| FARM CALENDER |
| MONTH |
FARM TASKS |
| January |
Tree pruning, planting seedlings, sowing seeds, planting
vegetables (for example garlic), preparing the ground for horse-drawn plough,
making orange marmelade. |
| February |
Tree pruning, planting seedlings, sowing seeds, planting vegetables (for example garlic),sowing seeds of ornamental plants, sowing barley |
| March |
Harvesting Valencia oranges, sowing winter onions in the field, sowing summer vegetable seeds in trays, ploughing green manure (vetch) into the ground, gathering daisies for drying, gathering grass for the sheep, harvesting lemons. |
| April |
Preparing the field for planting vegetables, fertilising dividing field into plots for vegetable growing, transplanting seedling vegetable plants into field, some tree grafting, harvesting broad beans, artichokes and peas, hoeing the strawberry patch, peserving broad beans, artichokes and peas. |
| May |
Start to water trees and vegetable plants, weding and hoeing, dress vegetables manure, harvest peas, make poppy syrup, harvest plums, pick capers and pickle them in brine. |
| June |
On-going struggle with weeds, hoeing, harvesting early summer vegetables, early peach harvest, pick strawberries, continue to pick capers nd pickle them in brine, shear sheep |
| July |
Harvest summer vegetables, watering battle with weeds, sow sweet corn, make vermicelli, make cracked wheat (bulgur), make strawberry jam. |
| August |
Sow winter seeds in trays, regular watering of summer vegetables and fruit trees, continue to harvest summer vegetables, make vermicelli, pick figs and make jam, preserve veg |
| September |
Plough the field for winter vegetables (cabbage, leek, vetch, broad beans, etc.) sow winter vegetables, make "tarhana", make tomato pure, make pickles, preserve vegetables |
| October |
Harvest pomegranates and make pomegranate wine, plough ground where summer vegetables were grown, battle weeds, harvest olives, press olives and make olive oil, prepare olives for eating, make wine from grapes |
November
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Fertilising, harvest quince, make quince wine and jam, plough the field, make soap |
| December |
Fertilising, harvest quince, make quince wine and jam, plough the field. |
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The above table gives an idea of the annual workload, on a month-by-month basis, at Pastoral Vadi a certificated organic farm. |
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