Hairy Spring

Morning all, 

We are still here and still have a few plants to sell, just not many herbs at all. Sales were nuts again this week but at least we are edging up the amount of potting done at the same time. We have a couple more staff we are breaking in but at the same time the number of young plants coming in to be potted is growing. I was obviously in a positive frame of mind when I did the ordering last Autumn judging by the range and volumes appearing each day, let's hope we can keep the machine going, the pots and compost arriving in time and enthusiasm high. I'm very conscious of not overdoing the overtime when the season is now so long, as I realise that there are some odd people out there who like to be at home sometimes and see the rest of their family (within the rules of course). The scale of the demand is just so huge for everyone it seems. Our sales are 70% up a the moment, on the best previous year, which we won't be able to sustain long term, but potting is keeping up, in a way, with an increase of 100% on 2019 so far. (The covid mess had hit the fan by now last year, so comparisons with then won't make much sense really). We still have to ramp up the potting numbers even more, so there will be more staff (returning Easter break students) and a bit more overtime for the keen ones, over the next few weeks. Fingers crossed all goes smoothly.

We have been lucky with our next container of pots which made it through the Suez Canal just before it got blocked. The next one sails in about three weeks so let's hope they have shifted it by then otherwise things could get a bit tight. We should have a little leeway as I tend to overbuy so we have good backup stocks, although this year they could be stretched a bit thin. In the end I ordered 2 extra loads for the year, just to be sure.

We did have good backup stocks of boxes but the extra sales have now left us really short, so please do send any empties back as soon as you can. There is the real possibility that we could run out this week, so we may have to resort to sending some in our plastic (returnable) production trays for you to transfer the pots into the boxes you have on site. Unfortunately our new sawmill supplier, producing the components for the new boxes, was unable to deliver this week and hopes to get to us sometime next week. That still leaves us needing to print, construct and treat the boxes before use, so it's not an easy or quick option.

Our rabbit problem has started to improve, after failed attempts by several people to ferret, shoot or trap them. We have an expert man with some special kit. After clearing it all with the local firearms officer there was a night patrol with a small rifle and thermal imaging sights. So this isn't infra red night vision which is quite clever in itself, this is detecting the body heat of the little tykes and apparently they stand out like a sore thumb day or night, even if they are in the bottom of a hedge, in the undergrowth or hiding behind a pot, We don't think we have many on site, as the damage isn't absolutely rampant and we are well fenced, so a hit rate of three spotted and three despatched was quite a relief. We still think there are one or two others and he is popping back tomorrow for another patrol, but that should make a dent in the nibbling.

In case you hadn't noticed it is pre Easter week coming up so do get your orders in by Monday please, just so we can try and get to everyone in time for the weekend. Just to warn you, we may well be still delivering on Friday and possibly even Saturday to get it all done, although we will do our best to avoid this as we should really be potting by then.

Urgent Box return appeal

Please do send back any empty wooden trays you may have accumulated, we are REALLY desperate for them at the moment, otherwise we won't have anything to send the plants out in. I have another batch on order to bulk things up a bit, but at close to £10 a box this year, by the time we have printed and constructed them ourselves, it is not a cheap option to simply increase stock levels. I know they are an investment and over many years of multiple use they are still great value, but they only earn their keep if they are in proper repetitive use. Thanks.

Availability list highlights

Not too many highlights to mention as I don't really want to drum up any more demand! In fact perhaps that should be the most sensible approach to the new few weeks; It's all damp and hairy and no one will touch it, please don't buy any more!! Pulsatilla with bud showing already in two colours. Another big batch now showing are the Dicentra spectabalis. The white form is about a week ahead of the pink and nearly all gone, but both show bud almost instantly they are up.

There are a few lovely wild primroses (P. vulgaris) grown from seeds I collected from the farm wood on top off our hill. Lovely show of the strong blues of Scilla sibirica are showing, not many left. Fab Anemone blanda White Splendour have appeared now, popping up all over the pot and immediately showing bud. We have a nice range of the evergreen Bergenia's in stock all propagated in our microprop lab, I can see the centre buds swelling ready to produce flower stems, so it won't be long before they do their thing.

Take care out there, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries