Sometimes an early rise during haying weather brings a surprise. We had a lovely hour of mowing in the atmospheric mist. The mist gradually burned off as the sun rose. The sun on the wet vegetation was stunning. I take a lot of pictures of sunny, hot hay making. Below are some pictures of the delights to be found in a misty meadow.
RHS Chelsea Flower show starts next week. And we will soon begin hay making with our annual “Chelsea Chop” Conventional advise has suggested waiting until July or later before beginning to cut wildflower meadows. In recent years this advice has begun to change. We now begin our hay making at the end of May and continue throughout the summer. This has interesting benefits for both … Continue reading When to Mow your Wildflower Meadow
Occasionally we get a long spell of settled weather when we can make hay at full pace. Our early hay making was like this, with about 1.5 acres in the barn by the end. Right now we are in a patch of unsettled weather, a few dry days interspersed with showery or rainy days. Using various techniques, such as hay racks and haycocks, we … Continue reading Hay Making during unsettled weather
Making an Early Start. Conventional advise has suggested waiting until July or later before beginning to cut wildflower meadows. However, in recent years this has begun to change and we have started some of our hay making from the end of May. One late cutting date is more suited to machine mowing, where as hand hay making lends it’s self to a more nuanced approach. … Continue reading Giving part of the meadow the Chelsea Chop
Back in August we spent an enjoyable day with Andrew from Coast and Country (ITV Wales), talking about scything and hand hay making. The piece will be going out this Friday 14th October at 8pm on ITV Wales. If you live outside of Wales, the programme will be available at Coast and Country, Series 4, Episode-17 The part recorded at the Trust starts at 11 … Continue reading Scything on Coast and Country (ITV Wales)
Following on from good grass growing conditions in the spring we are doing well with our hay harvest. A heavier crop per acre combined with pushing the making during a good spell of weather in June means that the stacks have been pretty much full for a couple of weeks now. There is still room to squeeze a bit more on the top as the … Continue reading Wind blown windrows
Whilst mowing this morning both Phil and I were sharpening more frequently than usual to keep our blades mowing well – time for a peen. Here is Phil working on my 75cm Profisense ready for tomorrow morning’s mowing. Permaculture Magazine are featuring an article by us on peening in their latest issue. We want to encourage more people to experience the benefits that peening can … Continue reading Peening to Keep Mowing