Earlier this month we hosted a hedgerow planting party at Wild Hare Farms in Puyallup to celebrate the completion of our hedgerow templates!
A dozen people joined us for a pollinator hedgerow discussion leading into a group installation of the woody harvestable adaptable hedgerow template. Thank you to everyone who showed up to help get these plants in the ground. We're sure that bees and their other pollinator friends will love the hedgerow in the years to come!
Attendees enjoyed the debuted hedgerow templates and seeing what the woody harvestable adaptable hedgerow looks like in practice!
Hedgerow Templates
About a year ago, we received a grant from Western SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research Education) to develop hedgerow templates and establish their models on farms across the county. This funding allowed us to make hedgerow planning and installation more accessible and encourage our community's confidence to install hedgerows on their farm.
Over the course of many months, we curated a list of plants that would be ideal for farms and serve as ideal habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects. We regularly met with a group of local farmers and Corin Pease from the Xerces Society of Invertebrate Conservation to discuss plants that are easy to establish, have low overall maintenance, and provide valuable ecosystem services.
AmeriCorps Member Katie Nelson led the efforts of hedgerow template designing. Thanks to their hard work, each of these pollinator plants are divided into various native, harvestable, flower farm, woody, and herbaceous templates to best suit your farm needs. Each template outlines species selection, spacing, bloom window, and bloom color.
Hedgerow Installation Assistance
This vlog showcases what assistance from our Farm Team and use of our hedgerow templates looks like!
Interested in installing a hedgerow of your own? Contact your local Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) office to see if you are eligible for financial assistance under Conservation Practice 420: Wildlife Habitat Planting.
Home | Natural Resources Conservation Service
This year we've already helped local farmers install 800 feet of hedgerows across Pierce County! If you have any questions about hedgerow planning and available funds, you can contact your farm planner:
Rene Skaggs
Farm Planning & Agricultural Assistance Program Director and Nisqually Watershed Farm Resource Specialist
renes@piercecd.org
Phone: 253.845.9770 ext. 106
Cell: (253) 325-8367
Alison Nichols
Crop Farm Manager
alisonn@piercecd.org
Phone: (253) 325-2918
Paul Borne
Key Peninsula, Gig Harbor & Islands Farm Resource Specialist
paulb@piercecd.org
Phone: (253) 325-8645
Noah Janzing
Farm Program Manager
noahj@piercecd.org
Phone: (253) 325-8820