Seasonal Blog
LEAF Demonstration Farm Launch
NFL has now launched as a LEAF Demonstration Farm. On 16th June 2020 we held a virtual launch to over 80 people and were officially launched by Phil Spencer. We became the 41st such Demonstration Farm to be launched, and are currently the only one in the South East.Watch the launch here.The launch, chaired by Philip Wynn, Chairman of LEAF, was atte... Read More
Winner of LEAF-Bayer Farming Primary aged Partnership Awards
We only went and won it! Delighted to say that we are now the proud winners of the LEAF-Bayer Farming Primary Partnership award!This award "celebrates a farm that has built and continues to build a successful relationship with primary schools (5-11 year olds) and makes a valuable and sustained contribution to school life, both on and away from... Read More
And the winner is...
Nonington Farms wins first prize at the Bayer-LEAF Education Awards 2019. The prestigious prize recognised the efforts that the farm has built and continues to build a successful relationship with primary schools (5-11year olds) and makes a valuable and sustained contribution to school life, both on and away from the farm.The winners were announced... Read More
Autumn drilling update
Tractor sowing seedsThe oil seed rape went in to the ground relatively easily and on time, this year. The dry conditions made things fairly straightforward, although the flea beetle seem to have had other ideas.The dry weather, however, continued, so we started drilling winter wheat and barley later than usual and only when there was a chance of so... Read More
Farm Education Award shortlist
Nonington Farms is delighted and hugely honoured to have been shortlisted for the LEAF-Bayer Education Awards in the Primary school category. The farm is delighted to have been recognised by the judges for the educational work they do in linking children of all ages to the farmed environment.The Bayer-Leaf Education Awards celebrate those who "... Read More
Farmers Weekly interview
Farmers Weekly were keen to catch up with James last week, as Nonington Farms was probably one of the first farms in the country to start harvesting oil seed rape. To read the article in full click here: https://www.fwi.co.uk/arable/harvest/harvest-2019-oilseed-rape-combining-kicks-off-in-kent... Read More
Recipes
At Seedlings we enjoyed learning and picking wild garlic, which is in abundance during the spring, when the leaves start spreading out under the leaf-less canopy on the woodland floor. The leaves are obvious to distinguish due to their garlicy smell, but if you’re uncertain, rub the leaf between your fingers and then smell your fingers.Wild g... Read More
Coppicing in the woods
Our coppicing programme is nearly over for the year. We have coppiced a few hectares of woodland, as we do every year. This means cutting down trees such as hazel and chestnut to the ground. By doing this we allow light to get on to the woodland floor, enabling flowers such as bluebells and garlic to thrive. Cutting down the trees is not killi... Read More
Spring Drilling
Tractor sowing seedsAt the moment we are putting some crops in the ground. They are going in during the Spring, so it's known as spring drilling. These crops include spring wheat, barley and beans. We are also trying out oats for the first time too. Now that the weather is warming up after the winter, the soil temperatures are also rising. So p... Read More
Seedlings Farm Group
Seedlings is where we aim, among other things, to foster a love of being outside from the earliest ages (our newest Seedling was 9 days old!), and develop a feeling of being at one with nature and the great outdoors. Meeting every Monday at the farm, sessions are run from 10am until about 11:30-12. We are always outside, usually in the woods, playi... Read More