Seed Mix Ingredients
Mixing Seeds
(More) wild flowers for Whatcombe Fields
We (Jimm, Sue and Ian) have just finished introducing more wild flowers to the field nearest Whatcombe Road. This field already has a flower-rich bank but we are aiming to get the whole field to eventually become a stunning wildflower-rich meadow. We used a seed mix harvested from a wild meadow in north Devon that contains many of the flowers that would be expected to grow in fields in this area (if only most of them had not been ploughed up, sprayed with weedkiller, spread with slurry or other fertiliser.) We hope to do more in successive years.
The cost of this work has been: our time (quite a lot of it, and given free!), seed (£360, paid for by the Somerset Wildlife Trust) and the equipment (>£1000) which we had to purchase. We used Ian's vintage (1952) tractor - without which the job would have had to have been done by contractors at considerable extra expense. Ian's mechanical skills were also vital - setting up new (second-hand) machinery, calibrating and repairing - thanks to Ian!
Restoring wild flowers to agriculturally improved grassland is possible, but requires light cultivation (to expose soil for the seed to fall into) and the introduction of the semi-parasitic flower, Yellow Rattle. As visitors to the fields will see, we have exposed strips of soil and seed has been broadcast across these. When we have suitable equipment, the rough strips will be rolled to help bring the seed into contact with the soil.
It will take several years for the flowers to become established. The field will continue to be grazed but we will need to exclude grazing animals from this field for a few months in late spring and early summer.
Should anyone be interested in supporting the continuation of this work in successive years, by purchasing additional shares - this money can be used towards buying more wild flower seed and other equipment which we need, plus improvements to the fences and gates so that we can manage the cattle-grazing better. Please contact SOS Frome if you wish to support the wildflower project in this way. SE.
Today Ian harrowed more strips within the Sledging Field, and we used the recently purchased distributor to spread seeds over the harrowed areas.
About to exchange the harrow for the seed spreader
Ian with seed spreader
Jimm with seed spreader
View from the tractor seat spreading seeds on a harrowed strip JY
