Time marching on sowing getting done

I am now getting settled in to my new nursery and surroundings over in Somerset however we have yet to find a house to rent over there so at the moment I am still commuting back and forwards between Cornwall and Somerset.

I go over to the nursery on Mondays and stay down at my parents in Sherbourne just over the Dorset border during the week and travel up to the nursery from there Tue to Thur and then go back home to Cornwall on Thursday evening for the weekend.

I have already made significant progress with the sowing having sown Aubergines, Celeriac, Celery, Cabbages, Calabrese, Cauliflowers, Onions, Brussels, Hot Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Parsnips, Broccoli, Spinach, Carrots, Turnips, Komatsuna, Mizuna, Lettuce, Globe Artichokes, Leeks, Tomatoes, Chicory, Salad Leaves, Mustard, Sorrel, Chinese Chives, Minutina, Dandelion, Mibuna, Leaf Radish, Choy Sum, Senposai, Amaranth, Namenia, Kintsai, Peas, Broad Beans, Rhubarb, Beet Leaf, Pak Choi, and Raddichio as well as over 1000 pots of Herbs and 300 pots of Sweet Peas.

At least were having far better weather than last year since Christmas it has been not to bad down here in the South West last year we were snowed in in February and March so I am hoping for a proper Spring this year.

Here are some pictures of the Nursery:

This is my 13 bay multispan tunnel

 This is my nice large Greenhouse

The trays of Brassicas and Onions

 The Celery, Celeriac, Peppers and Aubergines in the heated propagator 

More Brassicas and Peppers

The Plugs of other veggies

Ready to Go

It is all signed and sealed for the new nursery and the greenhouses and polytunnels have been cleaned out ready for me to use.

I am picking up a van tomorrow that the owners are very kindly letting me borrow for a few weeks so I can get over to Somerset to start growing and I will be over there  Mondays to Thursdays sowing away in the heated greenhouse

Here are a couple of Pictures

Contract has arrived

Received the contract today nothing too scary in it apart from a few minor mistakes so it is full steam ahead to the big signing next week. Then we can start getting going for the new season.

New Beginings

We have really struggled down here in Cornwall since we lost our original place for the nursery down here 6 months after moving from Scotland and ever since I have been borrowing space on other peoples nurseries and not much of it at that for the last 3 years I have been severely restricted for space and had all sorts of problems that have not endeared us much to our customers.

We have been constantly on the look out for somewhere better and after a second holiday in Somerset last summer we decided that is where we wanted to be and to be honest that was where we were supposed to be heading when we left Scotland but the Cornwall place came up first. I have always wanted to move back to Somerset one day after living there a short time post college.

The weather in this part of North Cornwall is always a problem as It is very wet and therefore also not very sunny at times and this causes me huge growing problems affecting the quality of our crops.

I have recently shook on a fantastic deal that sees us moving to a huge property in North Somerset in the next few weeks as soon as we find a house to rent although I will start growing over there shortly

I now am renting 4400 sq feet of heated glass and 26,000 sq feet of polytunnels which if necessary can also be heated. With acres more polytunnels to expand into if I need them.

The site is a 44 acre former shrub nursery that went out of production three years ago due to cheap Dutch imports.

I came across it after I placed a note on the Downsizer forum about looking for a place to rent in Somerset and someone sent me the link to an advert on Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's Landshare scheme website about this opportunity they were offering

"Are you looking for land any size large or small. We have over 40 acres set in Churchill North Somerset consisting of Poly Tunnels, Green Houses, Gravel Beds, Stores, Shade Areas, Despatching Area, Dutch Barns, Paddocks and Bedding Areas all availiable to rent. This Land is offered for Commercial Growers, Small Holdings, Single Allotment areas or a Co-op with a mix of Fruit Trees, Veg, Hens, Pigs, Bees, etc. animals are not a problem although animal husbandry and welfare would need to be at the highest of standards. There is also office space for an educational centre in any of the above sections. This Land has good access to major roads, and on site access for lorries and machinery, If you are looking for land to grow as a single plot or something larger or a Co-op withFruit/Veg and livestock we are open to suggestions "

At first I dismissed it as we were originally looking for somewhere with a house. But it niggled at me and in the end we had to go and see it and see what it was all about and boy oh boy am I glad I did.

It is being run as an amazing opportunity for all sorts of people and I think will be an amazing community once everyone settles into their various things they want to do they have all sorts of people coming on board to do all sorts of projects.

The site is going to be run as an eco site and they hope to have the whole site carbon neutral by supplying their own gas and electric on site and already have their own water supply

It is a fantastic opportunity for us and secures our growing future for years to come"