Sun at last on Pippettes Farm

A few sunny days has brought the soil to life and we are now frantically planting our seedlings, preparing the beds and trying to keep everything in line with the biodynamic planting calendar – but sometimes good weather means just ‘go for it’!

The poly tunnel is up and our (tiny) Kawa Kawa bushes are planted in pride of place. As well as our native plants, I really want this New Zealand native to have pride of place in my dispensary and in my skincare products. It’s a fantastic anti-inflammatory, calminative, and antimicrobial herb that helps treat skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne and wounds as well as easing indigestion, reflux, sore gums, tooth ache and easing achy muscles and joints. So it’s a fantastic herbal remedy that was a basis for a lot of Maori herbal remedies – and they know their New Zealand native herbs better than any of us.

For this year, Kawa Kawa will run in the ‘practitioner only’ range as we will not have enough to warrant the pricey Certificate of Analysis we need to use it in our retail products but here’s hoping we can soon expand it into this range.

Our soil samples came back with very encouraging results as the land is so unstressed. Just a bit more organic matter (which we have!) and we are now planting out our veg. As well as growing our herbs for the range we are planning to be self-sufficient with veg by next year.

For those who visit the clinic in Muswell Hill, London, you will know that already we have an honesty box and salad coming in from Pippettes Farm thick and fast – so enjoy it while it lasts.

So, no rabbits here now as we have invested in an amazing fence that works but pigeons, crows, slugs, mice, you name it, the rest are still snacking on everything they can.

I have so many suggestions on how to scare them away from sirens, and strobe lights, to a drone (?). Sticking with the shiny milk bottle lids and a few old CDs currently and planting some sacrificial peas...