PROGRAMS :: Farmscaping with Native Hedgerows

Increasing Farm Biodiversity with Hedgerows

A pair of ladybugs.

Download the Biodiversity: What it is, and How to Increase it on Your Farm(pdf) brochure.

A project of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers and the Wild Farm Alliance, funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation in 2006.

Alternative planting of hedgerows on farms is expanding the concept of 'clean' farming to new limits.

"Clean farming means weed free, not vegetation free," Sam Earnshaw says. Earnshaw is the Central Coast Regional Coordinator for the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. CAFF has hedgerow farmscaping projects in three regions of the state.

Low-growing flowers and shrubs attract insects and smother weeds.

Defined as lines or groups of trees, shrubs, perennial and annual forbs and grasses, hedgerows serve a number of functions including:

• beneficial /pollinator insect habitat
• erosion control
• weed control
• reduction of non-point source water pollution
• riparian stabilization
• wildlife habitat
• windbreak and climate modification
• aesthetic value
• increases in local and regional biodiversity
• create buffers
• small bird habitat

Before: A low-lying, unproductive edge of field adjacent to an ephemeral stream.  The cover crop is stunted and under standing water.

After: Riparian trees and shrubs attract beneficial insects and wildlife.  The root systems filter sediments, nutrients, and pesticide residues from the field runoff.

"But that doesn't mean you should run right out and start planting," Earnshaw says. "A good starting point in farmscaping should be a farm plan that has a site inventory that lists and describes all aspects of your farm (buildings, topography, hydrology and drainage, cropped areas, views, etc) with maps and aerial photos if you have them.

He says the plan should also contain farm system goals that address things like pest control, land and soil management, climate modification, wildlife habitat enhancement and increasing biodiversity.

Earnshaw stresses that knowing your local ecosystem is critical to successful farmscaping.

"Our farms occur within the context of natural ecosystems," he says. "Learning about those ecosystems allows us to make educated choices regarding which plants to use."

Many of the plants being used in hedgerows have a wide distribution throughout California, including Baccharis (coyote brush), Ceanothus (California lilac ), toyon, coffeeberry, perennial buckwheats, yarrow and deergrass.

Once you've done all of your homework and selected the plants, getting them in the ground will probably seem like the easy part.

"I like one-gallon plants for ease of planting," Earnshaw says. "Dig the hole, throw in a shovel full of finished compost and fill the hole with water. Come back the next day and stick the plant in, making sure it's planted high. Remember these are natives that are used to dry conditions, so you don't want to plant them so low the crowns are continually getting wetted or soaked."

He says it's equally critical to irrigate and weed the new hedgerow for at least two years to get the plants established. "After that, you can turn the water off and they do just fine."

None of this is foolproof, however. Among the common causes for failure of hedgerow plants Earnshaw cites are:

• deer and rodent predation
• weed competition
• too little or too much water
• equipment damage
• bad planting
• plant availability
• worker mistakes

He says farmers can overcome all of those problems with a little thought and effort.

"Hedgerows are really starting to work into our farming culture because more and more farmers are realizing that they are useful and that they work.

"This is about increasing biodiversity in a blend of agriculture and wildlife," Earnshaw says. "Biodiversity brings the life back to farming."

For more information, contact:

Sam Earnshaw
(831) 722-5556
sambo@cruzio.com