This Farming Life

Jenny Young gives us a glimpse of the summer at Castlefarm

With summer well underway Castlefarm is a hive of activity. We have a blooming garden of vegetables and of course too many weeds. We are harvesting silage and oats, and our young pullets - that I reared from day old chicks since May - have just started laying eggs.

So while summer is a time of holiday for some, summer on a farm is a time of production and preparation. Don’t worry though, most farmers do take time out and have holidays over the summer but these days normally take place before or after harvest!

I have been farming for 12 years now and sometimes I forget that there is a lot that needs to be explained to the consumer. A facebook question last week asking me what a point of lay pullet was prompts me to give readers a quick explanation on some of the main things happening at Castlefarm in July.

July is a time when the garden is plentiful with leaf crops growing very quickly and root crops that were planted in May now needing weeding and sometimes watering.

Most of our root crops won’t be ready until September. The exception is that the potatoes we planted in mid March are now being enjoyed. Early carrots are also just about ready to eat. In our polytunnel we have been enjoying cucumbers and courgettes since June and our customers have just started to enjoy our green peppers and tomatoes. Some people may wonder how we have these polytunnel vegetables so early; my tip is to start the seeds off in windowsills in your house in February.

In March I bought 150 day old chicks for 2012 egg production. I started feeding themon organic chick crumb, then progressed to organic grower’s pellets. In late June, when they became 16 weeks old I started feeding them layers pellets.

With each change in their feedstuff I mixed the two feeds for about a week, so the hens’ digestive systems wouldn’t be too shocked with the change in diet. These pullets (young hens) are now starting to lay eggs. Their eggs are about half the size of regular eggs at the moment. By early September the majority of these hens will be laying.

This month we are making the second cuttings of silage of the year. Silage is wilted down grass that will be stored and fed to the cows during the winter. These days we get contractors in to mow, bale and pit the silage. Silage making now takes 2 afternoons at Castlefarm, due to the help of contractors. In the past it would have been more like a week long affair.

Later in the July our oats should be ready to cut and, depending on price, we will keep some to feed to our animals during the winter and supply some to Flahavans for their organic porridge. The oaten straw will be baled for winter bedding for the cows.

On a lighter note we have just said goodbye to the children who spent summer camp on the farm. They had great fun and learnt a lot about food and farming with farmer Jenny!

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Castlefarm Shop opens the last Friday and Saturday of each month from 10am until 6pm. We are next open on Fri 29th & Sat 30th of July from 10am-6pm

Customers are welcome to join us egg collecting. Please arrive at the farm shop by 2.30pm on Saturday wearing old clothes and wellingtons.

We will also be holding a foraging walk at 3pm. There is no charge for activities.

To receive our newsletter and news of new products by email please contact Castlefarm Shop, Narraghmore, Athy, Co Kildare, Email jenny@castlefarmshop.ie, log onto www.castlefarmshop.ie or telephone +353 (0)59 863 6948

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