I need some ideas help

Jessey

Well-Known Member
Dec 20, 2004
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Suffolk, UK
Since separating Jess and Hank I am re-jigging my fences and trying to make the land work well for them both separately, whilst not limiting my options.

I've got the main bit sorted, and am going to start clearing the paddock along the road side, there was a solid fence along the road but they were told to take it down about 5 years ago to discourage trespassers and they just knocked the boards off and left them, with the nails still in, in the paddock :cool:

The challenge is the bottom acre by the river, its very wet which I think is made worse by the weeds growing like wildfire which then means the sun never gets to the soil to dry it, they were taller than my 5'4" at the end of last summer :eek: I tried strimming but I've no hope of keeping up with it, I put the cows in there and they made some impact but they weren't very keen on eating it and escaped a lot, I am assuming I won't be able to spray it as it is on the river bank. The thing is I can't fence it well because of the weeds, it shorts and pulls the electric fence up and you wouldn't be able to see wire fence if I put it in.

I am encouraged to try as both neighbours have useable land right down to the river, so there must be a way! I was thinking maybe a teathered goat or two to clear it and dig a trench/ditch to take run off straight into the river?
 
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I have no solutions for u, but il keep an eye see what others come up with, be interested to know
 
The neighbours nice usable land28795380_10156129520557246_3953218707655144426_n.jpg
My weedy mess (this was May last year)28577709_10156129520517246_5759482264590690821_n.jpg
Same spot with back to the river
28577362_10156129520467246_9144655542326321228_n.jpg
This was taken in June, it got worse by a long shot, that fence is about 4ft tall.
28685970_10156129517922246_7087118713324482442_n.jpg
So I have a very small window coming up to get on top of it or another year will be lost to it :p
 
Ahh what a beautiful area! I see what u mean about the weeds :( have the neighbours said how they manage there weeds?
 
One has been clear for years and he just keeps it mowed, the other used a JCB to clear it and dig a pond to give it some where to drain and now mows.

There is a small ditch running parallel to the river across my land, it separates my dry from my wet land, it then goes into the neighbours and turns 90 degrees to the river (on the OS map) but the parallel bit on his land has been trampled by horses so my bit doesn't drain anywhere now. He still gets benefit from the bit going straight to the river though.

ETA thinking about it, the other neighbor shares a ditch down to the river with his other neighbor (my old yard)
 
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Hmm. See what you mean about needing to sort it sooner rather than later. It was because of you I thought to check my electric fencing last summer. You mentioned that weeds or long stalky grass could prevent it from working properly. I kept wondering why Zi was sneaking under it at one side:rolleyes:
Not sure about a goaty option, I think they are good at escaping!! I would have said strim but it looks a big area to tackle?
 
Not sure about a goaty option, I think they are good at escaping!! I would have said strim but it looks a big area to tackle?
I would have to tether a goat, no fence I could afford to put up would contain them :p I would happily get some heras panels to make them a pen for the day or night with a shelter etc so they weren't tethered all the time.

It's a bit over an acre, and right now its very wet, I could put a wooden fence post in a foot just by pushing it :(
 
Is there any way you could get someone to make you a ditch down to the river from your existing ditch which now has no where to drain (assuming I've read right)? I think goats would be a great idea if you could borrow some as I believe they prefer shrubby stuff to grass if I remember right @horseandgoatmom will put me right Im sure.
I guess if you could dry it out a bit and then get your goats in some kind of pen made with your herras fencing that you could move about it could work?
 
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I've donned my wellies and had a good walk round it tonight. Yep @Kite_Rider you're right, the ditch can't drain. The top half by the ditch is definitely wetter than the bottom half by the river, by a lot, so I think draining the ditch to the river could solve a big chunk of it.

I think I'd be taking on too much trying to get it sorted this spring as I also need to clear the road side paddock before everything starts growing so I've got to pick one or the other, I think the best compromise would be to try and get a path cleared down to the river and a sitting area on the bank this year, if the path and clearing stays dry and can be managed then I'll know about the rest for next year and can plan ahead to get everything sorted to clear it (by goat or other means :) )
 
The wet bits in the top half FB_IMG_1520364463766.jpg FB_IMG_1520364450510.jpg
A full ditch
FB_IMG_1520364437929.jpg
The same views along the (very high) river from today FB_IMG_1520364442484.jpg FB_IMG_1520364459858.jpg
This bit is pretty dry considering, it shows just how reedy it is though
FB_IMG_1520364446811.jpg
 
i would strim it right down in spring (sort the drainage) and then get someone to harrow it all up, roll it and overseed with grass. You’d then need to able to get someone in with a topper, do you have a quad or could you get a contractor in with a tractor to do it?

we used to rent a similar area for the horses and we were completely desperate for somewhere... initially when i asked about the bit of land the farmer who owned it said it wasn’t suitable but it got there with it :) Ours flooded though when the river was high, however because it drained so well, surprisingly it was never very wet.
 
i would strim it right down in spring (sort the drainage) and then get someone to harrow it all up, roll it and overseed with grass. You’d then need to able to get someone in with a topper, do you have a quad or could you get a contractor in with a tractor to do it?

we used to rent a similar area for the horses and we were completely desperate for somewhere... initially when i asked about the bit of land the farmer who owned it said it wasn’t suitable but it got there with it :) Ours flooded though when the river was high, however because it drained so well, surprisingly it was never very wet.
It wouldn't hold a tractor, it's like fen soil, when they had a mini digger on a similar bit at my old yard they bogged it in over the tracks. I don't have a quad either. It would all have to be done by hand (story of my life ;))
 
i wonder then if you could get him pulling some kind of topper as well... ?
The self powered ones are pretty pricey and I think would be too heavy for him, and I'm not sure how he'd settle with an engine running right behind him flicking bits all over, he's good but I'm not sure he's that good ;)
 
i didn’t mean an actual powered topper.
what is your home made harrow like? Are you using chains? When we chain harrow a good deal of weeds are hauled out.There must be some way you can rig something that will roughly keep it cut? That way if you sort the drainage you can let them on to graze it and oversow with grass if need be?
 
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