[macgro7]

I'm planning on planting two sections of hedge later this year. They will only be around 10 metres each.
The purpose of this hedge is firstly to act as a divider between paddocks, secondly shelter from wind etc, and thirdly provide forage for goats, poultry and us.

I was thinking of including:

• Siberian pea tree - goat friendly leaves, roxes nitrogen from the atmosphere, greed pods can be used as vegetable just like any other green beans, once dries are fantastic chicken feed - 36% protein!
• Crab Apple's - for fruit
• Walnut tree - in long term will provide us with nuts
• rosa rugosa - shelter for birds, decoration, bee forage, edible fruits
• hybrid willow - next to the brook, looks nice and is excellent goat food
• cherry plum - fruit
• damsons/plums - fruit
• Hawthorne - goat food, edible fruit, bird food, shetler
• berry bushes - currants, lingonberries, blueberry, raspberry, etc.- for fruit

Hedge will be guarded of with either pallet fence or stock fencing.
What do you think? What other species would you plant? Why?

[YorkshireLass]

Walnut secretes substances that attack competing plants, so I wouldn't use that in a hedge. Perhaps a parkland specimen type tree?

[macgro7]

Walnut secretes substances that attack competing plants, so I wouldn't use that in a hedge. Perhaps a parkland specimen type tree?

Yes I know, I was thinking of either putting it within the hedge (on the edge, not in the middle though) or on its own away from the hedge. But as it's slow growing anyway I might pit it anyway, I think brambles are immune to walnut toxins, might let some high fruiting varieties of brambles grow next to it.

[landroverroy]

 Possibly hazel instead of walnut? Still provide you with nuts to eat, and grows quite fast. We have one and get loads of seedlings each year, which grow at least a foot/year.

[macgro7]

That's a good suggestion! Forgot about it!

[Fleecewife]

About the only one of those which grows in the form of a hedge is the hawthorn, and that will produce no flowers or fruit if trimmed as a hedge.  In order to be productive, the plants need to be quite far apart, so don't really qualify as a hedge.
We have an area we refer to as 'the wildlife strip', along the side of the road.  It varies in width from about 3m to maybe 15m, (and is a good 100m long, but could be any length).  We have planted it up with similar wildlife/human/stock friendly trees and shrubs and it also acts as a windbreak and screen - this is because although the plants are well spaced, they are staggered throughout the area. If you have the spare space, using a wide strip might be your answer.


I would definitely add rowan to your list - it is beautiful, provides flowers for flying insects, fruit for birds and for you (wine, jelly), and will keep the witches away 
I would also think of elder, but not in a tight hedge.  You need to keep it under control or it can grow large, and pushes other trees aside.  It provides shade, flowers for flying insects, fruit for birds and you (wine, jelly).
Think too about planting some woodland wild flowers for early bees.

[macgro7]

Won't plant elder as we already have quite a bit of it.
Rowan, maybe.
The hedge is really meant to act as a woodland edge, sort of a food forest.
I can either make it one or two pallet wide, I.e. about 3 metres. I think that would be better

[Fleecewife]

Woodland edge is pretty much what ours is meant to be too  . 3m would be perfect.


Another plant which you could add is wild rose.  Very different to Rosa Rugosa, it takes up no space and can climb up another plant.  We love coming across the flowers suddenly out when we don't expect it, and the same with the hips, which are such a bright red and more subtle than rugosa.  There are all sorts of wild rose depending on where you live.  We have pink flowered dog rose, two white varieties, one with large flowers and another with small intense flowers, plus the Scottish rose which has soft yellow flowers and black hips.


I like the idea of willow down by the water.  Great food for livestock, which regrows quickly and has pollen rich pussies in early spring for the bees. There is also a gigantic caterpillar which specialises in willow - just for fun.  Ours are very popular with the birds - woodpeckers, all types of tit, tree creeper, everything except large birds of prey really.

[Penninehillbilly]

Rosa rugosa is an absolute menace, I'm trying to dig it out, spreading everywhere. Yes, lovely while in Flower,  lovely hips for winter, but to us, not worth the hassle of trying to keep it back.

[macgro7]

Rosa rugosa is an absolute menace, I'm trying to dig it out, spreading everywhere. Yes, lovely while in Flower,  lovely hips for winter, but to us, not worth the hassle of trying to keep it back.

The goats would keep the sides trimmed. I have good memories of it from childhood, it was growing all around my primary school lol
Flowers are edible too. Look nice in salads

[Fleecewife]

Sorry - I keep remembering something else I should have added.  When we double fenced our hedges, we planted comfrey (bocking 14) just the other side of the fence from the livestock, really close to it.  They can't eat it right down to nothing, but they get plenty of leaves to nibble through and over the fences.  As the plant grows, it will spread into the field and be eaten flat, but the main plant survives.  I'm sure you know all the many benefits of comfrey, from food for livestock, nectar and pollen for bees, compost heap additive, liquid feed for plants, mulch around tomatoes, peppers and chillies, ingredient of gardeners handcream if mixed with beeswax, leaves for open wounds, ad infinitum.  Not sure it would work with pallet fences, stock wire mesh best.


Once you get these trees and bushes in, you must post pics.

[farmers wife]

Im a bit confused as we are growing hedges with permaculture principals, making fields smaller, wind breaks however you want to let the animals eat it? We double fenced ours to protect it and give it chance to develop and I wouldnt let a sheep go near it.  The sheep will decimate the hedge plants in a few days. Surely goats will plough through it causing devastation and holes?


For the time and expense of growing a hedge I would consider keeping all animals away from it for a number of years which means having to double fence it then any overgowth will be available however we are talking a number of years as ours is over 3 years and starting to establish well.


You have a lot of ideas there.  Orchard fruits need full cage protection and pruning I am not sure you can grow trees with hedge plants they are bound to have some conflict there.


Fruits like raspberries need training and space - think lifespan around 7yrs?


I would contact a supplier and work with a basic hedge content and add a few trees - crab, elm, willow at allowances and concentrate on that as a hedge and keep everything else as a food forest (Martin Crawford is your man)


A goat or any other animal needs to be kept well away from establishing plants and you could be talking over 5 yrs or greater before you could be confident of animals climbing up and ruining all yr hard work.


We have planted a silvo of 2,200 fruit and nut yet we have to electric fence sections otherwise the whole place would be flattened in no time. 


Stockwire the whole thing again any stock pushing against the hedge, wind etc plus the life of a pallet and the look isnt great.

[macgro7]

I want to fence it off from the animals but when it's big enough they will nibble on whatever is overthrowing the sides.

[arobwk]

I am a bit confused also. Once established, is it intended that one side will be browsed by live-stock and the other side (or higher stuff) reserved for human pickings? 
Don't get me wrong, it's a great idea (as long as you give the various human-food plants some room for growth and access), but the livestock will always beat you to anything edible and probably eat it before it can get to fruiting stage!

Personally, I would put soft-fruit into a soft-fruit bed all to themselves (where you might be better able to defend your pickings from wildlife) and plant the hedge using "hedge-row" plants. 
Along with the damsons, the bullace (or bullum) is a good hedgerow plum variety.  Ripens much later than damson and can be still be rather tart (requiring cooking/sweetening), but I can vouch for the fact that they can be very delicious straight off the tree, in late Autumn, in a good year.