We’ve been planting grass and wildflower margins at the edges of the fields to create pathways to walk around and we’ve also sown our Dry Land Herbal Ley in one of the arable fields. The seeds were broadcast with a spinner before rolling in. For many years the 11 acre field was used for growing barley so the soil has been rather neglected and the aim is that the herbal ley, which will be down for 4 years, will help to remedy this. We will be watching the growth of the different species contained in the ley with much interest. It rained all day after we planted it so we’re expecting to see the first shoots in a week or so. Since there’s a water source nearby, the plan is to manage the field with livestock, mob grazing with sheep. 

We’re hoping to harvest seeds from the sainfoin crop in the polytunnel, so we’ve introduced bumble bees to pollinate the plants.



The wildflower field is blooming with cowslips, red clover, tufted vetch, lady’s smock, buttercups, yellow rattle, birdsfoot trefoil, sorrel, hedge bedstraw and bee orchids, growing among the sweet vernal grass, meadow foxtail, and other meadow grasses.

The sheep are grazing well on the lush spring growth, with the lambs growing particularly strongly, along with the ewes which we will be shearing soon.

 

 

Harry, as we have named him, arrived at Cotswold Honeydale Farm on a grey, rainy day in March and we’ve not even started sowing the fields yet. He’ll be spending the next few months in the bar. But we’re very pleased to have him, as you can see from Sam’s smile!

Most farmers require maximum capacity combining, but since we will be growing research plots for our seed mixtures, we needed a combine capable of dealing with small areas. So when we saw this one advertised on EBay, we couldn’t resist having it transported up from Dorset.

‘I got a brand new combine harvester and I’ll give you the key.’ That song charted back in the record breaking hot summer of 1976. So here’s hoping for some sunshine soon, and a good growing season.

 

The volunteers were marshalled by the Wychwood Project, a group that encourages people to understand, conserve and restore the rich mosaic of landscapes and wildlife habitats in what was formerly the Cotswold’s Forest - the ancient Royal Hunting Forest of Wychwood, within the boundaries of which Honeydale Farm firmly lies.

In medieval times, this was a place where deer were reserved for the King’s use and at Domesday in 1086, the Royal Forest of Wychwood covered much of what is now West Oxfordshire, stretching from the River Glyme to the east, the River Windrush to the south west, the smaller Sars Brook to the north and a section of the Thames to the south. This area would have also included meadows, cultivated open fields, heaths and downs and was one of the most wooded Forests in England. It fell into a gradual decline following the Tudor period, exacerbated by the Napoleonic wars, when timber was in demand for the navy.

The Wychwood Project, which covers all or part of 41 modern day parishes, from Taynton to Woodstock and from just south of Chipping Norton down to Northmoor, aims to enhance the environmental, cultural and historical features of the landscape, working closely with local communities.

As such, its supporters were very enthusiastic about our tree planting and turned out at Honeydale in force. It was a cold but clear day and it was truly heartening to see people of all ages, from all walks of life and from all over the Cotswolds, as well as further far afield such as High Wycombe and Leicestershire, working together. We had it all done within four hours, planting 2000 saplings including alder, hazel, field maple, willow, dogwood and sweet chestnut, which will later be harvested for firewood and to provide poles for hedge laying.

As modern agricultural practices take much of the blame for the 50% decline in farmland birds, we are putting into place our plans to ensure we provide a little piece of bird heaven at Honeydale Farm!

In addition to all of the planting we have done, which in time should provide fabulous nesting sites and food supplies for the birds, the new habitats that will be created by our flood alleviation work, the supplementary feeding, plus the insect attracting seed mixtures due to be sown in the spring, we have just finished installing cosy bird boxes around the farm.

We have chosen the very long lasting Schwegler Woodcrete nest boxes. They come with a 25 year guarantee and are very solid indeed. We bought several different types to appeal to a wide variety of birds from sparrow terraces, swallow bowls, tit boxes to wren balls, an amazing array of luxury bird homes! We have put most of them around the farm buildings so that we can enjoy watching any inhabitants as they come and go. We inherited 7 feral farm cats when we bought the farm so with some expert advice from Louise Spicer of the Wychwood Project's Bird Aid programme, we had to try and ensure all the nest sites are safe from their attention.

Schwegler advice is that no minimum distance is required between birds. Two species can breed next to each other on the same tree. Depending on the site, (the more natural the better) and the amount of pests, up to 15 nest boxes per acre can be installed in woods, gardens etc.

We are determined to give the birds every chance to start their breeding season well fed and in good health and by providing just a bit of extra housing for some of them we hope to give plenty of them the opportunity to rear a succession of large broods of chicks. If, as we hope, we eventually end up with twice the number of birds on the farm, back to the pre war numbers once seen, can you imagine what double the volume of birdsong will sound like ?!

- Celene Wilkinson