The Diva Field May 2020

Over the past few weeks the UK has seen a large increase in gardening. If you own outdoor space and have time to kill it’s very likely that you’ve turned your thumb green and got stuck into planting flowers, veg, or simply weeding your lawn. Here at the Vegetable Diva we’re no stranger to growing things. We source all our produce from our own Diva Field and Diva Orchard in the small village of Burrington, Somerset, where we’ve developed a bio-dynamic ‘no-dig’ growing method. We’re extremely proud of the way we grow our veg as, through a combination of mulching and natural fertilising, we’re able to create plots of undisturbed soil bursting with beneficial organisms and microbes. The method also prevents weeds from growing and keeps the soil loose, meaning we can easily pull out the organic veg by hand. Of course, this also means we don’t need to dig into the soil with sharp blades, preventing the soil from damage and preserving its delicate condition. This April, we’ve been hard at work tending to the field so we can help produce fresh veg to feed Bristol’s vulnerable people with the Bristol Food Union. It’s also a refreshing and stress relieving way to spend isolation. So, what’s been going on at the Diva Field? I hear you ask. Well, we’re rapidly planting up the fields with a myriad of plantlets such as beetroot, lettuce, cabbage and leeks. We’ve also been sowing carrots, herbs and agretti. Fortunately, the weather has taken a turn for the better since the continuous rain throughout January to March, and as a result all these plantlets have been growing well. We’ve managed to grow successful harvests of spinach, kale, sprouting broccoli, lettuce, broad beans, currants, and some herbs. But there are also plenty more plantlets showing promise for the near future. Although the weather has been delightful and the vegetable plantlets are flourishing, maintaining an orchard and field is no easy feat - especially when only one person can work on the field at a time. That’s why we’re currently on the lookout for volunteers who wish to join us and use their spare time to help improve our field and help grow tasty, organic veg. To get involved and find out how it could work, please email info@thevegetablediva.com Yours, The Vegetable Diva.