Low Riggs: 29-08-2023

New species of meadow plant 

discovered at Low Riggs Farm?

 No! If you are a botanist don't get too excited. There were no hitherto undiscovered species  found this week. And certainly none that looked like the picture in this chap's mind! It was just a day of wild flower plug planting for the NCVs, up at the top of Nidderdale where the delicious Stonebeck cheese is made. The plug plants included sneezewort and meadow vetchling (follow the links to find out more about these flowers) and there were no fewer than  1,072 to be inserted into the hay meadows. These fields will look lovely once these tiny additions start to flourish. Not only that, the cheese will be even tasier!!

Let's see the planters and plugs in action shall we?

Everyone assembled after being taxied up

 to the farm...

 

... to listen to the instructions.

 

The plugs came in trays of 150 - here's half 

a tray of meadow vetchling that have 

been growing madly since delivery at 

the start of August.

 

The plugs were poked out of the trays 

with pencils and transferred into trugs. 

These are sneezewort plants -

much less entangled!

 

The gang worked in 5 groups of 3 or 4 to plant 

the little plugs in clusters of 5.

Each cluster was waymarked with a grid reference

so that progress can be checked next year.

 

There were 2 small fields and this VERY BIG ONE.

 

"Shall we have a coffee break before 

we start the second half of the field?"

 

An upside down plug plant tray turned out to 

be a surprisingly comfy and strong seating mat.

Not a bit like the bed of nails it resembled. 

 

 

 "Come on lads; follow me. We need to get a crack on."

 

Here members of the team seemed to 

have had very specific roles.

Will handed the plugs to Tom.

Alistair pointed out exactly where to plant them!!

 

1072 plugs sounds a lot but 4 of the teams

 finished for an early lunchtime...

 

...overlooking a lovely view of Upper Nidderdale.

 

"A chunk of Stonebeck cheese would go

 down a treat just now don't you think?"

 

"Your wish is my command!"

Brilliant - thanks Sally!

 

No wonder this group took longer than everyone else -

 they had to carry around two of the AONB squirty things.

 

 They are VERY heavy when full and need pumping

every so often! Hurry up Mick - 

the cheese will have all been eaten!

 

During the afternoon the DTMS team came to 

spread seed from a donor farm at Heathfield 

onto some other Low Riggs fields.

 

They used the highly sophisticated technique 

of blowing it out of the back of a van...

 

...by a man with a large leaf blower!!