Hedges # 3

Clawydd (earth bank with dry stone walls) in Gwynedd.
 
Photo taken from the window of one of the 'great little trains of Wales' www.talyllyn.co.uk/.

We had a lovely day out on the train, seeing the waterfall at Dolgoch and building sandcastles on the beach at Tywyn > perfect!

Hedge # 2

            Comparing a map of 1920 with today, we can see that approximately 1km of hedging has either been removed or replaced with wire in the last 100 or so years on the 16 acres which comprise Tymawr farm.  If we assume that the width of these hedges including any associated ditches was approximately 3 metres, three-quarters of an acre of rich wildlife habitat has been lost in that time.

             Hedges wonderfully illustrate the main principles of the way that we want to farm Tymawr in the future: They are productive, permanent, polycultural and aesthetically pleasing: They provide habitat and sustenance for wildlife; food, fuel and timber for the farm;  their combination of shrubs, trees and weeds improves the soil; used together with ditches they help to drain and improve otherwise unproductive pasture; they provide a shelter in extreme weather for farm animals; finally, they act as a stock-proof barrier.  This is a great illustration of the Lean-Passive farming model which we want to create.  Compare this with a wire fence which has largely replaced the hedge– it is stock-proof certainly, but provides none of the other advantages of a hedge: Wire fences illustrate nearly everything which is wrong with conventional farming:  They are single-purpose, they provide no ongoing financial contribution to the farm, they wastefully use valuable resources, they contribute nothing to the improvement of the soil, the stock, the indigenous wildlife or the farm; they are ugly!

            Over a period of years we aim to rehabilitate Tymawr Farm, with projects including: hedge planting & restoration, creation of a forest garden, drainage and water management projects including improvement of the brook and creation of new ponds, traditional cider orchard creation and the establishment of pedigree herds of local, primitive and unimproved breeds of pig, cattle, sheep and poultry.  With these ambitious goals in mind, a great starting point, achievable in a relatively short period of time, is the restoration of the first 100 metres of hedge, including re-establishing the 1920 route of the hedge which followed the contour of the land in the traditional manner, this meandering route was replaced by a 'rational' straight line in the 1970s.

            The ancient hedges which still remain intact on the farm mark the boundary between fields, roads and adjoining properties.  A quick survey of these reveals a good selection of native species: At the “overstorey” level, mature Beech, Oak, Sycamore, Birch, Wild Cherry and Ash are widespread; sometimes found as ‘veteran’ trees of several hundred years of age and standing alone in glorious isolation; sometimes younger trees, in particular Birch, clustered together as if for company.  Less widespread ‘specimen’ trees include Yew, Walnut, Plum and a 100ft tall Eucalyptus, planted in the 1970s.  At the “canopy” or shrub level, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Holly, Dogrose, Elder and Hazel comprise the majority of species; intertwined with these, often only noticeable in season are the climbers: Blackberry, Hedge-Bindweed and, not strictly on Tymawr Farm but tantalizingly close, just over the lane and much coveted by me – a glorious wild Hop, climbing a telegraph pole.  Not strictly a climber, Mistletoe is found colonizing the upper branches of the Beech and Oak.  Finally, at the “ground level”, Wild Strawberries are abundant along Cwm Road, Stinging Nettle, Garlic Mustard, Hogweed, Dead Nettle, Cow Parsley, Various Grasses, Snowdrop, Bluebell, Dandelion and Buttercup are the most easily recognized, with many more probably identifiable by the trained eye.

             This incredibly diverse polyculture exists within a wide range of microclimates, from sunny, sheltered and dry, to shaded, exposed and wet, with every permutation and combination inbetween.  These microclimates, partly created by aspect, soil, microtopology and partly by the hedge itself, create an ever changing habitat, supporting a wide range of wildlife and plants in a compact area.  It is not uncommon to find 4 or 5 distinct microclimates in 10 metres of hedge.

              This combination of plant species and microclimate in turn attracts, nurtures and supports a surprisingly wide range of wildlife.  Generally, birds nest in the "overstorey" and "canopy" layers, feeding on fruits and insects; insects including bees and lepidoptera feed on the pollen and nectar produced by the tree blossom and flowers; small mammals feed and shelter in the dense hedge base; larger mammals use the hedge as a "corridor" to allow them to pass from their sleeping area to feeding and mating areas unseen; predators use the cover provided by the hedge to lie in wait for their prey.

             The soil and the wildlife are not the only potential beneficiaries of the hedge; the farm benefits in a really tangible way too; country wines, syrups, preserves and port and gin-adulterants are made from the hedge-fruits and flowers, the Hazel contributes bean-stakes and charcoal-faggots, "canopy" layer trees contribute firewood and timber, nuts and mast from the Hazel and Beech contribute protein-rich human and pig food, holly and mistletoe can be made into festive wreaths and kissing-encouragers, numerous herbs and salad crops from the "ground" layer put food on the table throughout the year.  The hedge pays its way.

Hedge # 1 - Design

I love a hedge, and I've been thinking a lot about them recently!  There are several ancient hedges at Tymawr-Farm in a poor state (sometimes only evidenced by a few knarly old thorn trees every 4 or 5 metres), and also several post-and-rail fences with no adjacent hedge at all.  Long term I would like to rehabilitate the former and create a great new hedge in the latter.

A hedge is a wonderful thing, a great example of how everything on the farm should be in due course:

• Permanent: with minimal maintenance.
• Intensive: creating a large amount and diversity of products in a small space. Eventually I need to make £5,000 per acre net profit and I can't afford for fences just to be barriers!
• Multi-purpose: providing a stock-proof barrier, berries and nuts, firewood, timber, wildlife, bee and game habitat, a windbreak and hopefully longer term truffles (see later).
• Metal-free: in the medium and long term metal will be too valuable to be used for any applications other than tools and machines.  We plan to get used to inevitabilities sooner rather than later!  (We understand that we'll have to temporarily fence using stock fence and barbed wire, but that can be recycled longer term!)

(As you can see I love PIMMs!)

My first project is a 100m fence running North-South, currently post-and-rail.  The land slopes gently from East to West.  The cross-section will look like this (modelled on Sepp Holzer's raised beds):

Hedge 'mound' cross-section

The plant species must fulfil the 'hedge' function of being stock-proof, but also provide the multi-purpose functionality that I need.  My intial thoughts are:

Hawthorn
Blackthorn
Elder
Hazel
Holly
Oak (every 20 metres or so)

I would like the Hazel and Oak to be 'infected' (if that's the right description) with Summer Truffle, and hopefully look forward to a delicious and productive crop as well as high quality charcoal, beanpoles and timber!  I've been following the fortunes of www.plantationsystems.com/home for a while since I saw an article on them in the Telegraph a few years ago.  A clever system and a nice chap seemingly.