Tools and Techniques

As far as possible we mimic natural systems and processes, whilst achieving a healthy crop. For this purpose we are developing a range of “tools” which fit the UK climate. Although listed below as different tools, they are all part of a holistic approach. They are tweaks and adjustments for individual situations.

It is important to get a base of skills and understanding of these tools so the farmer and grower has autonomy and understanding to make their own preparations, empowering the farmer and reaching a broader scale. We are not selling products off the shelf, we are happier to run courses to explain the principles. 

For instance biofertiliser, an anaerobic ferment is good for chelating minerals so they are more available to plants. However aerobic tea, made by bubbling air through microbes in solution, is great for building more biology into the system. Native microbes can be propagated aerobically like this, or through the Native Microbe preparation outlined below. Lastly, we can measure the integration of these techniques and their effect on soil structure using Chromatography. 

  • Treatment Free Beekeeping in Horizontal Hives

    11 & 12th November at Ragmans Lane Farm

    The Course will take a natural approach to beekeeping including:
    • How bees live in nature and how to respect their ways in your apiary.
    • Natural and less intensive management.
    • Start or increase an apiary by attracting swarms of local bees.
    • Horizontal hives and their advantages.
    • Wax foundation v foundationless natural comb.
    • Colony management - what to do and what not to do.
    • One-box hive, no feeding, no queen excluders, no requeening.
    • Healthy strong colonies without any treatments.

    Dr Leo Sharashkin is editor of Keeping Bees With a Smile: A Vision and Practice of Natural Apiculture, a comprehensive resource on keeping bees naturally in horizontal hives. He is contributor to American Bee Journal, The Beekeepers Quarterly, and Acres USA, and speaks internationally on sustainable beekeeping, organic growing, and Earth-friendly living. He holds a PhD in Forestry from the University of Missouri and a Master’s in Natural Resources from Indiana University, USA.

    For more information or to book a space please click here



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