Welcome to Newhouse Farm
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Spring Water Pump
As our spring water has to be pumped a considerable distance from the spring to the tank in the loft we use a 12V demand pump and charge the batteries with a wind turbine and a couple of solar panels
Permaculture: Vines
2008 saw the Newhouse Farm Vineyard being planted complete with mulberry bushes, which apparently have a fungicidal property - sadly, year one saw only enough grapes for two bottles!
Ducks & GeeseWe rescued Nigel the depressed Muscovy from the RSPCA.
We now have a collection of Muscovies, Indian runners and geese to cheer him up..
Chickens
We decided that rescued hens were the way forward. We also have William our Maran cockerel and a couple of miscellaneous Buff Orpingtons, Marans and a Rhode Island Red we have hatched ourselves.
Solar
Surprisingly, there is a vast amount of solar energy available to us in the UK.
At Newhouse Farm we have solar thermal, solar PV, our greenhouse heating and heat sink system and the spring water pump.
Polytunnel
We bought a very cheap polytunnel frame and some new plastic to increase our productivity by lengthening our growing season. A pond in the polytunnel keeps the temperature up and provides a habitat for frogs that keep the slugs and snails down.
Garden
We have had to work hard to recondition the soil in the Newhouse Farm garden. Plenty of compost and well rotted farmyard manure added as an ongoing process allows James to reap the beetroot dividend!
Garden
We launched into some pretty basic market gardening straight away, to get salads and vegetables on the table quickly.
Greenhouse
The greenhouse was built against a south-facing wall and we built our own heating system to keep it frost free. It worked - salads, tomatoes peppers and aubergines survived and were available through to February.
Compost
We compost and feed our worms on our organic waste. Our wormery of choice comes from Bubblehouse Worms.
Waterwheel
The waterwheel provides power for the lights in the house. We store the energy in batteries so we have enough available to turn on as many lights as we require (all low energy of course).
CoursesAt Newhouse Farm we offer a range of courses covering various aspects of green living. Full details of courses and dates can be found on the Courses page. Click on the building to go there now!
Pigs
We get a great deal of enjoyment from our pigs and the freezer is currently full of joints, bacon and ham from our last pair of Cornish Blacks.
We are currently eating a smoked air dried ham that we had hanging for 18months - awesomely tasty!
Biodiesel
Cars are essential to us so we decided to go diesel and use biodiesel.
It pays to understand the pros and cons before committing to using biodiesel in your car.
Geodesic Dome
James has set up the hydroponics in it and in the evening when it is lit to extend the growing period it looks positively space age. We were using a prototype but the production versions are now available - check out the Grow-Dome website.
Permaculture: TreesWe have planted lots of trees including a willow and dogwood coppice, Cornish apple trees (we made our own cider this year - scary but drinkable), cobnuts, walnut, quince, and medlar.
Compost ToiletOur compost loo reduces the amount of waste put into the sewers and provides compost for the fruit trees.
TurkeysFor the past couple of years we have fattened a dozen turkeys for Christmas to give as presents.We had a mixture of traditional breeds that proved extremely tasty!