Matt Noyce is head gardener
at Quarr Abbey, and is
responsible for the 200 acres
of gardens, pastureland,
vegetable plot and private
woodland on the estate.
Trying to win battle with weeds
Slow down weeds, hurry up vegetables!
I don’t tend to talk to my plants but
that’s what I’m thinking.
We have entered the time of year
where we are battling with the weeds
and grass. This normally continues
until the drier, parched months arrive
to dry the ground and slow their
growth. At the moment the wet and
warm conditions are perfect for their
advantage. For the time being though
it’s a case of jumping on the ride-on
mower and hitching on the strimmer
to keep them under control.
Vegetables seem to be slightly behind
the average year due to the low light
levels and the cooler temperatures,
but they all look like they are making
good progress now. Some of the earlier
vegetables and plants are already
making it into our Farm Shop.
We have made the most of our
time by extending the vegetable plot,
turning fallow areas that were covered
in undergrowth into productive
areas that are now home to squashes,
gourds, pumpkins, brassicas and our
new soft fruit cage.
It’s amazing how much material
moving you can get done in a day
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with a 6.5 tonne excavator! The fruit
cage kit created a few head scratching
moments but went up without any
drama. It now means we can start
to provide over double the amount
of soft fruits to our Farm Shop and
Abbey kitchen, and some will also be
allocated to producing our own Quarr
Abbey jams and chutneys.
The orchard has been looking a
picture recently. The blossom has
been fantastic from both the mature
apples and pears and the young trees
we planted earlier this year. We have
created ‘tree circles’ around the base of
each tree. By removing a metre-wide
circle of grass from around the trunk,
ease of maintenance is improved as is
the ability to feed the root system and
mulch around the base.
I’m still th oroughly enjoying the
beekeeping course I am attending
through the Quarr Abbey Teaching
Apiary. Now we are having sunnier
spells it is warm enough to open up
the hives without the fear of harming
the colonies. Most of the hives we
looked at seem very promising with
lots of ‘stores’ of honey.
Work has started on the new pig pens
as part of the Heritage Lottery Fund
project. New orchards and grassed
areas are planned to be planted outside
of the walled garden and adjoining the
pig pens.
I recently had the pleasure of
showing the newly appointed Prior
of Quarr Abbey around the estate.
Fr. Xavier joined me for a tour of the
grounds to see the full extent of the
land around Quarr Abbey. It is a fond
farewell to Fr. Finbar, who is returning
to Douai Abbey in Berkshire.