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WA Pearce & Sons Farms - Pearce Potatoes, Stowgate Farm, Deeping Street James, Peterborough (2026)

03/09/2026

The first of the 2027 harvest crops has been drilled. It is a return to trying to grow Oil Seed R**e (OSR) for us. The last time we tried, we lost all the crop by January, probably due to flea beetle and slugs.

Flea beetle is a big challenge with OSR. They're tiny beetles, but when OSR plants are small they can cause a huge amount of damage. So, getting the crop up and away strongly in the first few weeks is really important. If we get to harvest, our crop goes through Openfield – an agricultural co-op - we don’t decide on the eventual end use.

Given the poor performance of Spring planted (drilled) crops across the board this year, and the promise of a similar year next year due to El Niño, we have come to the conclusion we need to grow as few Spring crops as possible.

Not only are we trying again with OSR, we are also swapping Spring Beans for Winter Beans, a crop we have never grown before - it keeps farming interesting! The fields were rolled after drilling to help with germination, and hopefully last week's rain will help the r**e to germinate and get away to a good start - the last image is 6 days after drilling. The rain should also encourage any wheat seeds to germinate in the fields coming into Winter Barley next harvest, as we can't get rid of the wheat once the barley has been drilled in late October.

OSR facts and trivia:

* The name r**eseed comes from the Latin rapum/rapus, meaning turnip. OSR is part of the Brassica family, so it's related to things like turnips, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.

* OSR is an oil crop rather than a cereal, but like wheat or barley, the valuable part harvested is the seed and the oil it contains.

* If it survives the winter, OSR really gets going in spring and produces spectacular yellow flowers. It can case hayfever – and I have found Bee Pollen tablets have cured mine.

*OSR flowers are valuable to pollinating insects, providing nectar and pollen when relatively few other crops are flowering.

*After flowering, the plants produce long, narrow pods called siliques, packed with the tiny black seeds.

**e **efield Produce & Provide

02/09/2026

It's my (Bex) Mum's birthday today, and somehow it is the 5th one without her here which still seems impossible.

Those of you who have followed our page for a while may remember that I've written about Mum before. She wasn't just my Mum; she was my best friend, and we all miss her every single day. We were really lucky to have such a close relationship and friendship, and I am so grateful for that and all the times we shared and the memories we have.

Mum had a genuine interest in farming and rural life, having worked within agriculture for much of her career, with Howard Rotavators, Wrights Register and the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society. She always enjoyed seeing what was happening in the fields around us, what was being grown, and how the seasons were changing - and loved discussing this with Andy. In fact it was a standing joke that if Andy and I divorced, then she might want "custody" of him!!

Andy got her driving one of the Claas tractor fleet at the farm, and she loved that, saying how much her Dad - my Grandad who died when I was two - would have loved to see how farming had changed.

31/08/2026

Blue’s Life Lessons 🐾💙

Two years ago this week, we lost our Farm Apprentice, Blue the Cat.

He arrived during lockdown as a hungry, slightly scruffy stray from a nearby road, who decided that our house, our farm and our other cats were somewhere he fancied living. Eventually, after a few adventures, a head injury and a chat with his previous "owner" (who didn't really care), Blue became ours.... and we all adored him.

He really was an unbelievably good-natured cat. Our nephew George used to say, “Blue is made out of kindness,” and he really was . He was a friend, a shadow, a confidant, a grief counsellor and, apparently, a support worker for any other cat who needed one.

He led by example - so here's some of Blue’s Life Lessons:

💙 Love unconditionally.
💙 Eat when you’re hungry.
💙 Look for the best for yourself - and go where you are wanted.
💙 Give yourself completely over to sleep.
💙 Look after other people, especially when they are sad.
💙 Be there for everyone.
💙 Better yourself - Blue joined my online French conversations, and enjoyed being an artist's assistant too..
💙 Be inquisitive. Explore. The farm, the fields, the sheds, well.... everywhere.
💙 Ask for medical help when you need it.
💙 Pack as much as possible into the time you have.

And perhaps the biggest one: Leave the world a little kinder because you were in it. Blue only had four and a half years, but he packed a huge amount into them and left an enormous hole when he went.

This week, we have all been reminded rather painfully of the difference between kindness and indifference, generosity and self-interest, love and looking after number one, Maybe that is the real lesson: Live your life so that when you leave, people — and cats — are left thinking “Bloody hell, we were lucky to have you.” Rather than spending your life keeping the ch*****ne in the fridge for a day that might never come.

Blue would definitely have drunk the ch*****ne... Or at least demanded the cat milk.

(if you are looking for farm content - sorry, not sorry! - but we are doing a piece on the shock return of OSR to the farm)

28/08/2026

It's potato harvest time! 🥔

Across the UK, different farms grow different varieties and have very different potato seasons. Some plant and harvest crops at different times throughout the year.

We grow two maincrop varieties – Sagitta and Picasso – have one main season, and then it's back to our other crops.

But what many people don't realise is that the journey to harvest started over a year ago. So, while ours are still underground – apart from a couple of trial digs – here's a slightly shortened version of a year in the life of our potato crop:

August 2024
Seed prices are released, varieties are chosen and ordered, and soil samples are taken to check nutrients and look for eelworm. Farming is often about making decisions many months before the crop even goes in the ground.

November
The fields are ploughed as part of the farm's rotation.

January 2025
Seed potatoes arrive in giant bags and are transferred into tonne boxes and cold stored to delay chitting (sprouting).

March
Base fertiliser is applied according to the soil samples taken the previous year. Every field is slightly different, so the crop gets what that particular soil needs.

April
The land is worked and clods and stones are separated out to create a good seedbed. The seed potatoes are warmed up for a couple of days and then planted, with fertiliser placed beside them.

May
The ridges – or, as we call them, giant KitKats – are worked to control weeds before the crop emerges.

The leaves above ground need sunlight to grow, but the potatoes underneath don't! The ridges help keep the developing potatoes covered, as potatoes exposed to light turn green.

June
As the rows meet, blight protection begins. Blight is a fungal disease that can spread quickly through a potato crop – and is the disease responsible for the Irish Potato Famine. Further treatments depend on the weather and disease risk.

July
A sprout suppressant is applied while the crop is actively growing. This helps the potatoes store for longer after harvest without starting to sprout.

August
Time for trial digs! Basically, a spade, a few plants lifted and plenty of discussion about size and whether they're ready (and a taste test, obviously!) When they reach the right size, the leafy tops are removed. The field looks dead for a while, but the potatoes underneath are still there. This stops them growing any larger and helps the skins toughen up for harvest.

September
The first potatoes are harvested and sold directly to the public – usually after weeks of people asking when they'll be ready! As temperatures drop, we start harvesting potatoes for storage and supplying retail and wholesale customers, while continuing to sell directly every weekend.

October
Harvest is completed. The potatoes are dried and cooled as quickly as possible – they're surprisingly easy to bruise despite looking fairly indestructible!

November – February
The work doesn't stop because the crop is in store. Every week potatoes are graded, bagged and prepared for customers. When temperatures drop, heaters go on in the sheds. Unfortunately, our stores aren't on the same site as us, so checking on them means a 25-mile round trip. Potato farming: date night glamour at its finest. 😂

Spring 2026
The last of the crop is sold, and by now, attention has already turned to the next crop.

One potato crop may be finished, but the next one is already underway. 🥔🌱

Produce & Provide

26/08/2026

It’s International Dog Day - we're late because a) we forgot, b) the dogs didn't remind us and c) the actual management team (the cats) mysteriously wiped it off the calendar 🐾🐈‍⬛️

Many years ago, when I met Andy, he had two Jack Russell Dogs - Will and Gus who were named after Will Carling and Jeremy Guscott, and a rescue Ginger Kitten imaginatively named Ginger! So I had this figure made for him of a real life scene on the farm.

Although we have not had any other dogs at this farm, the other farm has had Major the Yellow Labrador, Jake the (enormous) Black Labrador, Fergus the Brown Patterdale and Domino the Collie. Very sadly, all of these are no longer with us but they all enjoyed an excellent life on the farm and were much loved pets as well as farm companions.

The current farm dogs are Buster the Black Patterdale - he is very much terrier in temperament and quite different to his predecessor Fergus! - and Rolo the collie. He's very much the brains of the farm dog team!

26/08/2026

We have done another trial dig of potatoes to see how they are growing, and taken them in for dry matter testing and it was 21.5%

Dry matter is the total solid contents minus water content. Potatoes have a water content that varies from 75 to 85% and the rest is dry matter that contains the nutrients for which potatoes are grown - anything below 25% is acceptable.

As we are lucky enough to have irrigation at the Deeping farm, we have been able to keep the crop growing through the dry summer, although it has taken a lot of work. We think we will be flailing them off soon, so that the skins will set. The harvest will start a few weeks after that. And just to answer a few potential questions:

* We don't know exactly when this will be
* We don't know what date we will start selling
* We only have the two varieties - Picasso and Sagitta
* They will be in 25kg and 12.5kg bags as usual.

But we are quite pleased with them!

25/08/2026

The other day at Tolethorpe Theatre, it came to light that, having rather switched off from the news whilst on holiday, I was completely unaware that Bonnie Tyler and Dermot Murnaghan had passed away. In truth, this only came to light because the jesters in Twelfth Night were doing Holding Out for a Hero.... I mean, obviously they were, right?

So the group chat has now taken it upon themselves to keep each other updated on any celebrity deaths. Which sounds slightly macabre, but honestly, it was nothing like the conversation going on in the row behind us at the theatre...

However, today I did know about the sad news of Dolly Parton's passing.

A music icon. An absolute legend. And someone who leaves behind an enormous legacy of philanthropy and charity too. From helping fund COVID vaccine research, to supporting children's hospitals and disaster relief emergency funds, she used her success to help other people. And especially, her Imagination Library which has now sent out more than 300 million books to children, and sends millions more out each month.

In fact, someone described her today as just about the only person that both sides of America actually liked and respected. Which is quite an achievement. ❤️ Rest in peace, Dolly. x (and as one comment I saw yesterday said, "FFS Universe, that's the WRONG 80 year old")

I was actually on an excellent webinar tonight, so did this little (a bit rubbish) doodle during the coffee break. Meanwhile, Andy was finishing a post about potatoes following a trial dig yesterday (ooh!)

19/08/2026

It's National Potato Day!

We know, you thought we had forgotten - and in truth, we had! Or more accurately, we have recently discovered that this is not just a USA "celebration" day but a UK one also.

We have not yet started harvesting our potatoes yet, but many other farmers are doing this. 2026 will be in interesting year because of the dry weather and the heat. Nationally, the crop is expected to be smaller than usual, even with irrigation, as the heat has meant that extra applications would have been required just to keep on a par with where the growth and yield would normally be. However, we have seen some farms with really good samples, so hopefully this defies the expectation and there are really good crops out there.

We also hope that after last year, where so many potatoes could not find a home and we sold as stock feed, this will be a better one. We are lucky in that, this year, all of our potatoes are at the one farm where we can irrigate, and not the one where there is no option for that. We would expect to start harvesting in the next few weeks and selling again from mid-late September.

So, Happy National Potato Day everyone, and what better to end with than.....

RANDOM POTATO FACTS:
🥔 1) There are over 5000 varieties in the world
🥔 2) The Incas used cooking times for potatoes as a way to measure actual time (I feel I should insert a comment here about my poor - but always born out of optimism 😉 - timekeeping, but I haven't had time to think of one!)
🥔 3) NASA trialled growing potatoes on the space shuttle Columbia in 1995
🥔4) Potatoes are technically a stem, not a root. The potato itself is an underground stem called a tuber. The little "eyes" are buds from which new shoots can grow. Sweet potatoes, however, are roots.

18/08/2026

We rushed out after work on Monday night to get to blood donors, then onto a committee meeting. At this meeting we had to check some things outside and we all felt the first few drops of rain (there were 13 of us there, so I did think about getting everyone doing a proper rain dance/ritual/invocation!)

The rain stopped and started, but by the time we went to bed it was "properly raining", so I had high hopes for the rain gauge figure ......... still, it is a start, right? But please come back!

Guinness came in, shook himself like a dog, and went back out again so it can't have been that bad, but "Can we have some more please?"

WA Pearce & Sons Farms - Pearce Potatoes

03/09/2026

02/09/2026

31/08/2026

28/08/2026

26/08/2026

26/08/2026

25/08/2026

19/08/2026

18/08/2026

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