UK Frost, Hardiness Zones & Sowing Dates

Apodemus

unrecordings wrote: »

If you're so inclined (and have enough time on your hands to think) it's fascinating to consider all the little local conditions that make up your small holding/plot/garden. I'm just in the lee of the pennines so a lot of the nasty stuff from the west tends to pass right over us but at a more local scale, anything from the north tends to rake down the treeline of the woods at the bottom of the garden

In part, I garden for the wildlife benefit and tend to look at creating the maximum variation in ecological niches around the garden. This means bringing the climatic and weather effects right down to the smallest local scale - that dry, east-facing 6-inch mound to the base of the young ash tree, where I keep the grass short for the mining bees; or that damp bit by the old horse trough where I let the ferns grow up in front of a pile of old sticks which the newts love, etc. You get the idea.

...then the #%@£* badger comes and digs it all up! :rotfl:

unrecordings

Apodemus wrote: »

In part, I garden for the wildlife benefit and tend to look at creating the maximum variation in ecological niches around the garden. This means bringing the climatic and weather effects right down to the smallest local scale - that dry, east-facing 6-inch mound to the base of the young ash tree, where I keep the grass short for the mining bees; or that damp bit by the old horse trough where I let the ferns grow up in front of a pile of old sticks which the newts love, etc. You get the idea.

...then the #%@£* badger comes and digs it all up! :rotfl:

I like your style

Big rocks seem to work in putting badgers off, dig them in a little bit if you think (or find) that the badgers might be able to roll them

harrys_nan

this may be of use to some people

https://www.gardenfocused.co.uk/

Davesnave

unrecordings wrote: »

If you're so inclined (and have enough time on your hands to think) it's fascinating to consider all the little local conditions that make up your small holding/plot/garden.

We've never had so many different environments, but they're spread-out, interrupted by inconvenient bits of fields, so there are some places that are wild gardened, but not visited daily. These are joined by managed hedgerows, where we're not minded to alter things much as regards introducing extra species.

Our plot runs to 5.5 acres and slopes gently to the south into one side of a small valley, though one part drops steeply near the stream at the bottom, so we've changed that to a small woodland. Below that it's very shady and damp where ferns can grow. The rest is mainly grassed, but there's a mature orchard and a willow grove.

We had to plant shelter hedging and trees near the house gardens to give relief from strong winds and summer sun, but there are gaps because we wanted to keep some views. The gardens are about an acre and legal now, as they were poached from field 20 years ago, by our predecessors. Ooops!

There's also a huge lump of a modern barn, which we've mostly hidden, but that has a very sheltered yard which remains undeveloped. I'd like to do something with salvias and other tenderish plants there one day.

With the climate changing, I'm seeing more vineyards springing-up near us, and knowing that sheep/arable farming is totally profitless on remnant land such as ours, it can only be a matter of time before something like grapes or other fruit takes the place of the woolly monsters!

unrecordings

Davesnave wrote: »

Our plot runs to 5.5 acres and slopes gently to the south into one side of a small valley, though one part drops steeply near the stream at the bottom, so we've changed that to a small woodland. Below that it's very shady and damp where ferns can grow. The rest is mainly grassed, but there's a mature orchard and a willow grove.

Sounds idyllic. I'd be getting wild garlic established down near that stream. And depending what's upstream, watercress (because I always loved the infrastructure of an old fashioned watercress bed, very much like the goyts etc of our local water powered forges).

silverwhistle

Davesnave wrote: »

Our plot runs to 5.5 acres

Part jealousy, part 'aargh, the work!'.:-) That's a good bit of land for variety. My own terrace house has the stove woodpiles and covered store down the bottom of the garden (and another area for rotten bits), there's a hedgehog that at least visits (don't think he's resident, but might be) and the neighbour's cats brings in mice, so there's obviously a bit of habitat for them!



I've just taken on 110 sq. metres of allotment and even that seems a lot to me.. I might try an incorporate a few [STRIKE]weeds[/STRIKE] wild flowers, but by the looks of my overgrown plot and the neighbours' they certainly don't need any more bindweed..



Your comments about vineyards is an interesting point. I'm in Hampshire and some quite well established vineyards here, but earlier in the year had a good white from Devon, bought from Aldi, of all places. My GF this week brought over a Dorset Pinot Noir ros! from a friend which looks like a hobbyist's production but we haven't tried it yet. When I lived in a wine growing area in Italy there were plenty of people with small, non-commercial plots producing unlabelled bottles. Some were drinkable, even very much so, but others.. Maybe that's the future of your poor land down there.

Davesnave

unrecordings wrote: »

Sounds idyllic. I'd be getting wild garlic established down near that stream. And depending what's upstream, watercress .

Upstream? A couple of septic tanks (!) but this isn't a stream that runs all year, unfortunately. We have dry periods, like now, when it's just a wet ditch, but still great for those moisture-loving plants that can take some shade, which other wise wouldn't survive or do well. We planted the wild garlic about 5 years ago and it's romped away!

I wanted a place with a river or a large pond, but it was not to be. We'd like to make a pond, but the funds aren't there just now. We're still trying to finish the house renovation and essential hard landscaping.

Our soil isn't poor by local standards; it's light and fast-draining, meaning extra input. Luckily, there's enough equestrians nearby that the manure supply doesn't falter..

We work with a traditional farmer; one of a dying breed. So, we get about 25-30 sheep in winter and grow a hay crop in summer, which keeps the fields in shape. Having sorted out a severe weed problem over 10 years and laid perimeter hedges, the land management is easier at last.

Idyllic? Hmmmm... I wouldn't advocate mixing enthusiastic gardening with smallholding. They both have attractions, but there are only so many hours in a day and neither makes you rich! In our earlier life, selling plants at weekend events, we met many people who did both, but they were wealthy enough to employ help. We meet similar people on NGS visits here, and they're usually like us; on a knife edge, trying to hold everything together!:rotfl:

Davesnave

silverwhistle wrote: »

I've just taken on 110 sq. metres of allotment and even that seems a lot to me.. I might try an incorporate a few [STRIKE]weeds[/STRIKE] wild flowers, but by the looks of my overgrown plot and the neighbours' they certainly don't need any more bindweed.

We had a couple of allotments back in the 1980s and it soon became clear that abandonment and subsequent weed seeding was going to be part and parcel of the experience.Those allotments are now much better managed and there's even a waiting list, so yours could improve over time too if there is a resurgence of interest locally.

I can't say what changed, as we eventually bought a house with 1/4 acre instead, but I'd say that stability was key. Back in those days, we were forever threatened with the council developing the land, instead of giving us support.

unrecordings

Davesnave wrote: »

Upstream? A couple of septic tanks (!)

...bubble burst...

...well the idyll was pure fantasy for me, tiring enough just thinking about it in this weather

silverwhistle

Think you're right. My new neighbours seem pleased that someone has taken on the plot and there are visible signs of progress, a mad woman wielding a mattock, for one! A couple of them put down cardboard and plastic to keep the weeds down.

There's plenty of horse manure at the gate to the allotments, equestrians round here are probably the biggest crop, along with outdoor raised pigs (!), but a fellow plot holder commented it seemed very dry. I'm certainly going to use it though, just hope it's not affected by worming chemicals.


PS: I'd love to have a pond or a stream: once an angler always an angler. Small stream and pond fishing can be fascinating, not that I ever caught much!