Tomorrow is the shortest day and I have come to realise that in terms of growing your own food that it is the start of the year. The old pagan beliefs around Yule make a lot of sense once you start being outdoors and being dependent on the sun's light and warmth.
So with the New Year imminent it is a time for reflection and for resolutions for the coming year.
This year there will be succession planting and regular inputs to be more productive.
The animals (and plants) on Opportunity Farm will be well fed. This will mean they will fatten quicker, be healthier and more resilient.
A way to share this farm with others will be found and promoted.
Ripe crops will be used to avoid waste.
The potato and garlic harvests will be much bigger and last longer.
The fertility of the soil will be improved using chicken and pig tractors and more effective rotation.
The area under cultivation will be increased.
Incubated eggs will have a higher success rate and the chicks produced will be genetically more diverse and will in turn produce more eggs.
The Shearing shed project will be sufficiently finished to be used.
There are no doubt as many more ideals and hopes as there would be space to write them down but I will stop there. Perhaps even more important is to produce more with less effort and to slow down enough to enjoy the process and have time to think.
Happy New Year
P.s on the shortest day - after over two months abstinence - an egg was laid!
