Reading a Field
How to look at a field and know something about it. Soil, drainage, aspect, weeds, and what the previous ten years did to it — all from a walk round the headland.
| Lessons | Six |
|---|---|
| Length | About four hours |
| Level | Beginner to intermediate |
| Practical | Take it into a field |
What the course covers.
Soil texture by hand
Soil texture by hand, which is a genuine skill and takes ten minutes to learn
Reading drainage from what grows in the wet corners
Reading drainage from what grows in the wet corners
Aspect
Aspect, altitude and why a north-facing slope drills a fortnight later
Weeds as a diagnostic — blackgrass
Weeds as a diagnostic — blackgrass, docks, thistles and what each tells you
Compaction
Compaction, and how to find it without a spade
What the hedge lines tell you about the last two hundred yea
What the hedge lines tell you about the last two hundred years
Who it is for.
How to look at a field and know something about it. Soil, drainage, aspect, weeds, and what the previous ten years did to it — all from a walk round the headland.
Filmed on this farm with the people who actually do the work, and including the honest chapter about what did not work and what it cost.
- Lessons: Six
- Length: About four hours
- Level: Beginner to intermediate
- Practical: Take it into a field
Video
Filmed here, not in a studio.
Lifetime access
Watch it whenever.
Free at Ploughing On
One course a year included.
The honest chapter
What went wrong, and what it cost.
The other courses
Ploughing On includes one a year.
At fifteen pounds a month, that pays for itself on almost any of these.
What people actually ask.
The two questions this page gets most, answered without a support ticket.
Full refund within fourteen days of starting, no explanation required.
No. Every course starts from the assumption that you have never held a soil auger, because most people have not.
