With above average spring rains giving a wonderful soaking to our farm, the new spring growth is amazing. We love this time of year.
The roses are in full bloom and with a bumper harvest we are filling the drying shed to capacity with fragrant rose petals.
The new calendula bed is thriving with young plantings creating a carpet of the distinctive saffron colour of the calendula flower. The lavender beds are pushing through new shoots and will soon be in flower just before harvesting late December.
Our herb beds with Rosemary, Lemon Balm, St Johns Wort, Marshmallow, Rose Geranium and many others, are relishing the sunshine and showing lush new growth.
Early spring we planted green manure crops mixed with a blend of snap peas and other legumes to enrich the soil with nitrogen. They are now being turned into the soil ready for the next plantings late summer.
Our mulching program is well underway to protect the precious moisture in the soil. With the heat of summer still to come, this is an important part of water management.
With little warning we had an early start to the fire season on the boundary of our farm. A neighbouring property had a large grass fire that spread to the roadside on the western fence line of Claret Ash Farm. Production ceased as all our team at the farm actioned the fire drill. After a couple of hours the danger had passed, and we were very grateful to the local fire service for their prompt response. At our farm we have many fire preventions measures in place with paddocks slashed where required, tree clearing or branches pruned is an ongoing process, plus we are well equipped with fire hoses, petrol pumps, and roof sprinklers.
This is all just part of the magic of where our farm is located, and our absolute respect for the forces of nature that give us so much.
Happy Gardening
The team at the Janesce farm