Good morning,
This week we’re talking about P, K & Mg - phosphorus, potassium & magnesium for anyone drawing a blank on the periodic table (me, always me). More specifically, we’re interested in the target levels in our heavy clay soils and what levers we can pull to try and reach them. Spoiler: it’s mostly cows.
We send off soil samples every year so we know what’s going on 7 inches below ground in our fields and received back our latest results this week - for P, K, Mg and our overall organic matter.
Sumersby, Thorny, Willow & Cowfold are the 4 fields we took over last year, whereas we have been farming Hobbs, Hackney, Ascot & Burnt House for 12 years.
The Mg has always been sufficient thanks to the type of soil we have, and important for soil structure and essential for healthy lactating cows. P is needed for growing roots and K for shoots, and it’s important to have everything in balance.
The results from our 4 new fields is pretty representative of the state of most of the land when we took them over, and we are chuffed with how our old 4 are faring after a decade of thoughtful farming. The organic matter is now sitting very comfortably within our target range, and the phosphorus & potassium levels are improving.
We can’t take much credit as it’s mostly down to our gang of grazers. We rotationally graze our fields by putting the cattle in densely populated groups and moving them to fresh ground every 2 or 3 days. This encourages them to tread their muck and some of the plant matter into the soil. We also spread all their winter muck and bedding onto the fields, which is what Andrew has spent some of the last few weeks doing.
In addition to muck, we’re planting mixed species herbal lays and protecting our topsoil with constant crop cover, which feeds more diverse nutrients into the soil and stops harsh weather from eroding it.
Farming often feels like playing a very long game, and it can take time to see results or reap rewards - which makes lab results like these all the more encouraging.
We’re open for burgers, cyder & more soil chat tomorrow from 11am - 4pm, if you fancy.
Rachel x
The Trenchmore Table
Slam is back in the yard and firing up the barbecue on Friday next week.
There will be live music and a spot for you to pitch a tent or park a van, if you fancy.
Check out the menu and book online.
