February at Primrose: Imbolc, First Sowings & Community

As we move through February, we pass Imbolc, the ancient seasonal festival marking the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Traditionally, Imbolc signalled a subtle but important turning point in the farming year. Though the days were still cold, life was beginning to stir beneath the soil. It was a time of preparation and intention: ewes getting ready for lambing, tools being readied and farmers looking ahead to the work of the coming season with cautious optimism.

Here at Primrose, that sense of quiet transition feels very present. The land is still holding onto winter (and rain!) but the rhythm of the year is beginning to shift.

Sowing, Planting & Winter Harvests

The first sowing and planting of the year has begun, with broad beans now planted out in the market garden, one of those hopeful early tasks that always feels like a promise of what’s to come. Alongside this, we’re still harvesting and enjoying the best of winter’s produce: kales, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, beetroot and spinach, all continuing to thrive despite the cold.

Behind the scenes, Annabel and Gilla have been working incredibly hard on the growing plan for the year ahead. We’re excited to be expanding on what we offered last year, both in variety and scale and to see those plans slowly take shape in the market garden.

A particularly joyful addition for this coming season will be Annabel’s flower growing, with dedicated beds planned to bring seasonal colour, beauty, bees and biodiversity to the farm. We can’t wait to share these with you as the year unfolds.

Friends of Primrose: Growing Together

We’re also delighted to share that Annabel will soon be launching Friends of Primrose, a new volunteer group for anyone who’d like to be more hands-on with how food is grown here.

The idea is simple: once a month, you’ll be able to join us on the first Friday of each month on the farm, get your hands in the soil, learn practical growing skills and be part of the wider Primrose experience. We’ll break halfway through the morning with your choice of organic tea, coffee or hot choccie. Whether you’re completely new to growing or already confident in the garden, this is about connection; to the land, to food and to one another. 

Details

Next date: Friday 6th March, 9am - 1pm

Email primroseorganic@gmail.com to let us know you’d like to come along

The Reality of Farming: Rain, Mud & Resilience

Like many farms this winter, the weather has been a real challenge. The sheer amount of rain has left parts of the market garden more than a little squidgy and the end of the driveway transformed temporarily into a spring. It’s a reminder that growing food is rarely straightforward.

Farmers and growers work through wind, rain and cold; adapting plans, protecting crops and showing up day after day in conditions that aren’t always kind. But it’s this resilience, and deep relationship with the land, that makes the food we grow so meaningful. Each harvest carries the story of the season that shaped it.

Annabel holding a completely frozen glove

Community Conversations & the Future of Food

On a wider note, Jim was recently part of a panel discussion hosted by Planet Shaftesbury, alongside author Chris Smaje, who was speaking about his new book Finding Lights in a Dark Age.

The book explores how local, land-based skills, small-scale farming and strong communities can act as guiding lights in an uncertain future, offering practical and hopeful alternatives to industrial systems. (The book, and Chris’s other publications, are available locally from Folde bookshop in Shaftesbury.)

The discussion focused on the challenges facing farming and food communities today, from climate instability to economic pressure, and on the vital importance of supporting small producers; being part of resilient, connected local food systems.

We’re proud to be part of these conversations and grateful to Planet Shaftesbury for creating spaces where people can come together to think deeply about the future of food, land and community.

Looking Ahead

The last few weeks have been full of contrasts: muddy boots and careful planning, winter harvests and spring intentions, hard weather and hopeful conversations. As seeds go into the ground and plans take root, we’re reminded that farming is as much about people and patience as it is about produce.

Thank you for being part of Primrose, whether you support us through the shop, conversations at the gate, or by joining us in the fields. There is so much to look forward to in the season ahead.

The Primrose Team