Water Works

Inspired by the success of the ponds in Shepherd's Meadow built two and a half years ago we have created two more, one in ‘Great Oxen’ and one in little oxen below the Teign Greens growing area.

For centuries farmers have drained the land of its water, hand-digging stone land drains up to six feet deep, taking the spring water of the land, incredible, admirable feats of engineering. This has allowed them to cultivate and graze all the land available, however, this has eradicated pond and marshy habitats on much of the land. In light of the catastrophic collapse of insect life, our responsible stewardship of the land must include anything we can do to support biodiversity. 

Intercepting these land drains, and creating ponds and small wells from where we can pump water up the hill to header tanks is also part of our scheme to make the farm independent from the mains water system.

 We will enjoy witnessing the water and pond shoreline becoming colonized with many pond plants, invertebrates, and amphibians, and already the ducks are visiting.