The year 2025 was abundant and brought us a good harvest. Our regular farm sales are becoming increasingly well known and popular in the area. Thanks to the “Förderprogramme Aktion Gesunde Umwelt und Aktion Nachhaltige Entwicklung – Lokale Agenda 21 (Healthy Environment and Sustainable Development Action Programs – Local Agenda 21),” the market garden received a new drip irrigation system, which will save the volunteer members of the gardening team a lot of work in the future and also conserve water. Through work assignments and workshops, the syntropic area on the north meadow was further expanded and this highly productive system in the form of syntropic guilds was also transferred to the systems on the south meadow. Since autumn, there has also been a social project on the site called “Raum*frei” (Space*free), which brings young people into contact with the forest garden through a village laboratory run by Kultus e.V. In addition, the core team has been dissolved and the members of the forest garden have reorganized themselves into a self-governing committee since autumn.
January: How fortunate that snow fell again before the bitter frost in mid-January. Its cover is protecting the ground (photo by Viola).Some plants are already ready to sprout in January, such as the lamb’s lettuce at Viola and Manfred’s… (photo by Karin).…Or the leeks in Karin’s winter vegetable patch (photo by Karin).Red cabbage, mullein, green lettuce, and black cabbage (photos by Karin)First snowdrops in early February (photo by Karin)March has even more to offer: hazelnuts are among the first trees to blossom.Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), also known as the European cornel shows its flowers in mid-March.lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis), which incidentally has an antitussive and anti-inflammatory effect, is also already blooming beautifully.The first wild garlic (Allium ursinum) aka bear’s garlic is growing on our property.European oil beetles (Meloe proscarabaeus) can already be seen regularly in March.No Almonds this year. Unfortunately, this pretty almond blossom opened just before a frosty night in early April. Soon, the vegetable garden will be green again. The first cultures are already on their way.On April 13, the first finger-thick green asparagus appears.Even in mid-April, our pumpkin reserves are still plentiful. Here is a stuffed oil pumpkin from the south meadow.Visit from the ZALF: A doctoral student is researching diversity on our farm. Here she is inspecting a syntropic plant guild.The proud feeling after planting a tree! Thanks to Bettina and Dominik for planting and Vincent for finding, grafting and donating this cherry plum variety to our project!This solitary Potter wasp (Ancistrocerus nigricornis) is another very rare species of wasp on our site.Rhinoceros beetles (Oryctes nasicornis) feel very at home in our hay compost.This little dragon (Lacerta agilis) is a frequent guest in our garden.Watch out for blind passengers! This beetle has caught a load of Varoa mites, which also make life difficult for many honey bees.Well, who can recognize these flowers? Here’s a hint: they will one day become very tasty and popular berries (Vaccinium corymbosum).May brings the first root vegetables.At the monthly gardeners’ meeting in early May, a new bed is created next to the container.The first field grafting was carried out in the seedling forest. Here, the old plum variety “Bühler Frühzwetschke” has successfully connected to the seeded cherry plum.Once again this year, late frosts set back the development of the young nut trees in the nursery.Unfortunately, there was still ground frost this year even after the ice saints in late May, which particularly affected the freshly planted zucchini.The spotted asparagus beetle (Crioceris quatuordecimpunctata) lays its eggs.Ladybugs are also reproducing. It has been a great year for louse.If chives weren’t mainly grown for eating, they could easily pass for flowers. (Photo by Karin)This year, our driveway will once again provide plenty of pumpkins. Ten days later, the first Hokkaido pumpkins are already visible in the seed holes.The air is heavy with the scent of edible black locust flowers (Robinia pseudoacacia). They have a sweet, pea-like taste.It’s incredible how many people could be fed by this abundance of flowers!Like black locusts, Elaeagnus also enrich the soil with nitrogen. Here is an Elaeagnus root nitrogen-fixing bacteria.The first tomatoes finally form their flowers at the end of May and will hopefully bear fruit soon.A well-maintained tree pit with garlic and comfrey as underplanting.The “wild guild” in the poplar avenue is developing well. Only the chestnut tree in the middle suffered a slight setback due to the late frost.In the seedling forest on the south meadow, the first asparagus plant can be seen in the permanent vegetable row. It was grown from seed last year.Despite the spring drought, the pond is still full of water.The endangered yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus) grows abundantly on the shore.It’s a fact that gardening keeps you young.The quince graft has taken root on the self-seeded hawthorn. There is hardly a more suitable rootstock in terms of site adaptation!Our farmers’ market season opens at the end of May. Here with our new teammate Thomas.Oh June, no more words…Wild strawberries are growing beneath the blueberries.This year is a great year for berries in general. Any surplus is turned into jam for the farm shop.Right on time, as every July, it’s mating season again for the musk Beetle (Aromia moschata) on our property.A carpenter bee (Xylocopa iris) on sage. Both originally come from much more southern climes.Due to the long drought, our pond had almost dried up. Fortunately, the little toads were able to leave it a while ago. And now, please hunt slugs diligently!!!Will we still be able to harvest these grapes? Elsewhere, raccoons probably stole all the grapes long before they ripened.The first peppers in July.It’s wonderful to see the colors that nature produces!How do ants know when rain is coming? They always build their nests higher a few days in advance to protect their brood from flooding.The wet July was perfect for planting. You can already see the thick storage roots on the young asparagus seedlings. However, this plant cannot be harvested for the first time until four years later. Until then, the plant must get strong.Mushrooms also love the wet weather, of course. Here are some delicious shiitake mushrooms.Thanks to the powers that brought the rain! Due to the heavy rainfall in July, the pond is finally filling up again.Everything in the community garden has been growing and blooming like crazy since the rain.As they are extremely difficult to spot, this dead weasel (Mustela nivalis, may it rest in peace) is solid proof that we have these extremely industrious mouse hunters on our land. Thanks to Sven from NABU for the find and notification!At the end of September, the vegetables in the syntropic vegetable and herb row are ready for harvest.Next door on the north meadow, our partner association Kultus e.V. is opening its newly initiated youth meeting place with a village laboratory and makerspace.While all the tomato plants in the open field have fallen victim to brown rot, our popular cocktail tomatoes in the greenhouse still look excellent.Our farm sale at the harvesting party in the village. Everything here comes directly from Rehfelde village, even our deliciously sweet watermelons!Edible flowersThe colorful carrots are just as beautiful.Saffron is also ready for harvest in September.A new row will be planted on the north meadow in mid-October.It’s faster when we work together. Here are our “Syntropic Heroes” planting.A vetch root (Vicia) with nodule bacteria.A picture-perfect savoy cabbage grows in the market garden.The farm shop couldn’t be more colorful and abundant than in autumn.Our blue pumpkins look like giant figs.The wet autumn weather brings more mushrooms. Here is the medicinal reishi mushroom.The cold nights also bring oyster mushrooms.What a tragedy! Unfortunately, the greenhouse doesn’t like the frosty nights at all. That’s it for this year…Suddenly, the days are so short again that you can watch the sun set in the afternoon.
