Grow your own!
As well as livestock we have also begun to try and grow a range of fruit and vegetables. We started by erecting a polytunnel to give us a reasonable length of growing season and have added a range of outdoor raised beds. These are complemented by a number of fruit trees to add to the couple of apples that were already here and half a dozen berry bushes. The first season has been an experiment to find what works well and when best to plant and harvest.
First harvest
The beetroot and golden beets did extremely well and we had good yields of potatoes, onions and leeks too. There was plenty of salad leaves and lots of lettuces through summer and as we entered autumn quite a few squashes ripened. Tomatoes didn't do brilliantly but we did get a reasonable amount.
Onions
Outdoor raised beds
Carrots and cabbages
Second harvest
With last year's experience to draw upon we tried a wider range of varieties, including several peas, a number of squashes, round courgettes, black peppers and plenty of tomatoes.
