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Home
- seasons
- summer
in the field KS2
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Vegetable
farmers
 Cornwall's
mild climate
means
that Cornish
vegetable
farmers
enjoy
a longer
growing
season
than the
rest of
the country.
The range
of vegetables
they grow
each year
increases
as more
shoppers
look to
buy local
produce
and more
restaurants
look for
local
produce
to serve
to their
customers.
What
do they
grow?
Cauliflower,
potatoes
and cabbage
are grown
all the
year round
in Cornwall.
Many hectares
of land
are planted
with these
crops
to supply
the big
supermarkets
as well
as to
sell locally.
During
the summer
months
we can
look forward
to other
locally
grown
vegetables
such as
asparagus,
new potatoes,
courgettes,
lettuce,
runner
beans,
broccoli
and tomatoes.
These
are grown
in smaller
quantities
and you
are more
likely
to find
them on
sale at
farmers'
markets
or in
farmshops.
On
the Isles
of Scilly
farmers
are looking
to grow
more vegetables
and salad
crops,
like lettuce,
as an
alternative
to the
flowers
they have
traditionally
grown.
ACTIVITY
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Cereal
harvest
For Cornish farmers the cereal
harvest starts in mid July. Wheat
and barley are the most commonly
grown cereal crops in Cornwall.
The Cornish weather is not ideal
for growing the best quality wheat
which is needed to make bread
flour. Most of the wheat grown
in Cornwall is used for animal
feed. A small amount of wheat
for bread flour is grown and ground
in the county for use by local
bakers.
Most of the barley grown in Cornwall
is also used for animal feed but
some of it is used to brew local
beer.
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Wheat is sown in the autumn
or early spring. When
the shoots first appear
it looks just like a field
of grass. As it grows
it produces side shoots
which double or treble
the size of each plant.
Each shoot produces a
stem which grows to a
height of about 60cm.
At the top of each stem
a seed head emerges that
is called an 'ear'. The
ear contains about 40
grains or seeds which
will yield flour when
ripe.
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Through
the spring and summer
the crop changes colour
as it ripens, from green
to yellow, and then to
golden yellow. When the
crop is fully ripe it
is time to bring in the
combine harvester. The
combine cuts down the
crop and separates the
grain from rest of the
plant. The grain is collected
and the straw, the stem
of the plant, passes through
the machine and is dropped
on the ground behind it.
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The
grain is off loaded into
a trailer which is driven
alongside the combine
while it continues to
cut through the crop.
When one trailer is full,
another one takes its
place.
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Bringing
the trailer alongside
the combine requires concentration.
The loaded trailers are
driven back to the farmyard
where the grain is tipped
in to the store.
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A
good spell of sunny weather
is needed for harvesting
so that the grain is dry
enough to store into the
winter. If it is too wet,
it will start to heat
up and sprout in the store
and it will be of no use.
Sometimes there is just
not enough sunshine and
farmers must get on and
harvest their crops as
best they can. Then the
farmer will use a grain
drier which blows warm
air through it, a bit
like a hair drier.
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Back
in the field, the combine
has finished its job.
It has left the straw
in tidy rows across the
field and the round baler
has arrived to start work
while the weather is still
dry. As the baler is driven
up each row, it picks
up the straw, rolls it
up tightly and ties off
each bale with string
or net. Once it is baled
the straw can be safely
left on the field for
a time as the tightly
packed straw in the bales
will stay dry even if
it rains - like a cottage
with a thatched roof.
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ACTIVITY
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Most
farm animals
live out
in the
fields
through
the summer.
You will
see sheep,
cattle
and pigs,
and sometimes
goats
and flocks
of chickens
in the
fields
around
Cornwall.
