Great reasons to plant trees
An incredible 35 tonnes of carbon will be locked up over the lifetime of the trees we will plant for those who have so far pledged to our crowdfunding campaign – as well as being beautiful:) We’re planting a tree for everyone who gets involved, as well as...
All fired up
We’re all fired up – not only because the benign weather has allowed us to share food around the fire for a few days, but because after just three days of campaigning we have reached over 30% of our funding goal! We’re full of exciting plans for the...
Making raised (lazy) beds
Today we created a simple raised ‘lazy’ bed, although why they are called that I’ve no idea – making them is strenuous enough. The first step is to mark out and then turn over all the sod on your bed area. At this stage the bed is pretty flat...
Crowdfunding campaign update – day 1
An Eco Classroom for Lackan Cottage Farm from Steven Golemboski-Byrne on Vimeo. Well our first day of crowdfunding was a flyer! The campaign has been well shared, and lots of you have been really generous and pledged towards it – thank you! Our day one total was...
Please help to crowdfund our new project
An Eco Classroom for Lackan Cottage Farm from Steven Golemboski-Byrne on Vimeo. As many of you will know, we welcome all sorts of different people to the farm, all the time. From local and international volunteers, to the GIY group, permaculture courses, and the many...
Regenerating hedgerows
As a living resource and habitat, it is hard to beat hedgerows. They provide somewhere for wildlife to shelter, birds to nest, a source of food, they attract pollinators, they provide shelter, they look and smell wonderful, they can provide a source of fuel, act as a...
Coppice growth
Last winter we began to coppice our birch woodland, and it is encouraging to see how quickly new growth is emerging from the cut trees. These stems are now 30 inches tall, and within 10-15 years should be ready to harvest for fuel. Coppicing effectively...
Hanging strawberries
Last year we grew all our strawberries in beds at ground level, but a fair amount were eaten by something (probably slugs), so this time, encouraged by the amazing results we saw in Danny Kowalsky’s tunnel, where he grows strawberries in lots of hanging baskets,...
First fruit
We can barely keep up with the growth down in the polytunnels and growing field, and flowers such as these marigolds are attracting huge numbers of beneficial insects and pollinators. Borage has seeded and is growing around the pond, and is great for attracting bees,...
A day at Balmoral
The biggest agricultural show in Northern Ireland is Balmoral, and we make an annual pilgrimage to go and inspect the amazing variety of sheep, cows, pigs, goats and fowl, as well as sample the amazing local produce that is becoming ever more prevalent. Sheep of the...