Members and visitors welcomed Martin Jarvis, the owner of Culberry Nursery in Angmering which has been in existence for over 75 years. Martin explained that in the beginning it was run by his parents as a market garden with a 99-year lease where they lived in a caravan on the site; this is where Martin’s sister was born. By the time Martin came along his parents had bought a house and had begun to grow mushrooms which they initially grew in old wooden fish boxes but this soon progressed to greenhouses. Good hygiene became crucial to prevent the introduction of bacteria or viruses to the crops – this also applied to the areas around the greenhouses. Interestingly at one time there were around 100 mushroom farms in West Sussex.
These days, Culberry Nursery only supplies bags of highly regarded mushroom compost and also grows and produces a wide variety of plants, including a large selection of herbs. These are all grown without the use of chemicals and instead beneficial bugs are used. The Nursery staff attend many local Farmer’s Markets which produces an additional income and much to the delight of the many keen gardeners among the audience, Martin brought along a good selection of plants and herbs to sell during the break for refreshments.
Following a short break, Pete Coe and David Bettiss delivered February’s Nature Notes by showing some excellent photographs of wildlife along the Rife taken by member and keen wildlife photographer James King. There had been many reported signs of spring being sprung, including Snowdrops in Sea Lane, Crocuses on the Village Green, and Daffodils at the Community Orchard. Brent Geese, Chaffinches, Lapwings, Skylarks and a Song Thrush had all been spotted in and around the vicinity. David also delivered the sad news that the body of a deceased dolphin had been washed up on Ferring Beach.
To conclude the meeting Stephen Abbott advised the audience of recent planning news. There is still no decision by the High Court regarding Persimmon’s Appeal on Chatsmore Farm. The planning application for 3 houses at the back of Ferring Nursery remains undecided together with the Pool House proposed at ‘Mayfield’ Florida Road. Stephen also advised the Group of a new application to convert a garage into a self-contained annex at 8A South Drive in Ferring.