• 31 January 2017

  • News from the herb field

News From The Herb Field: February 2017

It’s a new year and our Herb Field Manager Sarah is getting ready for a new season in the herb field.

Seeds have been saved and ordered, the planting plan has been finished, the poly tunnel has had a bit of a re-vamp with a new floor, and the propagating tables are ready and waiting for the seed sowing to start next month.

I’ve been busy getting beds ready: cleared, formed and composted. We’ve had quite a dry winter so the ground is very workable and not too wet and heavy, making this easier. There are still roots to be harvested and weeds to be pulled so the root harvest will carry on until the end of February.

February is also the time for cutting back. I leave the dead aerial parts of the herbs through the winter to save seed from, to feed the birds and to give shelter to beneficial over-wintering insects like ladybirds. They also give a lovely view through the winter months – there’s nothing nicer than a frosty Echinacea seed head on a winter’s day.

I will cut our autumn raspberries right down to the ground soon, prune the roses and get a good layer of compost or well-rotted manure on the bed. The job list is getting longer and from here on in it’ll get busier and busier in the herb field.

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