When Shaun and his wife Aileen began speaking of land, at Kim and Nicks, I knew he’d be the right person to advise me during this critical time. Of course I should have started earlier. It is spring now.
They arrived, Shaun with a spade, and waked through the wood out to the land. Crispin was digging the pond at the time, and naturally knew him.
There used to be a graveyard here, he said, after I told him of the proposed natural death area. During the war, they kept bodies at the southern base of the field (near the bat bunker)
He suggested sheep at first before he saw the public footpath, no good here, he concluded.
He dug the soil, first at the top clay area, then intermittently down. Plenty of worms, but the soil is dead, he concluded. Fascinated and observant of all stones and whatever was turned over in the soil, he found mental stone.
Get a clean seed bed, said Shaun. Glycophosphate the field, the seeds from last year will survive, and only the green arising will be affected.
Plough, then cultivate to level the furrows.
On this level field, spin the seed on – using more seed than suggested, especially for the sand area, may be twice if not half as much again.
Roll with a Cambridge roller, as this gets the seed in good contact with the soil. May be roll both directions.
Peter Wan, Leister University Press, land history.
Mangle the sugar beat for fodder
Kubuto 35hp STA35 20 years old
Farmers Guide – you can pick up 2nd hand
Make the alleys large enough for the tractor.
Seed from Hurrels – a grass mix with red and white clover
CRISPIN recommended Alex Pheonix, Nonsuch farm, Maddie
Kaliwood 