Orchard Tasks for Spring

Devon’s “Fair Maids of February”, the snowdrops, and even some daffodils are out and we’ve had some glorious sunshine to remind us that spring is just around the corner. For fruit growers the February chill was welcome as it held back the premature development of fruit buds; very early flowering makes blossom vulnerable to late frosts. Good winds are now drying out saturated ground making it easier to work on.
So now it’s time to get out into your garden or orchard to do those tasks which will improve the well-being of your fruit trees and increase your crop potential.
Restorative work to your soil:

• Check drainage – fruit trees don’t like waterlogged soil so make sure excess water is ducted away.
• Replenish nutrients in soil – a job to do every year but particularly essential after the torrential rains of 2012.
• What your soil may need:
  
  1. Check the pH of your soil; for most fruit trees the ideal would be between 6.5 & 7 (very slightly alkaline). If it is too acidic then redress the balance progressively with a dressing of garden lime.
  2. Add Nitrogen for tree growth and fruit development and Potassium for good fruit size and flavour in the form of slow release bone meal (not grass fertiliser).
  3. Dress with Potash in spring; this will be taken up by the tree in summer to promote flower initiation for the following year (pure wood ash is ideal if you have it).
• Feeding Roots - remember that the feeding roots of a fruit tree are in the top 6ins/15cms of soil around the perimeter of its canopy so spread your fertiliser widely. Trees will not take up nutrients in very dry conditions so wait till the soil is damp.

Other Things to check:

• Scab: Even after your winter pruning session, check your trees regularly for scab – if you see any, cut out and burn the diseased wood.
• Loosen tree ties: Check that there is enough room for the tree trunk to grow whilst at the same time offering appropriate support. This is especially important with young trees – you don’t want to strangle them just as they are getting established!
• Check tree stakes and guards: Make sure that any stake needed to support a tree is still up to the job. Use tree guards to protect young trees from rabbit damage. If you have an orchard of standard trees which is grazed by sheep, make sure that the trees are adequately fenced off.
• Mulch young trees: When the ground is moist put a good thick layer of mulch (leaf mould or compost) around the base of young trees – this will suppress competitive grass and weed growth whilst reducing moisture loss and offering some nutrition to the tree.
• Allow patches of wild flowers (including some nettles) to grow: These will host beneficial pollinating and other pest eliminating insects.

With that work completed you can sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of spring unfolding in your orchard!

http://www.vigopresses.co.uk/AdditionalDepartments/Useful-Information/More-fruit-related-guides/Orchard-Tasks-for-Spring

Hay for Sale

Excellent quality barn stored hay for sale.

£4.50 a bale, collection from Fambridge.

Price negotiable on quantity

Contact Danni

07854595640 or Danielle.Perkins@yahoo.co.uk

Lambing Course - With Westpoint Farm Vets

Lambing Course - With Westpoint Farm Vets
Last year a few of us attended a lambing course, run by Westpoint Vets with ADAS. It was an excellent afternoon and really prepared us for lambing.

I was speaking to Jules Dare of Westpoint Farm Vets Yesterday who advised they could run this again, in the next few weeks for East Essex Smallholders Group. We are looking at no more than £25 per person as long as 10 people sign up. (Exact cost to be confirmed after booking)

If we are quick and we can book by Friday, I think it would be good to run this during half term, 18th - 22nd Feb. As I no a few of our sheep keepers are teachers.

Here is a description of the afternoon:

Lambing is a stressful time of year for all involved, no matter what size your flock is, so whether you have 10 or a 1000 sheep this meeting is for you.
The aim of this meeting is to discuss the main pitfalls and problems encountered around lambing. This will include the use of a lambing simulator to demonstrate how to correct commonly occurring problematic presentations and what equipment you will need in your lambing box to see you through the lambing period. We will also discuss what you need to do if you start seeing an abnormally high number of abortions and their common causes.

Please email Danni by Thursday night, if you would like to attend. We will book a venue in the Maldon area.

Danni
Danielle.Perkins@yahoo.co.uk
07854595640

Berkshire Pork Available - February 2013

Berkshire Pork Available

I have half a Berkshire Pig available during February.

Raised with love on our smallholding!

It can be butchered and bagged for £150.00

Or is you wish to cut the meat yourself. £135.00

Please contact Danni: 07854595640 or Danielle.Perkins@yahoo.co.uk

Humane Salughter Association

 I think we all hope that when we leave our livestock at the Abattoir,  they are treated with the compassion that we raise them. We are lucky in Essex that we have some very good abattoirs but i think it is great that a charity exists to help regulate how the animals are treated.

About The HSA

The HSA is an independent registered charity. It is the only UK charity concerned exclusively in promoting the humane treatment of all food animals worldwide, including cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, fish and minority species such as deer, in markets, during transport, and at slaughter. It works through research, education, training and technical advances to bring real, practical and lasting improvements in food animal welfare.

Practical, constructive, proven

The majority of the population in many parts of the world eats meat and, despite changing attitudes, this is likely to continue. Slaughter is never pleasant, but it can be humane, and growing numbers of people are interested and concerned about the welfare of the animals that provide them with food.

Significant improvements continue to be achieved by the HSA through working
constructively alongside agricultural, meat industry, veterinary and other welfare and professional organisations.

The HSA has built an international reputation for being a reliable, knowledgeable and practical organisation, with a sound understanding of livestock and livestock handling. In the 1920s it introduced the now almost universal mandatory use of stunning equipment at slaughter, replacing primitive and unreliable methods. Since then it has been responsible
for many of the reforms taken for granted.

Click to Meet the HSA staff . ..... . Click to read the history of the HSA

The HSA provides:

• Up-to-date technical information and advice on all aspects of animal handling, transport and slaughter.
• Training in humane methods of handling and slaughter of livestock for farmers, vets, abattoir staff and students.
• Ground-breaking educational and technical videos, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and printed publications.
• Independent advice to governments, other welfare organisations and the food industry, both in the UK and worldwide.
• Regular visits to markets and slaughterhouses recommending and advising on improvements where necessary.
• Funding for essential research projects through grants and awards. Development and application of appropriate scientific advances into the working practices of the meat industry.
• Grants towards the improvement of animal handling facilities in markets and slaughterhouses.

Together we can make a difference

The HSA relies on voluntary donations, subscriptions and legacies. With your support it will continue to make practical and lasting improvements to the welfare of all food animals. To find out more about this work, contact the HSA.

http://www.hsa.org.uk/

Pigs for Sale

Pedigree, registered Gloucestershire Old Spot Inpig Sow and Boar for sale.

Princess sow aged 3 1/2 yrs, has healthy strong litters with her latest size litter of 15. She is friendly and nice natured, is bucket trained so easy to move and load onto a trailer, wormed and vaccinated up date.

Patrick boar aged 2 1/2yrs, has sired many excellent litters of good sizes, very easy to handle and good natured, also bucket trained, wormed and vaccinated.

Delivery can be arranged. To kind knowledgeable homes only, usual Defra rules apply, genuine enquiries only please. Can go together or separately , open to sensible offers either monetary or for weaners in return.

Call Fiona 07834 030560 or email madaboutpigs@btinternet.com

Essex Wildlife Trust - Blackwater Wildfood Festival - 6 October 2012 - 12-8pm

Beekeeper - Glenn Mayes from Ulting - checking the hives summer 20010

checking the hive for disease, brood, honey

two hives - one on left is called Buckingham Palace,
the one on the right is called Wonderland.
we had loads of problems last year with Buckingham Palace - there's a surprise!

honey - dark "bits" are pollen

Lovely honey on a good laden frame

Honey Extracting

putting frames into the honey extractor

frame of honey - the dark "bits" are pollen

two hives made by Thomas Bickerdike
there is also a homemade nuc which is housing a small swarm following intruders knocking over one of the hives
and splitting it.

the homemade nuc - we use a glass chicken water feeder to provide fresh water for the bees
all through the season.  so that the bees can take water easily, stones are put into the lip so that
they don't drown.  dead bees don't produce honey!