When I was in college, I can remember vividly drawing up a graph of our busy and quiet months on the farm. After finding some holes that would be ideally filled with potatoes, I decided to look into the idea. After some discussion, carrots were decided as a better fit.

We now have parsnips on top of carrots and daffodil flowers, and bulbs which means, in my infinite wisdom, I have essentially destroyed any chance we ever had of a period of relative quiet.

Our management accounting year starts in March. We start off with the tailings of carrot, parsnip and flower harvests still ongoing. Our first plantings of carrot and parsnips start in March also so it’s all go in the fields.

April generally sees some harvest tailings still to be cleared with more seeding of veg. We take in heifers at this stage which marks the start of grazing at home. May has the last of the planting and a good deal of spraying going on as pre-ems and early post em herbicides go out on veg.

In June we start bulb harvest, which generally takes four weeks. It’s the same harvest and handling as potatoes, but takes a bit of time as yard intake and processing can be slow. We will lift approx. 400t of flower bulbs.

July is taken up processing bulbs for sale and keeping the sprayer moving through carrots and parsnips. Irrigation generally starts in July for us and means one man full time moving the reels and pumps around the countryside.

August marks the start of the parsnip harvests season. Warm weather creates a big challenge for harvesting a white root at this time of year. Morning harvesting is very pleasant though compared to January!

September is dominated by bulb planting which is a sprint to get the ground prepared and planted in good conditions. Again similar handling and planting to spuds. Parsnip harvest and processing is also in full swing.

October marks the start of generally cooler weather and with it the start of our carrot harvesting. Between carrot and parsnip harvesting and processing, we are well covered to keep the guys busy.

November through to February is basically more of the same, with parsnip harvest and processing along with carrot harvesting at full tilt. We generally would end our grazing season some time in November and December, depending on conditions. At that stage the ladies will return to their homes for the winter.

January through to March is all about harvesting with carrot, parsnip and flower harvest all active. It's a busy time for machines with a lot of diesel burned and substantial labour bills.

Looking back now at my exercise with the graph and my attempts to fill in any quiet times, I really should have left well alone.