The Winter is definitely slower, as there is no work on the land, veg boxes or markets. But there are so many important indoor jobs that need doing.
Tax return
One of them is making sense of the financial spreadsheets, which need reconciling with the bank account. Whilst wrestling with it over Xmas, I pondered streamlining it. I decided to go onto the cash basis for the upcoming year. Also to scrap recording financial data on how much veg was ours and how much was bought in, as our it’s already recorded in yields for our organic license. And to investigate buying some accounting software….
Soil Association records
For our organic license, I have to record every seed sown or plug plant transplanted. I also have to record what inputs (manures, composts etc) I have used. I also have to record the yield from each crop (eg. leeks 203kg). I also have to do a plan for the year ahead, showing that I am rotating crops. I keep my own breakdown of where these yields were sold (market, veg boxes or wholesale) and how much income they generated. We are then audited annually by the Soil Association.
Analysing the figures
I add this info to graphs showing how much of our veg we’ve sold, and how much bought in veg, and how much overall. This means I can compare it easily with data from previous years. I have a separate graph for Levy market, and another one for the veg boxes. I also make a table showing at a glance the yield and income from each crop, which enables me to see which are the most and least profitable. Top three are: rocket, salad and tomatoes. Bottom three are: parsnips, chillies and courgettes. Parsnips and chillies have been relegated.
The season ahead
One of my favourite jobs is planning for the upcoming growing season. I plan the rotation, and the different crops within it. So, for the allium rotation, previously we have concentrated on garlic and leeks. But this year we are branching out into doing some shallots and onions too. For brassicas, we are continuing to do rocket, mizunas and kale, but also trying some purple sprouting broccoli too.
I input all this data into a spreadsheet I am tinkering with, to try and show me how much yield and income I can expect from the crops. It is a work in progress as I am still figuring out the yield calculation. Then I put the seed and plant order in, they all need to be organically certified.
Marketing
I put together a brief for a logo, banner for the 
market and flyers months ago. Over Winter I finally found the right designer, and after 10 amendments we got to a logo that I am really happy with. Thankfully for the designer, the banner and flyers were pretty much right first time. I ordered 2000 flyers, that were ready just in time for the first market.
Steering group
I also put together a steering group of four people with relevant skills to Reddy Lane. I hope that this will enable planning ahead for risks, and better strategic thinking. And may even translate into actual help out on the field. We have had our first meeting, and a lovely tea of lentil and sweet potato mash.
And now, back to the garden, it is Spring afterall….
