Hairy archaeology

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I'm a bit late. No potting team this morning as I decided we all needed a break from the relentless production pressure. We have had a productive week on the machine despite a bit of a breakdown yesterday which took me a while to sort out and so a bit of a break for everyone seemed the right thing to do. I suspect we will be back at it next Saturday but we'll see how thing go. Sales were still up to the previous week's levels which is just great but nuts at the same time.

The breakdown stopped my nursery walk round yesterday and by the time I had repaired an irrigation issue this morning the morning has disappeared.

No major news this end on the nursery, just busier as is the new norm. There was a young hedgehog rescue on Friday when we found one stuck in one of our water pipe chambers. It was a bit weak, but an overnight rest in Caroline's spare chicken house with water, bedding and some proper hedgehog food and it has perked up no end. He is eating well and quite active so the signs are good for a quick release, although we might hold on until they have finished harvesting our field which they started yesterday. I know hedgehogs are surprisingly quick but the monster cutting heads of the harvester could make for a sticky end.

I had a great distraction this week and a good excuse to finish work early (by 8.00pm). Caroline had noticed that the grass crop in our field was showing really clear markings where the iron age field boundaries run through our shallow chalk soil. In certain years, with some crops, they show up really well, but we have not been able to get a really good view before, other than the odd Google Earth shots, which can show some lines. Our nephew Tom got himself a little camera drone a couple of years ago and I had in mind that at some point it might come in handy. This was that point in time. Unfortunately he was tied up with harvest so couldn't fly for us, which meant mastering another skill on the hoof. Luckily the drone is cleverer than me. The weather has been almost ideal for several evenings this week, although last night was very dodgy in the wind and we had to abort the mission in a bit of a panic as we were a bit close to the turbines! Other than that it all went brilliantly and I have a collection of great shots showing quite a lot of detail. No real idea of what all the patches and lines mean, but it looks like a lot of activity was being carried out on our hill 2,500 years ago. I love the idea that people were doing their thing on the same spot that we do ours, all that time ago.

Here is one of the images with the nursery in the background, so you can get an idea of scale.

We trenched through the parallel ditches that come out of the nursery hedge, when putting in the electric cable for the turbines, each ditch is about 2m across and 1.5m deep and dug into solid chalk, so they are significant features.

Sadly there is even less money in prehistoric archaeology than nurseries, so yet another project to make me poorer. 

Availability list highlights

Monster herb sales just keep going, maintaining the pressure on availability. This week's sales again only just fell short of last week, by about 2 trays. There are still a few lines to pick from and some lines returning. I keep thinking we will start catching up on the range, but the sales beat me up each week and I find there is still a shortage. There is still lots of stock on the way so please don't be tempted to overdo your buying, there should be new stock as each week passes. The perennial range is also under pressure but this too should recover in the next few weeks as sales dip and potting catches up.

Main current highlights on the flowering stock front are;

Osteospermum Tresco Purple are erupting into bud now with the odd open flower. Hopefully enough for several more weeks! Erodium are still going strong, the flowers just go on and on. Erigeron Stallone are back in numbers for a minute or two. Bud showing but not colour on the current batches yet. I just can't hang on to them long enough to get the flowers open!

We don't have it often but we have a few Lythrum Blush coming into bud. A delightful pink as the name suggests. The Salvia Amythyst Lips are still there with colour just showing on a few plants. Only a handful left of Hot Lips at the moment. I have another couple of batches coming through, just not quite ready yet. Summer flowering Gaura are coming along nicely with buds on show and colour very close. Some varieties already sold out but a couple of others are on the list to replace them.

Fresh Helleborous foetidus and argutifolius too are now on the list, ready to plant out now for a flower show this winter. Other Helleborous to follow shortly. Smart, neat and fresh new crops of Little Moonshine are in bud and looking good, but only a few left of this batch.

Ajuga's are looking great, especially Burgundy Glow which is showing some bud too. 

Take care out there, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.