Willow planting workshop

On Saturday March 19th we ran a workshop on the farm, showing how to establish an area of willow coppice specifically for harvesting for basketry and other rural crafts. Despite the weather being rather iffy, the workshop was well attended and all the necessary work was done in the day.

We had previously constructed the rabbit-proof fencing with wind-mesh, to enclose 100 square metres in the corner of our wettest field. The first task of the day was to cover the area with weed-suppressing black plastic, and secure this against the strong Penwith winds with ground-pegs.

Then we prepared the willow for planting (willow whips of several different kinds were kindly donated by local eco-projects), measured the lines within the area, and planted the whips through holes in the plastic.

Many thanks to Nikki for running the workshop, and to all the attendees for their donations for the day - we hope you learned a little and enjoyed it a lot!