Shillingford Organics
'in tune with the seasons'

Vegetable Box Bulletin
July 2010

CONTENTS

1. JULY EXTRAS
2. BOX PRICE INCREASE
3. OPEN EVENING @ SHILLINGFORDORGANICS
4. FAMILY BARN DANCE @ WEST TOWN FARM, IDE
5. SHILLINGFORD ORGANICS - SOCIAL MEDIA
6. CROP & OTHER NEWS

1. JULY EXTRAS
Shillingford Organic Eggs: £1.60 per half dozen
Laydilay Organic
Mayonnaise:                      £2.70 per 250g jar
Remarka Potatoes :           £3.00 per 5kg bag
Remarka Potatoes:            £7.00 per 12.5kg bag

2. BOX PRICE INCREASE
We did not increase the price of our boxes in 2009 but as of the 1st August 2010 the boxes will increase to:

Large Box:     £13.50
Medium Box:  £11.25
Small Box:      £9.50
Mini Box:         £7.75

Please make sure you adjust any standing orders to meet the revised costs. Please call the admin office if you need assistance with the calculation.

3. OPEN EVENING @SHILLINGFORD ORGANICS
Friday, 16th July - 6pm - 9.30pm
Shillingford Organics invites you to our Opening Evening "A CELEBRATION OF LOCAL FOOD". Farm Trail, Food Activities, Storytelling, Meet the Producers, Welly Wanging, a Scything Demonstration, Meet the Bees, Tractor-Trailer rides, Farm Produce......and enjoy delicious local produce at our BBQ. Free Entry, please reserve your place.
01392 832729 info@shillingfordorganics.co.uk

4. FAMILY BARN DANCE @ WEST TOWN FARM, IDE
Saturday, 10th July - 9pm - 11pm
Live Ceilidh Band 'Red Shed', Bar & BBQ.
Children's Activities & Tractor-Trailer rides from 6pm
Overnight Camping Available.
£6 Adult £3 Child £15 Family.
Reserve your tickets TODAY:

01392 811257 info@westtownfarm.co.uk

5. SHILLINGFORD ORGANICS - SOCIAL MEDIA
Shillingford Organics can now be found on Facebook and Twitter! Currently 57 are following us on Facebook and almost 200 on Twitter.

Our twitter name is: @shillorganics

Since we joined the social media applications we are finding some interesting information from like-minded people. One tweet with regard to bees claimed that bees cannot see red flowers except for ones with a UV spectrum, (not visible to the human eye), an example of this is a poppy!

We are now able to promote Shillingford Organics and other companies connected or of interest to us in many ways. Come and keep up to date with us!

by Bridget Rendall

6. CROP & OTHER NEWS
Hopefully if I write about how dry it is, I will cause it to rain and make this article meaningless.

It is a pain though. We are having to water in all the sowings of seeds and desperately trying to get around to watering all the neediest crops. The dry, hot conditions put plants under stress and then they become far more vulnerable to disease and predator attack. The populations of mealy and black aphid have exploded.

The other phenomenon brought on by this hot weather is that some crops are just growing too fast! We plant broad beans from November 1st to early April, 5 months apart, which normally will give us 6 weeks of picking. However, this year this harvest has been compressed into three weeks.

‘Growing day equivalents' always challenge vegetable producers. The end of July, early August are the time when the soil is at its warmest and most active and the crops grow at their fastest. One day in August has the growing equivalent to seven days in March. This also explains why July is such a busy sowing month. We are still sowing calabrese and Hispi cabbage for the autumn, as well as French beans, snap peas, spring onions and even late courgettes. Kale and beet crops go in for the main winter crops. Furthermore, we are continually sowing salad crops for summer and autumn production.

The crops that are really flourishing with this weather are the squash and sweet corn, which love hot weather and visibly grow each day.

Some of the work on the farm is being carried out by Wwoofers (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms), it is great to be a host and work alongside people who are keen to learn about organic growing. For more information on Wwoofing visit:
www.wwoofing.org. uk

by Martyn Bragg

 


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