Mechanics

Late March- Early April

In spite of our doubts, we are going ahead with the upper beds and our new DR PRO XL-DRT. Yes, we sprung for the tiller as well. The plantings will get done this year by us or not at all.  ISTG, I will stick the rods in the bare clay if I have to! For better or worse. All the cliches.

Everything I've read about willow says how resilient it is, give it water and sunshine and it will grow. But we are planning to get out there with the tiller and a trailer full of compost as soon as it stops raining! I am encouraged by the fact that it's still early spring in this area. I planted my first batch of rods in pots in mid-May last year and they did fine. We'll see. 

~~~~~

 I am not much for mechanical equipment. Whoever said "give me a block and tackle and I'll move the world"* had me pegged.  Probably it was a lever big enough or some other device appropriate to the era of big ships. It's true, I resist machinery. 

Not tractors, but still big equipment

Luckily that is not the case for my mechanically-brained partner, who has put  our new tiller together and pronounced it ready. Then we made the mistake of trying to lift something too heavy, even together, and have had to sit out a few days before we go back to the farm to try it out. Old back issues for the both of us, but we will get out there soon. The dirt needs to be even drier, and easier to till. 

~~~~~

More delays - as the sun comes out,  an injury from my fall resurfaces, and Lynn's hip has flared up too. This is frustrating because the rain could stop and the summer droughts begin early, and I am not prepared to irrigate yet. I am dependent on these crazy heavy rains and the high water table in the field. We WILL be better prepared next year. 

* The quote is: Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world. -- Archimedes

Dropping back to punt, over and over

February is my least favorite month, dreary and cold. Things haven't changed at the farm site since the last post, but we've made some decisions and purchases. It doesn't seem like much, now as March is on its way, but it will make the whole process easier when we do get to it. 

First of all, we've decided against a tractor. Even used, they are a big expense, not to mention the cost of the attachments that do the actual work. The space needed to house it all, the fuel issues, the maintenance, it was too much. But what decided me was the actual plan for the farm. Willow beds, once in, don't get turned over regularly like vegetable beds. My plan was to slowly build up the planting area until +/- half acre is planted. That will take a couple of years, then the tractor will be overkill. 

We could rent a tractor each year for the next year's plantings, but again, it's overkill. We will be improving nothing larger than a 20' x 40' plot each time, something a tiller can actually handle easily. Smaller, cheaper, easier to handle and store. We're going to rent a similar model first to be sure, but we're looking at a DP rear-tine tiller.  

The weather has been veering from perfect to horrible, and other variables kick in to make hitting the right day harder - health problems, truck problems, other outside scheduling problems. But, we did manage to acquire a utility trailer, which will solve our delivery problems. 

~~~~~~~~

About a week and a half later:

We went yesterday to Asheville Tool Library, an amazing service that should be copied everywhere. For a reasonable membership fee, we can borrow whatever we need for a week, with no additional charge, just like a library. They had the exact rear tine tiller I looked to buy, so it's a perfect opportunity to test before buying.  (The hours are odd, it's volunteer staffed, and there are no manuals, explanations, or help loading so be aware, Asheville peeps.)

So we now have a trailer, a tiller in hand, and warm spring-like weather. What don't we have? Bounce-back. Or timing. Yesterday was pretty taxing for both of us, including my stubborn insistence on planting three hazelnut bare-root trees that just arrived (I got two in, and a third hole dug) in the hot sun and a truck on the fritz. Both of us suffer from bad backs as well, so... could we go out again today to till, the last dry day before rain sets in? Hell, no. Two days in a row doesn't work for us anymore. So, we are punting. Next update, hopefully, will be photos of stalks in rows!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Nearly a week later:

Rain is imminent, even on a sunny day

We've had on-off weather all week - hard rains followed by hot sunny days that are typical for spring. I just have to make excuses for trying to work the ground in the wet season - I started in November but it took til January just to get truck access to the property. By then, the monsoons had started already. To make it harder, there's the added burden of digging to replant my willow starts currently in pots. So I'm regretting my impatience. But everything is trial and error with this property. 

Could we take anymore mud back with us?

We had a chance to try out the tiller on a non-rainy day, even though the dirt was pretty wet. I thought we could at least play around with it and if the plot got tilled in the process, it was gravy. While my partner, with the mechanical brain, tinkered with the tiller controls, I got one more willow pot in the front plot and the last hazelnut tree in along the creek (where the dirt is much better - hint, hint). It was a beautiful day. We found out there's a donkey of some variety on the farm across the creek, his braying echoed across the valley. 

We actually got to enjoy the day on the property a bit this time, since we remembered to bring chairs and an umbrella for rest breaks. And we really appreciated it, the sun is hot out on the field! 

Mistakes were made - I raked up the straw on the plot beforehand, but not all, and it got tangled up in the tiller. We discovered what a drag bar did (stabilized it so it didn't buck) And it was still too wet. We got 6 inches tilled, but until it dries up, that's it for now. Maybe next week. Kicking the ball back to the weather. (It poured rain today.)

Mixed reviews on the tiller. That's mostly due to our annoyance at obscure directions on the manual  we downloaded from DR's website. It pulled really well, most energy required was just keeping it on course. We're not sure how the reverse tine action works, or if it did anything on the wet ground, so more research and another try may be needed. Unfortunately, that tiller is booked up at the Tool Library now, so we looked at a Gravely walking tractor with a tiller attachment they have available. Another learning curve, not sure either of us are enthusiastic about that. 

This oh-so-handy section of the property has
the worst dirt. Who knew?

So we had a talk last night. I am seeing that the convenience of starting to plant next to the driveway, and the assumption that the ground would drain better on that upward slope were both wrong directions. It appears that over the last 10+ years at least, all the topsoil has washed down the slope and left just clay behind. There is better dirt elsewhere on the property, I just didn't do some digging to test that out. As I think back on why not, I remember that I put it off til the driveway was being put in, and by then the rains had started. I should have done that in the dry season, in the fall. 

Anyway, as I said, mistakes were made. I'll be better prepared next year. 

And for now, an alternative was discussed. There is standing water next to the driveway that needs to go somewhere else. I am thinking in terms of a runoff pond behind the drive. We are now looking into ponds, and maybe we could get some better area plowed for new willow beds along with the pond grading. Just an idea. Not sure if there's time to get someone with equipment out there in the planting season, but maybe enough. I hate to spend the money, but...

Trail and error. Punting. 

Feet of clay

I started gardening in Atlanta, where Georgia Red Clay is its own meme. I know what digging a hole in clay and refilling it gives you - leftover dirt. So much dirt packed into that hole. It used to shock me when I moved to Florida a few years later, that holes could barely be filled up with their former contents once dug. You actually lose dirt when you dig. Sand settles, sand washes away, but doesn’t compact like clay. 

Getting open land has its down sides. Trees and shrubs can build the soil, but this plot hasn’t been planted for at least 12 years, just grass clumps and low shrubs. There is A LOT of clay. So I try to think of all that free dirt I’m getting as I start to plant these 30 or so willow starts currently in pots. It’s slippery wet red clay right now, thick and pure enough to make pottery. Maybe I should change craft markets? 

The north boundary of the farm has 
definite drainage issues.

In a way, I’m fine with it. I know what clay takes, and how long. I’ll have to buy some compost and mulch this year, and can build up the soil myself as I develop and plant in following years. Today I’m just laying down hay to keep the mud  from drying rock hard in the sun, and it will get worked into the mix later. I also joined ChipDrop.com to receive free wood chips from tree clearing companies in my area. I’m especially hopeful that works out, as a way to fill the very low areas and add some organic matter. 

On the positive side, clay holds a lot of nutrients and just needs to be broken and built up and free to support larger shrubs that build their own topsoil. Leaves, branches, bugs and animals that leave organic waste around. 

A tractor would come in handy right now. 

~~I started this post on Monday. It’s now Saturday, and we stopped briefly at the farm on Wednesday to check out the state of the soil. We also needed to measure the driveway to be sure a dump truck will make it down the drive to deliver compost. And I have a hunch. 

After we do an initial check, I take the shovel and walk over to a low place that has the remnants of an old burn pile, mostly a large charred stump and some stones in a vague perimeter. I shoved some grasses away and sure enough, real dirt, black dirt, likely all over the spot. Free dirt, just have to move it over to the rows and work it in. Maybe enough for the whole plot. Since the sun was going down, I didn’t check along the creek or under the neighbor’s overhanging trees, but I bet there’s more good dirt there too. 

The problem with this discovery is that I didn’t get those areas cleared. Part of the job the graders did was to strip the grasses off in an area big enough for this winter’s plantings. It’s about a 20x30 foot plot, neatly nestled into the drive area so it’s handy to the truck. Now I see that area is not the best dirt, but getting those other areas cleared will be impossible without handing more money to guys with machines. 

This is the area cleared for planting, 
right next to the drive

A tractor would come in handy right now. 

We have looked at several, on Craigslist and sitting on the roadside with a sign on it. I have the money set aside for it, but in getting the tractor, I also have to get a trailer to haul it or a shed to store it. If I do a shed, I have to get a foundation built first, and we’re back to guys and machines. 

Neither of us are in super-good health right now. Winter also has a way of depressing the motivation and also, I just really hate the cold. The likelihood of us getting a foundation in by spring is very small. 

But, what can we do ourselves is my fallback position. How can I get my pots in the ground asap and give them a decent bed to grow in? And how can I prepare 2 new beds for the 170 new stakes that are arriving in a few months? 

My current solution is to fork the first plot, avoiding compacting the mud more by digging it up. Then I’ll get a truckload of compost delivered and spread it, with the burn pile dirt and plenty of cut straw to cover. That should be enough for the pots to get going. 

For the 2 future beds, I’ll fork and compost and throw a cover crop over it, mostly winter grasses and field peas. I’ll cover it with cut straw and hopefully the warmer days this winter will give those nitrogen fixing plants some time to grow. Maybe by spring I’ll have a tractor and shed in the works and can then pick up from there, turning over the cover crop, adding more topsoil and covering with weedblock fabric. 

OK, we’ll see how it goes. 

Putting in a driveway in a monsoon... The perils of access in the rain

Since my last post, 3 months have passed. My house almost sold, but it fell through on closing day,  Dec.1st. Back to the drawing board on that. I had spent all my extra time up until then moving the last of my stuff out and spiffing it up to hand over. No such luck. So, on December 1st, with the house finally empty, I turned my attention to getting onto the farm property before the ground freezes. I still have hope my potted willows will survive the winter if I can heel them in. 

What I wanted

  

What I'm getting

It took a month to find someone to do it, but now there is actual progress. Not what I wanted - a big circular drive with the field area plowed and the whole property graded. But what I needed was access, and that's turned out to be pretty complicated. 

You can see a 20'x20' area they are scraping for 
my first planting site. 

First of all, there is a deep drainage ditch and a berm to keep runoff from the street off the property. That means a culvert was needed to be put in, something that can take the weight of heavy equipment like dump trucks and cement trucks. That and the street is actually angled away from my property (good) but it makes the drop from the road steeper (Bad).  Just to get 100 feet of driveway on a gentle angle and a small turnaround/parking area has taken 6 loads of gravel and dirt and more on the way, 

And then there's the weather. The guys were out there the day after the rain and the ground still had standing water on it. Now is a good time mention that this property failed a perc test, which is why I was able to buy it to farm - it's too expensive to overcome the high water table with a septic system, and city water/sewer is several years in the future. That high water table showed up this week in spades. 

The photos on this page are from two days after the big rain (and the day before another one). The driveway itself is on high enough ground but the turnaround is still mud. You can see the pooling next to the railroad timbers - not great. I definitely know where the low spots are now. 

The guys doing this are young and somewhat new, which is why I was able to afford even this much work, but even at that, it's twice what I budgeted. Luckily, I had already budgeted for railroad timbers, and they are proving to be essential. 

Another load of gravel is on its way, and more timbers. The whole ticket is around 10K. I can siphon off funds from other planned infrastructure, but it means everything will take a little longer to get that circular drive, a barn and the use of the whole property. 

And it's still too wet to finish. It will be in the teens this week and I am almost out of time to heel in my willow starts. I can put down straw to solidify some of the mud in the meantime, and I've signed up for free wood chips - hope that works out!