Tuesley Farm dresses down for winter
8 November 2004
The first soft fruit season at Tuesley Farm near Milford, Godalming, comes to an end this month. Activities are now centred round removing the mobile homes that housed seasonal workers and taking down the polytunnels used to protect the fruiting crops.
According to managing partner, Harry Hall, it has been a very successful year despite a difficult growing season. “It is no surprise as the land is class 1 soil – ideal for horticultural production. Farmers such as the Hewitts, Secretts, Stovolds and Thames Valley Marketing have reaped the benefits in past years and I am happy to be able to continue the long tradition of horticultural production in this area”.
In a major exercise requiring precision planning and meticulous attention to detail, forty-five mobile homes are stripped of all loose fittings and household goods, cleaned, disconnected, loaded onto trucks and transported to licensed premises for the winter.
A site warden manages the exercise to ensure the operation is carried out safely, and qualified people are responsible for disconnecting the gas, electricity and sewerage systems. Six homes are moved per day. They will be brought back as and when needed in the spring.
Half of the polytunnels were disassembled when the crops stopped fruiting. Some picking is still continuing on the last of the raspberry crops.
Taking down the polytunnels is no less involved but, with years of experience, the Halls have this down to a fine art and much of the activity is mechanised. In the past summer, approximately 70 acres of the 465 acre farm (14%) were covered at any one time. The rest of the tunnels will be removed when the raspberry crop is completed: depending on the weather this is likely to be by the end of November.
“We go to considerable lengths and expense to prepare for winter. Dismantling temporary structures is only a part of our activities,” says Mr Hall.
General maintenance tasks include pruning, removing old crops and replanting new ones. But there are other important inhabitants on the farm to consider during all this activity.
“After consulting the Surrey Bird Club, we have sown 140 acres of winter wheat late in the season. This leaves a shorter crop through the winter, which is more inviting to the golden plover flock that visits our farm. To encourage further birds to feed, we have 40 acres of winter stubble that we will not be treating with to control weeds. We have also allowed weeds to grow in the organic field to provide enough seeds for hedgerow birds to feed from. Although this means that we must remove the weeds by hand at extra cost before the next season, we have always made the effort to preserve the natural habitat and wildlife on the land we farm,” Mr Hall points out.
In addition to the trees and hedging planted in the past year, Hall Hunter Partnership is planting a further eight thousand metres of poplars, Italian Alders and indigenous hedging. The benefits of more trees and hedges will be seen in the near future.
When asked about plans for the new year, Mr Hall said: “In 2005 we plan to harvest approximately 125 acres of soft fruit versus 104 acres in the 2004 season, including 10 acres of blackberries and 16 acres of organic crops. I have no plans to purchase any additional poly tunnels.
“I am committed to viable and progressive soft fruit production where I deliver quality fruit to our customers’ satisfaction, and in the process enhancing the environment we live in. I am looking forward to meeting these challenges at Tuesley in the future,” he said.
