Farm Shop
The Newbarn Farm Shop sells homegrown and locally produced fruit and vegetables bringing you the best and freshest seasonal produce from the local area.
On the farm we grow leeks, beetroot, sprouts, carrots, potatoes, kale, onion, scallions, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, french beans, peas and broad beans which are harvested daily* by Andrew, William and Michael.
Local grower Simon Donnelly supplies us with beautiful juicy strawberries* while Iona Fruit Farms supply us with Irish apples* and raspberries*. Early season vegetables and potatoes are sourced from the greenhouses of Rush, North County Dublin and the sandy fields of Rush and Lusk provide us with parsnips*and numerous varieties of lettuce*, salads* and herbs*.
We also sell a range of carefully selected imported fruit and vegetables direct from the Market. Our flock of chickens provide us with free-range eggs which we sell alongside fresh bread, jams, juices and freshly squeezed orange juice. We also sell a selection of meat from local butchers, R & J meats including our delicious Newbarn Sausages.
*when in season
A Year On The Farm
As a working farm, the farmers at Newbarn are always busy. We specialise in field vegetables, growing a wide variety of them on the farm.
In Spring time, we are harvesting the last of our over winter crops such as sprouts, carrots, kale, cabbage and leeks. We also start work in prepping the ground for the new season, ploughing and rotavating and getting the ground ready for planting. The first crop to be sown are potatoes in mid march and this is closely followed by cabbage, broccoli, scallions, carrots, cauliflower, kale, beetroot and swedes. As the young plants grow we are kept busy weeding, which we mostly do by hand, and irrigating during dry spells.
In early Summer we finish up the last of the planting and sowing. The last crops to be planted are pumpkins and courgettes as they cannot abide frost. We also start harvesting the first of the new season crops such as cabbage, swedes and scallions. By July, everything has grown and ready to be harvested and our farmers are making daily trips down the field with tractor and trailer to stock the Farm Shop.
As the days start to get shorter in Autumn the hardier crops such as kale, cabbage, carrots and leeks come into their own. In mid September, we harvest any onions and potatoes still in the field and store them in the shed safe from any early frosts. In early October, we pick our pumpkins and bring them into storage, again, safe from frost.
By November and December, the hard work on the farm has died down and we use this tie to carry out repairs and maintenance on the machinery and farm buildings. We are still making daily trips down the field , now wearing wellies and rain gear, to harvest beetroot, cabbage, kale, leeks, carrots and, of course sprouts.
Then in January, the cycle starts again.
Farming With Nature At Newbarn
At Newbarn Farm, we try to work with nature and the land in order to protect and promote bio diversity on the farm.
We use a system of crop rotation and allowing land to rest in order to maintain and promote the fertility of the soil, to naturally control weeds and pests and to reduce the need for artificial fertilisers and sprays. We maintain our hedgerows as habitats and only take one cut of hay of our grassland a year in order to allow nesting birds time to raise their broods. As we grow many different crops on the farm, pollinating insects are able to thrive as there is always a different crop coming into flower. This insect life supports small mammals and birds which in turn support larger mammals and birds of prey.
We often spot Foxes and Buzzards on the farm and we were recently delighted to observe a pair of Red Kites circling the field.
Springtime On The Farm
This time of year, Andrew and Michael are harvesting the last of the Winter vegetables. Kale, cabbage and leeks are all harvested daily. The main focus on the farm is preparing the ground for this years crops. The first vegetables to be sown will be beetroot, scallions, peas and broad beans. The onion sets will also be planted. Other vegetables such as turnips, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage are grown in nurseries and planted out later in the year.
Seed Potatoes are sown in March and hopefully these will be planted by St. Patricks Day but as with all jobs on the farm, this is weather dependent as the potatoes can’t be sown if the ground is too wet.