Digging out the undesirables the slightly easier way.
After buying a new spade it was back to work, this time it was a little easier for me, my godson Samuel helped me out for some pocket money to go to Boardmasters! Thanks Sam, you did very well in the hot days you worked.
by Mike Hopkins
31Jul2026
Digging out the undesirables.
This is one big job every year in preparation for the haycut. We take out the thistles, ragwort and the docks. Most of the docks have gone to seed at this time of year, so we try and get them out of the ground so the seeds don't get spread around in the hay cut. This one I managed to get the full root out of the ground which is a rarity! It must be the very hot summer we are having, there is little suction on the roots, its a bit of a dry socket situation.
by Mike Hopkins
11Jul2026
Invasion of the wild carrot!
An area of the meadow that was seeded in September 2024 is showing an abundance of wild carrot (also known as Queen Annes Lace). Last year we had the same problem with an area that was seeded in September 2023. We were advised by our seed merchants to control the abundance of this plant to allow other species to show. It is a biennial plant, which means in its first year it grows as a low basal rosette and in the second year it will flower, set its seed and die. So the plan to control it is to top the flower heads off before they set seed, as this is the only way they can survive, by reproduction. This method worked last year, so we have done the same. It doesn't eradicate the plant altogether, but it certainly thins them out. Because Wild Carrot is mildly toxic to some grazing animals if eaten in abundance we have swapped it in our recently sown seed mixes for Meadowsweet.
