The Birdseed Field

Flat Square (Which Is Neither Flat Nor Square)

Let’s start with the obvious.

This field is called Flat Square.

It is not flat.
It is not square.
It is a triangle. On a hill. In the wind.

Farming names are rarely reviewed for accuracy.

But this year, Flat Square is doing something important. It’s where we’re growing our own regenerative birdseed crops — properly, deliberately, and with a healthy respect for the fact it’s not the easiest field on the farm.

What’s Growing Up There

This year’s provisional mix includes:

  • Buckwheat

  • Millet

  • Canary seed

  • Linseed

  • Sunflowers

And no, that’s not because we like making harvesting complicated.

Each crop earns its place.

Buckwheat establishes quickly and scavenges nutrients brilliantly. It produces small triangular seeds that finches love and flowers that pollinators queue up for.

Millet is a favourite of smaller garden birds and ground feeders — tidy little grains that are easy to eat and high in value.

Canary seed is clean, high-energy and perfect in quality mixes. It’s a staple for finches and small beaks.

Linseed (flax) is packed with oil — brilliant for feather condition and sustained energy.

And then there are the sunflowers. Tall, unapologetic, slightly dramatic and absolutely adored by tits, finches and just about anything with a beak and good taste.

Together, this isn’t just “a crop”.

It’s seed with purpose.

Why It’s Good for Birds (And Not Just in the Feeder)

These crops don’t just produce seed.

They create habitat.

Buckwheat flowers feed insects.
Diversity attracts pollinators.
Structure gives shelter.

The field is alive long before it’s harvested.

So when the seed ends up in a feeder, it’s already supported biodiversity in the field itself.

That matters to us.

Why It’s Good for the Soil

Now the serious bit — without being too serious.

Different crops mean different root systems. Some go deep. Some spread wide. Some scavenge nutrients. Some fix nitrogen. All of them leak sugars into the soil that feed microbes.

More diversity above ground = more diversity below ground.

That builds:

  • Better soil structure

  • Improved aggregation

  • More active biology

  • Stronger nutrient cycling

We’re focused on reducing reliance on synthetic fertiliser and chemistry where the system allows. That means walking the crop, assessing what it actually needs, and supporting soil biology through compost extracts, worm teas and careful management rather than defaulting to the bag or the can.

It’s slower thinking.

But it builds resilience.

Why It’s a Proper Challenge

Flat Square sits at the top of the hill.

It catches the wind first.
It dries out quickly.
It’s sloping enough to keep you awake in the combine.

Establishing a diverse crop mix here isn’t straightforward. Managing weeds without leaning too heavily on chemistry isn’t automatic. Harvesting multiple species on a triangle on a slope requires a bit of attention.

In other words — it keeps us honest.

But if regenerative farming only happened in flat, sheltered, perfect fields… well, it wouldn’t be much of a test.

This field asks us:

Can we grow diversity commercially?
Can we reduce inputs sensibly?
Can we build soil while producing a saleable crop?

That’s the point.

What It Means for Us (And You)

It means we’re taking responsibility for more of what goes into our birdseed mixes.

It means when we bag seed, we know exactly where it stood — on a windy hill, in a not-flat, not-square field, growing in living soil.

It means soil health, biodiversity and commercial reality are being balanced in one place.

Growing seed this way is harder.

It’s less predictable.

It requires more observation and more patience.

But when a sunflower head turns to face the sky on top of that hill, and you know the soil underneath it is improving year on year — that feels right.

Flat Square may not be flat.
It may not be square.

But it’s growing something that makes sense.

And that’s good enough for us.