February up the field has mostly involved mulching pathways and under the Roses with wood chip. Days like this involve lots of squishing about in the mud and everyone going home feeling very tired but accomplished. It looks so neat and tidy afterwards though – all fresh and ready to go. We’re also prepping a big new area where the old chicken pen used to be, with more raised beds for Dahlias. It was a really weedy corner, full of thistle and stinging nettle. Our chickens have moved across to the next field and we’re hoping they have left a lovely weed free, fertile spot for growing.

We’ve been bashing round posts into the ground for wire supports along our rows, roping Josh in to help too before he flies off to Costa Rica for sunny gap year fun. Post bashing isn’t our forté but we give it our best. It’s a good job no one can see us really- though it is hilarious. We’ve also been coppicing Hazel on the farm for nice straight poles to use as growing supports, which is a lovely way to spend a few afternoons when the sun is out. We’ll reuse some from last year too, but they tend to get quite brittle after a year of use. Fingers crossed we’re going to be able to tie our nice tall flowers in as they grow, rather than trying to rescue them after they have started flopping about or getting caught in the wind. Our lovely field is quite exposed and we have often arrived after a windy night to find a row of flattened cornflowers or wind-blown cosmos. But not this year!

We’ve cut our Autumn fruiting raspberry canes right down, wrangled them back into a line and strung up netting for our Sweetpea trellis, sown last month they are starting to do their thing. The very last job of the month has been sowing Snapdragons. We are a big fan of their frilly dragon faces, they are a Petal & Feast bouquet Staple.