9th April 2009

Some basket making willow planted down near the spring. In the background some other willow planted a few years go by Withy Liz, now ready for cutting and replanting. It's a bit late in the year for this, but with Spring being damp and planting near the stream we have decided to give it a try.



Looking on

15 February 2009

Planting in Little Stitch Field around some 7 year old survivors - Ash and Hawthorn. In the middle of the top hay fields this small enclosure is too stony to maintain as meadow. Put in a mix of Ash Sycamore and oak along the northern boundary.































In the second meadow the willow archway has partially died back, so we decided to trim and replant the willows to form a wider access across the green lane to give tractor access to the The Slope field our worst bracken affected field. Some digger work needed first to flatten historic cattle erosion.















Lots of orange fungi growing around the site, hence the new title image.

Latest arrivals at Cranken are some Belted Galloway cows. They are feasting on our hay meadow to see how they like it and if it helps the condition of the grassland.














The two year old beech trees transplanted into a lined trench last October have survived meaning the rabbit fencing is working well. We now have on-site storage for whips to go in this February and are trialling two trenches filled with birch and ash seeds. These are for tree stock in 2-3 years. If they work well, more trenches next year and a greater variety of stock. Making more use of this space means we can suppress the bracken that has taken over and be more self sustainable in generating our own supply of tree stock. Could also create a sheltered spot to gather for work breaks in windy weather.

The alders that survived the dry spell last Spring have done well, doubling their height and a good start to the shelter belt for the new orchard. Also being tried is some interplanting of Elder sticks to see if they will root and provide some low level growth to shelter new trees.