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Allotment Gardening
Grow all you can eat on your own allotment.
grow your own
20:32, 10th May 2014
Smallholding for Sale in North Devon
Three bedroom detached house in 18 acres for sale - North Devon, UK
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20:48, 17th Mar 2013
Nettles
Find out more about nettles - how to benefit from them and how to get rid of them
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Making Nettle Beer
Find out how to make your nettle beer
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How to Make Sloe Gin
Find out how to make your own sloe gin
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Grow Your Own Chilli Peppers
Find out how to grow your own chilli peppers
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Home Beekeeping
Find out more about keeping bees in your garden for honey
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Storing Apples
Find out how to store apples
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13:23, 28th Jul 2011
Electric Fencing
Learn about the uses of electric fencing
Electric Fencing
smallholding | buildingGood quality Fencing, hedges or walls are essential if you are to keep livestock where they are supposed to be. Electric Fencing has many uses and is very quick and easy to install and move around as required.
An electric fence can be used to keep cattle, horses, and pigs in an area, or to keep dogs, deer, and rabbits etc out. The electric shock given to the animals is harmless, but it is memorable enough that they will not continue to attempt to pass through the fence again.
Electric Fencing usually operates off a 6 or 12 Volt battery, or off mains electricity. With a battery a solar panel can be used to provide all the necessary power. With mains power up to 25 miles of fencing can be powered by one unit!
Mains, battery or solar power is converted into pulses of electricity by an Energiser (or fencer). Energisers (one of which is pictured above) are available from around £50 to many hundreds of pounds depending on your requirements. The cheapest units are powered from a couple of D sized alkaline batteries (which will last a couple of months 24hrs per day) and can energise around half a mile of fencing. The more expensive energisers will power much longer lengths of fence, and also offer night and day economy modes, monitoring of fence status, lightening protection, and much more.
With an electric fence there is no need to strain the wires or to use large posts. Thin lightweight stakes are used with insulators. The wire is loosely wrapped around the insulators and on in a loop around the field. The live wire should be positioned at around hip height for cattle, or higher for horses, or about one foot off the ground for pigs.
Electric fence is not very effective for sheep and so more elaborate fence designs are required mixing live (aka hot) wires at 10, 17, 26, and 36 inches.
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Article Published: 03:35, 20th Apr 2006
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