A work party of over twenty volunteers from the local villages responded to the CSA Kitchen Garden People’s invitation to come and help build two polytunnels in their new field at FarmED this weekend.
Their tasks were to help Emma and Dan to infill the holes which had been dug for the foundations, to construct the metal hoops for the frames and help to mark out and dig raised beds and walkways. Whole families joined in building the hoops on a flat surface near the farm buildings and carrying them to the field. In four hours, the work party transformed the flat, stony ground into a growing area and the polytunnels are now ready to be skinned with plastic.
‘We were totally blown away by everyone’s hard work and enthusiasm,’ says Emma. ‘We had lots of fun in the sun and got so much done! Thanks to each and every one of you, and to Susan Myatt who kept us well stocked and fuelled with cake.’
The CSA now supplies 85 local families in the area and are expanding to 4 polytunnels to provide shares for 120 families. The team grow salads and veg including asparagus, kale, rainbow chard, courgettes, spinach, purple sprouting broccoli, leaf beet spinach, spring onions, flower sprouts, winter squash, onions, leeks, cucumbers, peppers, florence fennel, french beans, garlic, parsley, coriander, mustard, and different varieties of lettuce. The polytunnels contain anything from tomatoes to salad leaves depending on the season.