Fun at Smite

A great time was had by all who attended the Worcester Group guided tour of Lower Smite Farm last Sunday afternoon, 17th July. 

We were especially delighted to welcome some members who hadn't been to Smite before (including Valda the retired guide-dog!) and very fortunate to have Steve Bloomfield as our guide. He shared his wealth of experience and knowledge with us as we explored the many different habitats at Smite: arable fields, meadows, hedgerows, orchard, ponds... 

Steve explained  how farming for profit can go hand in hand with conservation and looking after our wildlife and we learnt about how wildlife at Smite has benefited - skylarks, frogs, great crested newts, dragonflies, finches, bees, grasshoppers, hares, butterflies, you name it!..... wonderful stuff! 

The rain decided to bless us just as we were passing the bee hives and making our way back to the farm ... which made the tea and cake waiting for us all the more welcome!! 

A big thanks again to Steve and also to Zoe, who was brilliant at organising the event. As one lady commented - "what a super afternoon!"

Sandra, Worcester local group

PS For those of you, like Valda, who haven't been to Smite before then why not pop along between 11 & 4 this coming Sunday (31st) when there'll be a Farm Fayre full of local produce and craft stalls, guided walks, pond dipping & tractor rides!!

Woodland Work at Smite

Hedge planting

Blue skies and sunshine beamed down on the Tuesday Roving Volunteers as they visited Lower Smite Farm last week to start the last phase of planting our new wood – 400 oak trees. Tree planting has been steady throughout the winter and alongside the tree planting in the new wood, the Farm volunteers have been planting new hedgerows and gap filling the hedges planted last year. Everything has come on apace and we are on target for completion of this work.

Copse clearance

Today we took up work started last autumn on the clearance of the copse behind the barn.  Armed with chainsaw, bow saws and loppers, we set to work on the remaining trees marked for felling. It is amazing how much this clearance work has opened up the copse and let in much-needed light.   

The next task is to put up more bird boxes before the nesting season begins in earnest.

Heather, Lower Smite Farm

Winter at Smite

Despite the cold weather (-8C) a merry band of Farm and Roving volunteers turned out to clear the bank adjacent to The Granary, a Special Site of Slow-worm Interest. Hopefully, as well as helping the slow-worms, the snowdrops and primroses will also benefit from the increased light level and put on a good show next spring.

The ponds were completely frozen for several inches, so while we were kept warm by burning the debris collected, others were on a mission to provide birds with much-needed drinking water.

Of course, before we left, as the light failed, there was just enough time to capture some of the stunning wintry views.

Heather, Lower Smite Farm

Smite garden update

It seems that an update on the happenings in the Smite garden is long overdue - so here goes!

Firstly, I can happily report that around a month or two ago the garden tool shed was subject to a thorough spring clean - no more rummaging around in cluttered corners trying to locate those elusive secateurs! Additionally, in a volunteer group effort the greenhouse was given a clean out and make-over with two neat rows of tomato plants being put in. The plants are gowing well and are promising a good crop of tomatoes for the future.

In preparation for the impending open day an outing was made to Tiddesley Wood to collect fresh woodchips - to spread over and spruce up the lower garden paths. Meanwhile we've also been doing the usual ongoing jobs of weeding and trimming back any overhanging hedgerows and shrubs - which can sometimes be more eventful than one would expect. Last week, whilst pulling on an old tyre full of dried grass, I accidentally disturbed a nest of wasps who weren't best pleased! Nevertheless both Penny and I managed to escape by quickly running and hiding in a nearby office building.

Despite the recent dry weather everything is doing well in the garden. In the top garden the blackcurrants and goosebrries are brimming with berries and turnips, cabbage and corn and the cucumber plants are coming along well. Fingers crossed we may also see some carrots emerge in the next few weeks. Down in the bottom gardn the pea plants have grown and filled their wicker frames and a second crop of radish has matured in the smaller tyre planter.

Finally, although any recent visitors would have surely noticed, I'll mention that the large tractor tyres in the courtyard were filled with soil, planted with squash and corn and are currently looking fantastic.

Right now we're putting all our efforts into getting ready for the July open day on Sunday 25th (1pm-4pm) which is sure to be a great success.

Mary, Lower Smite Farm

Red Kite at Smite

I was lucky enough to spot a red kite flying over Lower Smite Farm yesterday. I believe this is only the third one to be seen here so it's an exciting record for us. Lots of staff and other volunteers came out to watch it fly into the distance.

John, Lower Smite Farm

Roving Volunteers

The first time the Tuesday Roving Workparty visited Lower Smite Farm this autumn we joined forces with the Smite farming volunteers. Some 400 new blackthorn and other shrubs and trees were used to plant a new hedge between the gate and the field edge at the top of the hill. The field will host a new project including lavender and wild bird seed production units. The second visit had us taking out old gateposts that had been very deeply entrenched, with the added bonus of being bell ended and encased in water.

(The team discovering the depths that a gatepost goes to)

We marked out the new footpath ready for the Smite team to lay another new hedge and helped with the new fencing alongside the road at the back of the house and garden.

Last Tuesday the team visited Long Meadow to undertake coppicing and clearance. The ground was wet and having navigated with map and compass we all gathered and took instruction from Claire.

Ramsay Reaney, Tuesday Roving Volunteers

From the garden shed

The weather has been particularly gloomy lately. However, in the garden we've accomplished a lot. The strawberries have been moved into an adjacent bed to keep the crop in prime condition and grass seed has been sown on the top paths to create a lawn effect (reducing the need for weeding the paths next year)! The lavender and buddleia have been trimmed back, the bottom bed dug over and the scarecrow dismantled (don't worry, he'll be back in spring). And thanks to the hard work of the volunteer workgroup the pond has been been redug and filled - a new resident toad was even spotted (hiding snugly under a piece of turf).

Mary, Lower Smite garden

Scouts at Smite

We were joined by a group of scouts (Worcester North Explorer Scouts) at Smite at the weekend who were working towards their conservation badges. They were fantastic volunteers and we did some hedgerow planting as well as clearing autumn debris.

I've heard that another group is willing to come out and help in the spring - we're looking forward to seeing them!

Caroline, Grasslands & Agriculture Officer