Page 63 - ALG 1.21

A dead hedge in Devon
At their most basic, dead hedges are simply windrows of woody material that simultaneously absorb woody ‘waste’ and act as a useful barrier. They have a long history, dating back to the woodland clearance and early farming activities of prehistoric times. However, dead hedges have increasingly become part of modern woodland management – not only as a way of disposing neatly of ‘lop and top’ or ‘arisings’ and, if necessary, protecting vulnerable
areas from trampling but also for their very significant wildlife value. As new material is added and older material decomposes, a dead hedge acts as a shelter and habitat for everything from small birds and mammals to fungi and micro-organisms. At the same time, it’s an alternative to burning, so there are also carbon footprint gains.
Harbertonford Allotment Society is constituted through the Parish Council and we rent a small field from a
local farmer. There are currently 22 members and we pride ourselves on being ‘sustainable’: no pesticides or chemical fertilisers are allowed, nor is glass or concrete. No dig, permaculture methods are encouraged as are wild areas on individual plots and wherever practical on the site. However, from the start (10 years ago), these allotments have had a problem with woody waste mainly because of the mature hedging
which borders three sides. Hedges are laid every year but the waste material along with an assortment of perennial weeds and even grass mowings had historically been dumped haphazardly in odd corners of the site, waiting for the one bonfire allowed each autumn. But even this one bonfire a year was becoming a blot on our sustainable record – polluting the atmosphere
and destroying wildlife habitat. It had
to go, especially since lockdown had heightened the need to breath clean air!
After seeing a successful dead hedge
in a garden nearby and with a workday coming up, we finally took action. In non-woodland situations like this, dead hedges are generally contained in some way. We were keen to build something relatively enduring so opted to use 1.8metre ‘green treated permaposts for this; a cursory look online will indicate numerous alternatives. The site was cleared and roughly levelled, and half the posts driven in at approximately half/three-quarter metre intervals,
with a second-row paralleling these about the same distance away. We
then pushed all the woody waste from around the site between these posts, trampling it down and forming stratum no. 1. From now on, all prunings, hedge trimmings etc., coming off plots and removed from the boundary, will be added directly to the hedge, making new
Compressing the woody material. Credit: Jimmy Swindles
The older layers will rot down, creating greater ecological diversity
layers. The older layers will rot down, creating greater ecological diversity
and leaving room for more material. It remains to be seen whether our hedge – around 5 m long – will be adequate or whether we will need to build another at some point.
In addition to setting up the dead hedge, HAS is working to improve the general standard of composting on the site – that is, demonstrate how almost all waste material coming off plots can and should be composted in situ. The site
is relatively inaccessible and it’s always a challenge to bring in bulky manures, so we need to recycle all the nutrients we can.
Gill Gairdner, Harbertonford Allotment Society
plus 8 vacant plots were filled. I have had emails of thanks from allotment associations, saying their waiting lists have never looked so healthy!
I was right in thinking many people simply did not know where their nearest site was, or how to get one. 178 people answered to say they would like an allotment; however, only 21% were on
a waiting list! Surprisingly only 15% said they had realised they wanted an allotment since Covid-19, meaning the majority have wanted one for a while.
Our town council has seen the immense value of allotments, recently voting to manage a site created on a new housing estate. We had a meeting with our local MP to ask her to ensure that national planning law not just provides more sites, but that the soil is protected from the beginning.
But that is not the end of the story. I did not realise at the start of this process, that a group of ordinary people can get together and create a new allotment site. Our Regional Mentor for NAS has helped set up over 60 new sites over
the last 15 years. So, using his 8-step guide, my next step is to try and make the public aware that this is possible, then perhaps change could happen a lot quicker than asking our councillors and politicians!
Our survey asked a lot of questions about what people want from an allotment. We hope that this information will help existing sites and new ones setting up. As expected, most people want to grow food, but 34% want to grow other things like flowers, herbs and dye products. We found out how many people want things like sheds and running water etc, with 22% wanting
A massive 43% wanted to be part of a community allotment to learn how to grow veg
chickens, and 45% wanting fruit trees. A massive 43% wanted to be part of a community allotment to learn how to grow veg, so there is a real opportunity there for more sites to have communal areas, perhaps for chickens or fruit trees, as well as veg. If you’d like to see the survey results in more detail, email community.ttw@gmail.com and I’ll forward the analysis to you.
So, I would encourage readers to repeat at least part of what I’ve done for your local area, to help members of the public know about where all the allotment sites are and help get more people growing. If you would like to see our list, it’s on https://ttw.org.uk/ allotments.
Helen Gillingham, Transition Town Wellington’s Sustainable Food Group
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 63