Nature on your farm.

Dinzee Conlee

NcdJd wrote: »

Love this time of the year.

What are the big tall trees, along the boundary to the left in second last pic?
Savage lookin field...

How come the headland is doing so bad in the first pic?

NcdJd

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

What are the big tall trees, along the boundary to the left in second last pic?
Savage lookin field...

How come the headland is doing so bad in the first pic?

I had some photos of the foliage close up, I was going to post it in here as I'm not sure what them trees are. I'll search on my phone Dinzee. I was thinking Aspen not sure why.

Yes it is a lovely field, wish it was mine ha.

It's very damp and shaded maybe the soil is cooler so germination was slower ? It's starting to peep up.

NcdJd

There's another photo of them earlier in the year. Similar looking to populars but I don't know. Shape seems to be different.

Edit - just reading up about the aspen tree and it is a member of the popular family doh!

Danzy

Possible native aspen

NcdJd

Danzy wrote: »

Possible native aspen

Thanks Danzy I'm going to add two of them to my shopping tree list later in the month.

NcdJd

Nice rainbow but didn't find any gold at the end of it!

gozunda

NcdJd wrote: »

Nice rainbow but didn't find any gold at the end of it!

Ah you didn't dig down far enough obviously.

That said you wouldn't do much digging here today. Absolutely flogging it down. Ground is completely saturated. On the plus side the pond is full.

NcdJd

gozunda wrote: »

Ah you didn't dig down far enough obviously.

That said you wouldn't do much digging here today. Absolutely flogging it down. Ground is completely saturated. On the plus side the pond is full.

I actually was out with the spade today. Letting water in ditches go and clearing away blockages. Something satisfying with unblocking drains. That was my gold for the day ha.

Danzy

NcdJd wrote: »

Thanks Danzy I'm going to add two of them to my shopping tree list later in the month.

Very easy to grow from cuttings, easy as it gets.

Danzy

NcdJd wrote: »

Nice rainbow but didn't find any gold at the end of it!

There might not have been gold but I can smell the money from here. It's great looking ground. 😜

Rows Grower

NcdJd wrote: »

I actually was out with the spade today. Letting water in ditches go and clearing away blockages. Something satisfying with unblocking drains. That was my gold for the day ha.

Unreal feeling when you finally open it up again and it all gushes away!

Water John

Rows Grower wrote: »

Unreal feeling when you finally open it up again and it all gushes away!

Nearly as good as freeing the sewer pipe.

NcdJd

Danzy wrote: »

There might not have been gold but I can smell the money from here. It's great looking ground. 😜

There will be a smell off it in about 8 months, but will be of garlic! They lads had a tough job getting that in but done a great job considering the heaviness of the soil.

Danzy

NcdJd wrote: »

There will be a smell off it in about 8 months, but will be of garlic! They lads had a tough job getting that in but done a great job considering the heaviness of the soil.

Great to hear.
Please put some photos up of the field in bloom.

Base price

There was a lot of onions sown near my Mam's house a few years ago. I used to love the smell when they were harvesting them along with collecting them off the side of the road outside her house. Mam's house is on a bend and a few would fall off the trailer

Danzy

One of my favourite memories is going on horseback with the brother to a field of Turnips after harvest. We were told get one.

Two shopping bags full each, banged the horse and let it find it's way home.

NcdJd

Base price wrote: »

There was a lot of onions sown near my Mam's house a few years ago. I used to love the smell when they were harvesting them along with collecting them off the side of the road outside her house. Mam's house is on a bend and a few would fall off the trailer

Reminds me something my father told me when he was young, man up the road from us ( still alive and son still farming ) used to grow peas. Harvesting involved taking the whole plant and throwing them in a trailer. Whe he'd hit the crossroads my father and kids from around the area used to wait on the tractor to turn left. They used to take a handful off the trailer as it would be packed up with them. Farmer used to pretend he didn't see them

NcdJd

Danzy wrote: »

One of my favourite memories is going on horseback with the brother to a field of Turnips after harvest. We were told get one.

Two shopping bags full each, banged the horse and let it find it's way home.

And I bet they weren't "staggy" like the ****e you'd get in the shops now. Always maintained the best tasting turnips are the crop you'd have to thin out by hand. The turnip plant is left laying on the surface so when the turnip forms a large part of it is growing out of the ground. Two chops of the knife and you wouldn't even need to wash them.

We used to have a labradour dog called Jack, he'd bring out my father's knife to the fields. Every so often my father would slice one up and throw it to Jack, he'd sit in the alley eating away at it. We used to do the same as the turnips were lovely and sweet. Into the two stone bags and off to the market the next morning.

gozunda

Danzy wrote: »

Very easy to grow from cuttings, easy as it gets.

That and willow. Anyone who wants to take cuttings - now is a good time. Pencil width cuttings 30 cm or longer of willow etc stripped of any branches or leaves and planted a couple of inches into a seed bed or where you want them to grow should do the job. Handy to quickly fill a few gaps in hedges if needed.

Base price

gozunda wrote: »

That and willow. Anyone who wants to take cuttings - now is a good time. Pencil width cuttings 30 cm or longer of willow etc stripped of any branches or leaves and planted a couple of inches into a seed bed or where you want them to grow should do the job. Handy to quickly fill a few gaps in hedges if needed.

Would the same go if you wanted to take hawthorn cuttings or should I wait until later on.
I have a hedge that I planted double row with bought in quicks three years ago. It's growing well but there is about 15' where rushes have taken over. I'm going to cut the rushes back to the butt by hand.

gozunda

Base price wrote: »

Would the same go if you wanted to take hawthorn cuttings or should I wait until later on.
I have a hedge that I planted double row with bought in quicks three years ago. It's growing well but there is about 15' where rushes have taken over. I'm going to cut the rushes back to the butt by hand.

Hawthorns are not as quick to propagate as willow. But from now onwards is a good time

Take cutting that are 20 to 25 cm long. Make sure to select wood that is healthy. It may take several months the hawthorn to root and up to 18 months to fully propagate

Place cuttings in a tray or pot filled with a potting mix and use rooting compound if you can find it. Place pot somewhere like a cold-frame or cover with a transparent plastic bag away from direct sunlight. And keep an eye on them.

Alternatively you should find young rooted trees anywhere you find hawthorns growing. Pot up and leave grow on - then plant out next autumn

Base price

gozunda wrote: »

Hawthorns are not as quick to propagate as willow. But from now onwards is a good time

Take cutting that are 20 to 25 cm long. Make sure to select wood that is healthy. It may take several months the hawthorn to root and up to 18 months to fully propagate

Place cuttings in a tray or pot filled with a potting mix and use rooting compound if you can find it. Place pot somewhere like a cold-water or cover with a transparent plastic bag away from direct sunlight. And keep an eye on them.

Alternatively you should find young rooted trees anywhere you find hawthorns growing. Pot up and leave grow on - then plant out next autumn

Thanks for the info - I will have a look along the hedgerows in the next few weeks to see if I can find sapling growing.

endainoz

Hazel is another one that grows from cuttings. I found out accidentally, was making a tee-pee shape for runner beans with hazel as its has good strong branches. Went to move them recently and realized they had taken root! I'm sure there are plenty of others like that, alder perhaps?

NcdJd

endainoz wrote: »

Hazel is another one that grows from cuttings. I found out accidentally, was making a tee-pee shape for runner beans with hazel as its has good strong branches. Went to move them recently and realized they had taken root! I'm sure there are plenty of others like that, alder perhaps?

I've found from contributers on here both Willow and Aspen. Must try Hazel as it's awkward making holes in established hedgerows i have here. I've some Hazel hedging to cut back a bit. Would be interesting to know if Alder can be established the same way.

endainoz

NcdJd wrote: »

I've found from contributers on here both Willow and Aspen. Must try Hazel as it's awkward making holes in established hedgerows i have here. I've some Hazel hedging to cut back a bit. Would be interesting to know if Alder can be established the same way.

I'm interested in planting some new hedging myself, I'd imagine it's coming close to the time to do it?

NcdJd

endainoz wrote: »

I'm interested in planting some new hedging myself, I'd imagine it's coming close to the time to do it?

Yeah perfect time now and the next few weeks. I'm gonna split a field in two and an thinking of doing a sort of fruit hedge. Medlar, damsons ( cultivated variety ), couple of hawthorn, mountain ash. Maybe a few apples/ pears. Not going fully up the field, leaving room at each headland for tractor. Not really sure where I'm going with this but it's in my head and can't get the idea out of my head now

Edit i suppose not really a hedge as trees will be spaced a couple of feet apart. I think hawthorn is a lovely tree on it's own.

Base price

NcdJd wrote: »

Yeah perfect time now and the next few weeks. I'm gonna split a field in two and an thinking of doing a sort of fruit hedge. Medlar, damsons ( cultivated variety ), couple of hawthorn, mountain ash. Maybe a few apples/ pears. Not going fully up the field, leaving room at each headland for tractor. Not really sure where I'm going with this but it's in my head and can't get the idea out of my head now

Edit i suppose not really a hedge as trees will be spaced a couple of feet apart. I think hawthorn is a lovely tree on it's own.

I had to look up Medlar, I don't think I ever heard of it. How about adding a few gooseberries and blackcurrant bushes too.

NcdJd

Base price wrote: »

I had to look up Medlar, I don't think I ever heard of it. How about adding a few gooseberries and blackcurrant bushes too.

I've a row of blackcurrants already Base. But might add a gooseberry Bush as the ones I have don't seem to be growing very well where they are.

Medlars are a very old fruit and don't look like much but you can make a sort of "cheese" out of them after allowing them to blet ( over rippen ) it's lovely spread on toast and cannot figure out why it doesn't seem to be available in the shops as it has a distinct flavour. Probably to to with the preparation.

I'll see if I have a photo of my own attempt. Anyone i gave a pot of it to wanted to know had I anymore

http://www.bakerattlenroll.com/2014/12/medlars-cheese-and-jelly/

NcdJd

Some photos of a medlar tree i used to have but had to get rid of it due some building activity. Turns flame red in autumn.

forgottenhills

NcdJd wrote: »

Some photos of a medlar tree i used to have but had to get rid of it due some building activity. Turns flame red in autumn.

Very interesting, I've never seen these before. Maybe you could also include some hazel and plum trees in your fruit hedge? Great idea!