Back to news
News
Spring at the farm
For usually sunny Suffolk it was a very cloudy wet March, but the sun has finally started to shine in April and it really feels like spring has arrived at The Oak Tree.
Our members are looking forward to celebrating the traditional spring festival of Beltane with some music and maypole dancing.
And if you’re not a member but live locally, make a note of our upcoming open day on Sunday 21st May 2-4pm. There will be farm tours, refreshments and lots of family friendly activities to enjoy. Please do invite friends too, the more the merrier!
Spring greens and green shoots
The arrival of spring is one of the busiest times for us, especially with our fantastic new no-dig beds, so we’ve been beavering away in all weathers getting the new season started. Our overwintered crops and early sowings of salad are looking great in the polytunnels – that lettuce makes the mouth water!
Our head grower Ryan and new apprentice Rob have been busy planting out lots and lots of seedlings in the polytunnels and the no dig beds for the new season. Ryan is raising hundreds of seedlings in trays and at our Saturday work parties we’ve been planting lots and lots of potatoes.
Our membership has grown again over the winter months so we’ve also been adding lots of rich compost to all of our veg beds, and having a good old spring clean of our tools and work spaces in preparation for our biggest growing season ever. Meanwhile, our new composting toilet is very close to completion with plumbing works being completed in the next few weeks by our fantastic team of handy members ready for the grand opening in May!
Spring veg boxes
Our spring veg boxes are looking very colourful at the moment. Our members really do ‘eat the rainbow’! We’ve been enjoying red and yellow chard mix, crunchy orange carrots, lots of spring greens (including some delicious crunchy Pak Choi) and deep purple sprouting broccoli. Other regular box items at the moment include leeks, carrots, potatoes and the last of our stored winter squash.
New gateways for our flower gardens
Farm member Michael Spedding has crafted us some wonderful flower garden gateways from split chestnut wood. He is setting up business as a woodworker crafting locally sourced, handmade, sustainable features for homes and gardens. We’re honoured to host some of his first pieces and would like to take every opportunity to promote his impressive craftsmanship. Please do check out his website and follow his Instagram and Facebook pages, and spread the word! We can’t wait for the flower garden to come into bloom in the summer as the gates will look even more beautiful.
New website launched
Thanks to a brilliant group of farm members giving their time and professional expertise we have launched our shiny new website. Prospective members can now sign up online, the recipe pages are even better and easier to use, and all the relevant information about being a member or visiting the farm is up to date. Some great new images help show the farm and the community at its best – it’s looking so much better than the old site! Do have a browse around while you’re here, and don’t forget to follow us on social media. If you live near us, or know people who do, we do still have a limited number of spaces available for new members and a range of membership options including our one-month Trial Memberships.
Have a lovely Spring, get outside, enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. And hey, why not grow some veg?!
Ryan, Tom, Lucy, Andy and Ken
The Oak Tree team