Nature on your farm.

Fluppen

Thanks for the replies, the CPBS actually said at the time that there were several people with similar issues as they had also just changed their membership due date to one set date every year instead of taking the date of joining. They were planning to write a letter to the department to explain but after my appeal was rejected I just gave up and stopped keeping track of my actions and doing the paperwork so no way I can appeal again I think. Anyway I don't want to derail the nature thread too much with my moaning. Fingers crossed the new grant scheme will be good for farmers and nature and be a bit more understanding of administration issues

White Clover

minerleague wrote: »

Sorry to hear this, find dept. inspectors have a "computer says no" attitude with little leeway for genuine examples like above.

Completely agree with this. No matter how high up you go the response will be " i'm only doing what I'm told"
Or, if they say, you can ring my boss to see, and the boss then says he has to ring his boss. In my eyes, any of them aren't capable of correct decision making when put on the spot.

Buford T. Justice XIX

The paddock of grass for the early ewes was covered with spider threads the last few days, love seeing it.

And our guard dog spent the whole day minding us from a hedgehog, probably the only animal smaller than her on the farm.

NcdJd

Orange Peel fungus... I think...

Fluppen

Whenever I'm in or near my workshop there's a watchful eye on me

Dinzee Conlee

Fluppen wrote: »

Whenever I'm in or near my workshop there's a watchful eye on me

Having read the caption - I wasn’t sure where that photo was going to go...

gozunda

Fluppen wrote: »

Whenever I'm in or near my workshop there's a watchful eye on me

Willy wagtails.

I remember this from when I was a nipper

Little Trotty Wagtail
by John Clare

Little trotty wagtail he went in the rain,
And tittering, tottering sideways he ne’er got straight again,

He stooped to get a worm, and looked up to get a fly,

And then he flew away ere his feathers they were dry.

Little trotty wagtail, he waddled in the mud,
And left his little footmarks, trample where he would.

He waddled in the water-pudge, and waggle went his tail,

And chirrupt up his wings to dry upon the garden rail.

Little trotty wagtail, you nimble all about,
And in the dimpling water-pudge you waddle in and out;

Your home is nigh at hand, and in the warm pig-stye,

So, little Master Wagtail, I'll bid you a good-bye.

Sadly many thosands of wagtails disappeared from O'Connell St. In Dublin when they chopped down the Plane trees which grew there up to 1980s

https://amp.independent.ie/life/country-matters-happy-hoppers-in-treetops-hotel-39084614.html

imokyrok

Genghis Cant wrote: »

I like the sole gin myself but I'm much happier to go pick sloes elsewhere rather than plant Blackthorn and have it spread out from the hedge!
Won't be long till I'll gather a few lbs of them. Stick em in the freezer and they're ready to rock then.
You don't have to stop at Sloe Gin. Sloe Whiskey and Sloe Vodka is good too.
Also, possibly the nicest of all is Damson Gin. A unique flavour. There's nothing else like damson.

Damson Gin! What a great idea. I must see if I can squeeze a damson tree into the garden.

imokyrok

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.

The book by Martin Crawford 'Creating A Forest Garden' would give you some good ideas if you want a hedge you can forage from. Fantastic book.

endainoz

Many here (virtually) attending bio farm this year? I'm really looking forward to it myself!

minerleague

endainoz wrote: »

Keeping on the hedging topic, some great info here!

https://www.farmingfornature.ie/resources/best-practice-guides/hedgerow-management/

Read this, very good, only problem those who read it probably already doing whats recommended, while those who need to read wont

amadangomor

gozunda wrote: »

Willy wagtails.

I remember this from when I was a nipper



Sadly many thosands of wagtails disappeared from O'Connell St. In Dublin when they chopped down the Plane trees which grew there up to 1980s

https://amp.independent.ie/life/country-matters-happy-hoppers-in-treetops-hotel-39084614.html

Was a one legged one around my place for a couple of months. Hopefully he's still hopping around the place. you'd wonder how he's survive as they seem to chase a lot of their prey on foot.

NcdJd

imokyrok wrote: »

The book by Martin Crawford 'Creating A Forest Garden' would give you some good ideas if you want a hedge you can forage from. Fantastic book.

I was only going to get a couple of Alder trees to plant beside all the Ash trees that are not looking too good due to that Ash Dieback disease. But has mushroomed now to

Fruit Hedge - Trees so far

Medlar Brabant Giant + a couple of small Nottingham varieties I've in the current orchard
Damson Shepherds Bullace ( Yellow Damsons )
Damson Merryweather + move orchard ones
Cornelian cherry
Ornamental Hawthorn Crimson Cloud
Rowan, Mountain Ash
Gooseberries ( moving from a bad location )
Hazel
Bird Cherry - Prunus padus
Elderflower- Black Lace

Field boundaries

Common Alder
Native Aspen
Copper Beech
2 Lilac Trees ( don't ask )
A 100 2-3 year bareroot native hawthorn for patching up and replacing downed / rotted trees.
Undecided on Willow, will be either that or Alder or Birch

Orchard

2 x Arthur Turner Cooking Apples ( used to have them but chopped then down during reorg 2 years ago - too big to move )
2 x Greensleeves Apples ( Just for a different colour apple )

Will keep me busy for a couple of weeks and might even take some of that belly I've developed since lockdown ha

Capercaillie

NcdJd wrote: »

I was only going to get a couple of Alder trees to plant beside all the Ash trees that are not looking too good due to that Ash Dieback disease. But has mushroomed now to

Fruit Hedge - Trees so far

Medlar Brabant Giant + a couple of small Nottingham varieties I've in the current orchard
Damson Shepherds Bullace ( Yellow Damsons )
Damson Merryweather + move orchard ones
Cornelian cherry
Ornamental Hawthorn Crimson Cloud
Rowan, Mountain Ash
Gooseberries ( moving from a bad location )
Hazel

Field boundaries

Common Alder
Native Aspen
Copper Beech
2 Lilac Trees ( don't ask )
A 100 2-3 year bareroot native hawthorn for patching up and replacing downed / rotted trees.
Undecided on Willow, will be either that or Alder or Birch

Orchard

2 x Arthur Turner Cooking Apples ( used to have them but chopped then down during reorg 2 years ago - too big to move )
2 x Greensleeves Apples ( Just for a different colour apple )

Will keep me busy for a couple of weeks and might even take some of that belly I've developed since lockdown ha

Willow tends to grow savage quick and overpowers everthing else in a hedge.

NcdJd

Capercaillie wrote: »

Willow tends to grow savage quick and overpowers everthing else in a hedge.

It's for a damp part of a field but I am leaning more to Alder or Birch Capercaillie.

NcdJd

I was going to get some oak but the oak moth caterpillars put me off. Knowing my luck I'll be the first to get infestations of them so will leave them out.

Plenty of flocks of Redwing and Mistle thrushes this year. They are everywhere which is good.

imokyrok

NcdJd wrote: »

I was only going to get a couple of Alder trees to plant beside all the Ash trees that are not looking too good due to that Ash Dieback disease. But has mushroomed now to

Fruit Hedge - Trees so far

Medlar Brabant Giant + a couple of small Nottingham varieties I've in the current orchard
Damson Shepherds Bullace ( Yellow Damsons )
Damson Merryweather + move orchard ones
Cornelian cherry
Ornamental Hawthorn Crimson Cloud
Rowan, Mountain Ash
Gooseberries ( moving from a bad location )
Hazel

Field boundaries

Common Alder
Native Aspen
Copper Beech
2 Lilac Trees ( don't ask )
A 100 2-3 year bareroot native hawthorn for patching up and replacing downed / rotted trees.
Undecided on Willow, will be either that or Alder or Birch

Orchard

2 x Arthur Turner Cooking Apples ( used to have them but chopped then down during reorg 2 years ago - too big to move )
2 x Greensleeves Apples ( Just for a different colour apple )

Will keep me busy for a couple of weeks and might even take some of that belly I've developed since lockdown ha

Lovely list

I've just added two Hazel trees to my garden. A Webbs Prize Cobb which is supposed to be very prolific and for cross pollination a Rode Zellernoot which is also prolific and very beautiful with red leaves. Also adding a couple more varieties of elderberry because I adore that tree for it's flowers and berries for drinks and desserts. The variety Black Lace is especially beautiful.

imokyrok

imokyrok wrote: »

Lovely list

I've just added two Hazel trees to my garden. A Webbs Prize Cobb which is supposed to be very prolific and for cross pollination a Rode Zellernoot which is also prolific and very beautiful with red leaves. Also adding a couple more varieties of elderberry because I adore that tree for it's flowers and berries for drinks and desserts. The variety Black Lace is especially beautiful.

Other fruits I've added recently are thornless gooseberry and blackberry. Also a carpeting variety of raspberry for the under storey. Betty Ashburner. I also bought a couple of self supporting upright raspberries but I'll be planting them in pots because I've found before they are hard to control.

imokyrok

NcdJd wrote: »

It's for a damp part of a field but I am leaning more to Alder or Birch Capercaillie.

If it's damp you could think of adding some fiddlehead ferns for the understorey. Another food source. I got the last 2 Matteuccia Struthiopteris in Tullys last week but no doubt they'll be back in spring.

imokyrok

Capercaillie wrote: »

Willow tends to grow savage quick and overpowers everthing else in a hedge.

Agree. Keeping on top of willow is very difficult. I now keep my one cut to a stump because it grows out of control. It was towering over everything and blocking light.

imokyrok

The small leafed lime is also a good one to consider because its leaves are good salad leaves. Tilia Cordata. Can be topped at head height as a bush or let grow depending on the site.

NcdJd

imokyrok wrote: »

Lovely list

I've just added two Hazel trees to my garden. A Webbs Prize Cobb which is supposed to be very prolific and for cross pollination a Rode Zellernoot which is also prolific and very beautiful with red leaves. Also adding a couple more varieties of elderberry because I adore that tree for it's flowers and berries for drinks and desserts. The variety Black Lace is especially beautiful.

I've a few different cultivars of cobnuts already including the two you mentioned but the squirrels are more sharper than me when it comes to harvesting anything off them.

I never knew there was a black version of elderflower. Looks fantastic! I've plenty of the native elderflower and can be a scourge around the place but will add two of the black lace to my list. There was a lady that used to come in and pick elderflowerheads and throw me a couple of bottles of elderflower cordial. Lovely stuff very refreshing. I saw something on a program a while back that you can also make Turkish delight out of the flowers.

gozunda

NcdJd wrote: »

I've a few different cultivars of cobnuts already including the two you mentioned but the squirrels are more sharper than me when it comes to harvesting anything off them.

I never knew there was a black version of elderflower. Looks fantastic! I've plenty of the native elderflower and can be a scourge around the place but will add two of the black lace to my list. There was a lady that used to come in and pick elderflowerheads and throw me a couple of bottles of elderflower cordial. Lovely stuff very refreshing. I saw something on a program a while back that you can also make Turkish delight out of the flowers.

A good one to include is Bird Cherry - Prunus padus.

A smaller tree - the small black fruits are loved by birds and leaves attract many insects.

NcdJd

gozunda wrote: »

A good one to include is Bird Cherry - Prunus padus.

A smaller tree - the small black fruits are loved by birds and leaves attract many insects.

Will add one of them too gozunda thanks for that man.

Dinzee Conlee

imokyrok wrote: »

Other fruits I've added recently are thornless gooseberry and blackberry. Also a carpeting variety of raspberry for the under storey. Betty Ashburner. I also bought a couple of self supporting upright raspberries but I'll be planting them in pots because I've found before they are hard to control.

What is the variety of the gooseberry, and where did you get them?

I got gooseberry plants a while back - but they were leathal with thorns. Ended up giving em away

Be very interested in the thornless ones though...

NcdJd

A nice ripe gooseberry is well worth the short term pain Dinzee

forgottenhills

This hedging subject is great NcdJd and almost needs a thread of its own! I didn't know that parts of (certain varieties of fern) were edible for one thing. Like another poster said raspberries are great for easy growing and producing but I am not sure that I would recommend them for a hedge as they tend to spread like common briars.

Another shrub/small tree that you might consider for your hedge is the Bay Leaf. It grows well in Ireland in sites where frost isn't too bad. It is a small evergreen tree/bush, with dense dark green foliage and with the pleasant bay leaf smell when the foliage is broken or cut back. And of course you can use the leaves in your recipes.

NcdJd

forgottenhills wrote: »

This hedging subject is great NcdJd and almost needs a thread of its own! I didn't know that parts of (certain varieties of fern) were edible for one thing. Like another poster said raspberries are great for easy growing and producing but I am not sure that I would recommend them for a hedge as they tend to spread like common briars.

Another shrub/small tree that you might consider for your hedge is the Bay Leaf. It grows well in Ireland in sites where frost isn't too bad. It is a small evergreen tree/bush, with dense dark green foliage and with the pleasant bay leaf smell when the foliage is broken or cut back. And of course you can use the leaves in your recipes.

Thanks Forgottenhills, at some stage I'd like to get some Logan berries. I had Autumn fruiting raspberries but found them hit and miss.

Dinzee Conlee

NcdJd wrote: »

Thanks Forgottenhills, at some stage I'd like to get some Logan berries. I had Autumn fruiting raspberries but found them hit and miss.

Speaking of Autumn raspberries - we are still getting some raspberries off ours here... I was surprised, given we’re almost in mid November...

gozunda

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Speaking of Autumn raspberries - we are still getting some raspberries off ours here... I was surprised, given we’re almost in mid November...

I have early summer fruiting varieties here with some berries still growing and ripening atm.

That and the birds have been having a whale of a time on the crab apple trees.