or anyone else waiting on us to open by a certain date. We’re going to do it right, do it well, ensure the buildings are safe and open when we’re happy. I’ll keep you posted.

Yoga on the Farm

We’re also hoping to offer yoga and pilates classes from our covered pergola this season. Picture this: a morning class looking out over the farm, followed by a cup of homegrown herbal tea and maybe a bag of salad to take home. Not a bad way to spend a morning. More details coming soon.

That’s All Folks

Thanks for reading, thanks for supporting, and thanks for being part of this journey with us. If you’re not already following along on Instagram, come say hello. And if you know someone who’d enjoy what we’re doing here, feel free to forward this on. If you’re not signed up for the newsletter, sign up here.

Hope to see you at the plant sale,

Conor.