That daub is made of a mixture of cow or horse manure, clay, and straw. It’s remarkably effective as a building material, but as you can imagine, it’s a bit, um, fragrant to work with. However, all gate hurdles had a smaller gap between the bottom three ledges than the remainder – so that lambs could fit their heads through to eat on the other side but older sheep could not (Tabor, 1994: 124). Do you have a lovely garden, but frustrated over little produce thieves? You also want a robust fence but do not want to invest too much? We have the perfect solution for you- a wattle fence.

The stake length (height)depends on the desired fence height. But don’t forget to account for the part that will go into the ground! Make sure your ax is nice and sharp, and then use it to cut your post ends into nice spikes. You can either cut them at 45-degree angles or sharpen them all the way around, like pencils. I you don’t have a measuring tape you can use your own body as a ruler. For example, you can use the length from the tip of your middle finger to your inner elbow as your spacing measure. Or the span of one foot in front of the other.You should also consider how ‘rustic’ you would like your fencing to look. Personally, I like the rustic look. I therefore decided to keep the bark on, and use a range of different wood types. If you prefer a neater and more streamline look, you may prefer to remove the bark and/or opt for just one or two wood types. You may also look for greater uniformity in the branches that you choose. A Step By Step Guide To Building Your Wattle Fence Map out where you’re going to place the posts before you start. This way you end up with neat, tidy lines, rather than something that looks like a toddler’s scrawl.

As well as deciding which type of wood or woods to use, you will also have to make a number of other decisions. Before you even start preparing to build your fence, it will be crucial for you to make a number of design decisions. In addition to designing gardens, Elizabeth also works in a consultancy capacity, offering ongoing support and training for gardeners and growers around the globe. She has created booklets and aided in the design of Food Kits to help gardeners to cool and warm climates to grow their own food, for example. She is undertaking ongoing work for NGO Somalia Dryland Solutions and a number of other non governmental organisations, and works as an environmental consultant for several sustainable companies. If you want to make your fence more visually appealing and functionally taller, add some thinner arched branches in-between spaces that the wattle rails create. Extra Step: Be Creative The “uprights” need to be made from older, heavier wood. I use half-split hazel stakes around 3–4 inches in diameter, sharpened at one end to make a point. As an example: for a three-foot fence, you need around a 4 to 4.5-foot stake. As seen above, you can still set posts and add a hinged gate door with decorative gate latch types and really make your entrance something special. Step 5 - Preserving the Longevity of Your Wattle Fence

Bespoke Work

Erecting this natural fencing product properly and lifting it above ground level to allow an air passage will also help. To ensure quality of materials I coppice the hazel myself, with full cooperation of the landowner, from woodlands locally in Suffolk, and also in Hampshire. Coppicing is the ultimate in sustainability, if done carefully the stumps (stools) will regenerate providing many rods which can be harvested again in seven or eight years. Due to the various stages of growth, coppiced woodland provides a variety of habitats for both flora and fauna.

Let me just offer a little caveat, too. I’m a messy, spastic gardener. I love cottage gardens full of flowers, vines traipsing all over the yard, thyme in the walkways and no two spaces the same. My wattle building reflects my unrefined gardening nature. A community garden I volunteered at had a living arch of willow that they’d designed entirely on accident. That is, they thought the willow was completely dead but after a year of the arch being in place, they noticed it had sprouted leaves in spots. Now they have to prune their very much alive willow arch every year. Hazel or Other Nut Wood How much you drive the stakes into the ground depends on the soil type. About 30 cm deepis enough for hard, clay soils. For softer, loose ground soils, aim for 45-50 cm. (The fence height also plays a role. We think around one-third of the total fence post lengthshould get buried under the ground. However, this is merely our rule of thumb.) However, if you’d like the fence to last more than a season, try to find any of these woods: WillowUse the line or the tube as a guide, mark every 8 inches on the entire length. Begin from the left side. You can use any available tool to make the holes at the marker point. The holes should be around 8 inches deep. A wattle fence panel is typically 5 to 7 feet long and can be moved around to make room for different activities. Stevens prides itself on providing quality, service and value - without compromise. Please take a few moments to view some examples of Stevens work in the examples and achievements sections.