Throughout millennia, farmers have used linear plantings of trees and shrubs, or “hedgerows,” to create windbreaks to protect their crops. A “bonus” benefit was the plants’ roots holding the soil and protecting against erosion.
Today’s farmers know that these plantings of vegetation among their crop fields have multitudes of other benefits to the farm.
With the right mix of plants, including flowering ones, hedgerows attract beneficial insects that prey on crop pests. They also serve to suppress weeds, because over time they out-compete the weed “seed bank,” and help keep out wind-blown weed seeds.
Hedgerows can be of linear, or other configurations, and can also include grasses and herbs. The root systems improve water quality by acting as filters to catch sediment and filter surface water before it drains into aquatic habitats such as ponds, creeks, or rivers.
Hedgerows create a sheltering habitat for wildlife, such as birds that feed on crop insect pests, and pollinators which fertilize crops.
California native plant hedgerows are said to be easy to establish, and once mature, are drought-tolerant.
Learn more at www.HedgerowsUnlimited.com
