Garker Fields

15/11/2024

A new wave of small-scale cider producers is coming to the rescue of our diminishing…

14/11/2024

And when that crop grew, and was harvested,
no man had crumpled a hot clod in his fingers and let the earth sift past his fingertips.
No man had touched the seed, or lusted for the growth.
Men ate what they had not raised, had no connection with the bread.
The land bore under iron, and under iron gradually died.
For it was not loved or hated, had no prayers or curses.

John Steinbeck.

26/04/2024

Let's hear your home shopping mishaps? xx Lorna xx

15/04/2023

First attempt at a spiral plant obelisk.
About 2 metres high and 15 inches diameter.
It would look lovely in a large teracotta pot covered in sweet peas.

08/04/2023

Made a couple of these simple baskets for storing onions and garlic in.
If anyone wants one I will be making more.

10/12/2022

08/12/2022

Male pied wagtail, male blackbird and hen blackbird.

07/12/2022

The berries have almost gone and the blackbirds and thrushes are coming down to the ground to feed on worms.
My fields haven't had any artificial fertilizers or pesticides for over ten years, they kill soil life.
So there are plenty of worms for this redwing to eat.

05/12/2022

The view from the office a couple of days ago. Celestial disco lights.
Beam me up Scotty. :)

02/08/2022

New girls and old girls.
Val and I picked up a dozen new pullets yesterday and they seem to like the big outdoors.
Also a couple of photos of the older birds.
Obviously I keep them primarily for their lovely eggs but they also do other work.
My sheep are wasteful eaters. Spilling as much hay as they eat.
But there's no waste in nature. My girls hunt through the old hay scratching and finding grubs and add their droppings to it which feeds the worms and soillife, making my soil more fertile and sequestering more carbon.
Also a photo of a fledgeling Robin who appreciates my efforts to rear more worms for him/her.

02/07/2022

Work in progress.
Simple plain weave handspun Shetland scarf, with a double black stripe motif.

30/06/2022

Latest creation from Garker fields.
Handspun naturally dyed beanie.
Young childs size.
Needs washing and blocking then off to a craft fair soon.

25/06/2022

The view from the office this morning

26/05/2022

Rosie helping Val shut in the chooks. :)

02/02/2022

Rosie trying to look like a top sheepdog.
She has a problem, Shetland sheep are the smallest British breed and are like terriers.
They don't scare easily.
Despite her best efforts they weren't going to budge from the hay.

31/01/2022

Work in progress.
200g supersoft three ply handspun naturally dyed with onion skins.

31/01/2022

Two scarves woven with handspun Garker fields supersoft Shetland wool and naturally dyed.
One with a happy owner.
The blue and grey still available.

11/08/2021

I've been experimenting recently with a soil blocker.
A nifty piece of kit that presses neat cubes out of compost with an indent in the top for the seed.
Plastic waste is a major problem in horticulture & the plug trays I normally use for seed germination are short lived. If I get to use them two or three times before they disintegrate I'm lucky.
Plus the roots when they get to the edge of the blocks get air pruned which means no spiralling pot bound rootballs & less transplant shock.