June to September

As I write this in October there are several months to catch up on, going back to June.

Towards the end of the month John brought his tractor in and mowed between the rows and down in the dell.  The area looked great when this was finished.















After that things went quiet and the grass - and brambles - were left to grow until September when John would mow again in preparation for harvesting.

A big worry is the number of squirrels.  They have had free run of the place for six years or so and have multiplied by feasting on nuts.  Ways will have to be found to deal with them or half the crop will be lost.

On July 18th, as noted in my log book, I walked around the plat and noted that nuts seemed plentiful in some areas but not in others.  There is a buyer for the harvest who will send in pickers if required. He prefers to pick late, in the third week of September when the nuts are quite ripe and good for pressing for making cobnut oil.  The fear is that by that time the squirrels may have taken more than their share.

In September a small group of volunteers worked to cut back brambles which had romped away over the summer and in the second week of September John returned with his tractor-mower to cut the grass and other growth between the rows, ready for the pickers.

By this late stage the crop looked thin.There were indeed nuts to be picked but they were not plentiful.

 

On the evening before picking was due to
start the buyer emailed to say they would
not be coming as the crop looked too small.
It was even suggested that two legged raiders
had been at work along with the squirrels to plunder the crop.



Nevertheless there were nuts to be picked and those of us who could set to work.

It was a busy time of year and this need for pickers had not been foreseen.  And then the rain started!

It was not possible to pick all the nuts available.

Those that were harvested were sold either at the Apple Day Fair at Ightham Mote or to a buyer for selling on at Farmers' Markets.


A disappointing harvest season means that not a lot of cash was deposited and funds for contracting out tasks of pruning and mowing next year are in short supply.

Finishing the Job

Four days after the tree work, on May 26th, Terry and the tractor returned.  It was almost exactly a month since the rains of April-May began and the ground had dried out enough to finish the work of clearing the remaining wands.

Chug, chug, chug....Look how much I can carry!

Volunteers got a bonfire going.....

....and Terry piled on more wood. 

                                                                                                       

 By mid morning this stage of the work was finished.  Terry departed to return later with a smaller tractor, a plough and a cultivator. 






With these he lifted the deep ruts caused by the tractor in the rain a month ago

the damage has been repaired

Now the mower will be able to get through without falling into the ruts.

  

Tree work on the edge of the plat

Along the boundary with Scathes Wood, at the lower end of the plat, not far from the footpath, four trees have grown up overshadowing the nut trees and stealing much of their light.  We took a careful look at them and, with the agreement of the National Trust, we agreed that they should go.

First in line is an Ash tree.

Then three trunks of chestnut growing off the main stem of a magnificent parent tree.






Tony, a forester and regular volunteer, has chainsaw certification and all the equipment needed to do the job.

Stand clear! it's going....

.....going

....and she's down!

Tony makes it look easy but this is precision work. He lays the Ash tree down in a clearing,with impressive skill, hardly touching the nearby nut trees.

Safely down

Now the first of the chestnut trunks comes down and the branches are cut into convenient lengths.  When seasoned they will make excellent firewood and some can be used to repair our damaged gatepost.

Next the second chestnut comes down...

Finally Tony tackles the third of the chestnuts....

 .... and soon has it lying alongside the others.

Four hours have gone by. This has not been a light morning's work but it has been expertly done.

The nut trees will benefit from the extra light and the parent chestnut tree, free from its unwanted offspring, now has room to breathe.

Spring flowers, a tractor and a lot of rain

At the end of March and the beginning of April we had several days of hot, sunny weather. The spring flowers responded and primroses and violets begin to carpet the lower side of the plat.

As the hot weather continued we moved on to clear the top corner which borders on High Cross Road. 

Here the rows run at a different angle from the rest of the plat and are very tangled up with bramble, making the work difficult and uncomfortable.  Added to this the weather was so hot and dry that we had to watch the bonfire carefully to avoid the grass catching fire and spreading.

*  *  *  *  *

By the middle of April the top corner had been cleared.  In many parts of the plat the rows were looking good.  Everywhere the young leaves were beginning to burst.  

Much had been achieved over the winter and early spring but a good number of rows still remained to be cleared.  If this wasn't done soon the spring growth of grass and brambles would cover the cut wands and prunings.  It was decided to bring in reinforcements in the shape of a tractor and buck rake. 

That day was grey and overcast and, for the first time in weeks, real rain threatened. But the combination of man and machinery accomplished in a morning what would have taken several days by muscle power alone.

Soon there was a  mountain of wood piled up to be burned but, as the rain came down, would the fire burn?

 From a doubtful beginning........

 ....and plenty of dry kindling......

 ......and careful and expert tending.....

....the fire at last came good!

*  *  *  *  *

All the time the tractor driver was bringing loads more wood.....

And now he could dump the wood straight on the fire.

Soon we had a roaring bonfire going. The flames leaped skywards....

And the smoke billowed.

.

The piles of wood soon disappeared.

But the rain intensified.  

                                                                                                                                                         At mid day we called a halt

Sadly, the tractor had gouged deep ruts in the damp soil between the rows.

*  *  *  *  *

In the middle of May, as I write, it has still not been dry enough to resume work and to repair the damage done by the tractor.  The great rains of May 2012 will doubtless come to an end some time and then the work will be resumed.  Meanwhile, thanks to the cold weather the primroses have continued to flourish.... 

....well into the middle of the month.

The Arrival of Spring

K-College students at work on the lower bloc

We were lucky again with the weather

Spring was on its way and on March 21st a group of students from K-College Tunbridge Wells campus arrived to put in some good work.  After an introductory talk and a brief tour they set to work in three teams to finally clear the lower bloc of nut trees.

This team's bonfire had an interesting structure.   

There was the usual problem of smoke in the eyes, of course

 After their initial hard work......

..........the bonfire went really well.

This bonfire devoured piles of twigs and wands and prunings......

....and the girls look justifiably proud of their work.

              At the end of the morning an enormous pot of chilli con carne, provided by the College's        catering students, and spuds baked in the embers of  a bonfire were very welcome indeed.

spuds in foil - baked in the embers of a bonfire

What did the students think of the day?  Some had enjoyed it and would come back; others found it 'boring

and repetitive' - well, there's no denying that's what it is.  But if you like being out in the open air, enjoy the companionship and find some satisfaction in seeing the result of your work, then that's not too much to complain about.  We enjoyed their company and hope that more students from K-college will come and lend a hand at different times of the year.  Thank you K-College students and staff!

We hope to see you again!