Stewardship Mixtures - Now is the Time!

Stewardship Mixtures - Now is the Time! 

This is the perfect time to plant your Stewardship seed mixtures!

We have a wide range of mixtures available - from Two Year Wild Bird Food (AB9) Operation Pollinator Mix (AB1) and Legume & Herb Rich Sward (GS4).

AB9 One Year Winter Bird Food Survival Mixture: ELS/HLS/CSS Codes: EF2, AB9

This mixture should be sited on field margins or adjacent to hedges or woodland. It contains a good range of species which provides a food source for birds including finches and sparrows. It is also a good food source for smaller mammals. The mixture can be sown from late April until June. It is essential to sow into a warm, well-prepared seedbed which is free of weeds.

https://www.cotswoldseeds.com/products/467/ab9-one-year-winter-bird-food-survival-mixture

Two Year Wild Bird Food (AB9): ELS/HLS/CSS Codes: EF2, AB9

This mix includes cereal and quinoa for the first winter, while kale provides late seed in the second winter. It is a good food source for wild birds and is reliable if managed properly, as well as being more economical.

https://www.cotswoldseeds.com/products/469/ab9-two-year-wild-bird-food-triticale-separate

AB1 The Operation Pollinator Mix:  ELS/HLS/CSS Codes: EF4, AB1

Approximately 50% of all ELS pollen and nectar areas have been sown with the Operation Pollinator seed mix. It is a mixture of legumes without grasses to provide a flower-rich area. The use of this mixture on heavy soil types is a good option where sown grasses can become dominant.  There is less growth without grass which means less material when cut. All pollen and nectar mixtures are best mown after flowering, with the cuttings removed where possible to encourage further flowering. Clover-based mixtures last for three or four years and then need replacing. Sow at 10-12 kg per hectare.

https://www.cotswoldseeds.com/products/1051/ab1-the-operation-pollinator-mix-just-legumes

GS4 Legume & Herb Rich Sward: ELS/HLS/CSS Codes: EK21, GS4

This all round mixture promotes biodiversity, creates habitats, produces pollen and nectar and is also a superb soil conditioner and top quality forage. While buffer strips and field margins have worked well in helping to promote biodiversity and create habitats, planting mixes across whole fields is clearly even better. It is an option under the Higher Level Stewardship scheme and more recently Countryside Stewardship.

Our team is ready to help with mix formulation and sowing advice and all mixes can be tailored to suit your particular requirements and soil type. We specialise in bespoke mixes so it’s no problem at all.

https://www.cotswoldseeds.com/products/1707/gs4-legume-and-herb-rich-sward

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Date Posted: 22nd May 2023