Thanks, Jimmy. It's a great plant isn't it! For something to have been around for as long as this primeval survior is truly amazing (I think I read once that in prehistoric times close relatives of this plant grew to the size of trees - although saying that I'm glad it's not this size today, at least not on my allotment! :o) ). If I had a larger garden I'd make room for a patch of it, for sure.
I'm fortunate as I've been given a small allowance to get things 'up and running', so to speak. It's not a huge amount but enough to cover this very basic fencing idea, some tools, first generation seeds, and maybe a secondhand shed (or the materials to 'botch' one myself :o) ).
Sweet Chestnut fencing is a local industry to me which I don't mind the thought of supporting, as large areas of the nearby countryside were given over to coppicing this tree (in the 19th Century?) and it's only merits from an ecological standpoint (it's not a native) is when it's cut down to ground level, providing light to the herbaceous layers.
I like the idea of some kind of light fencework to 'personalise' the plot, but I'm determined not to follow the current trend of the allotments, and use old industrial pallets. Apart from being unsightly (imho), they invariably cast shade, and the thought of chemical preservatives leaching out of them is enough to make me shudder! Whether this last is truly a problem, I don't know, but it's enough to put me off of taking the risk. Also, I hate it when I see folk using metal posts for fencing - goodness knows what oxides are being released into the soil :o(
2 comments:
Thanks, Jimmy. It's a great plant isn't it! For something to have been around for as long as this primeval survior is truly amazing (I think I read once that in prehistoric times close relatives of this plant grew to the size of trees - although saying that I'm glad it's not this size today, at least not on my allotment! :o) ). If I had a larger garden I'd make room for a patch of it, for sure.
Tim
I'm fortunate as I've been given a small allowance to get things 'up and running', so to speak. It's not a huge amount but enough to cover this very basic fencing idea, some tools, first generation seeds, and maybe a secondhand shed (or the materials to 'botch' one myself :o) ).
Sweet Chestnut fencing is a local industry to me which I don't mind the thought of supporting, as large areas of the nearby countryside were given over to coppicing this tree (in the 19th Century?) and it's only merits from an ecological standpoint (it's not a native) is when it's cut down to ground level, providing light to the herbaceous layers.
I like the idea of some kind of light fencework to 'personalise' the plot, but I'm determined not to follow the current trend of the allotments, and use old industrial pallets. Apart from being unsightly (imho), they invariably cast shade, and the thought of chemical preservatives leaching out of them is enough to make me shudder! Whether this last is truly a problem, I don't know, but it's enough to put me off of taking the risk. Also, I hate it when I see folk using metal posts for fencing - goodness knows what oxides are being released into the soil :o(
Cheers, Jimmy, for posting again!
Tim
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