After the Storm

Photo from Oct 4th, a week after the hurricane. Soggy, but intact.

Last I recall, we were waiting out the season, watching for longer lengths and fuller growth. There was a bit of rain early in Sept., but not enough to spare us the trip out to the farm every couple of days. My expectation was that a freeze would come in late September so this would be the last few weeks of active growth before the willows dropped leaves and go dormant for the winter.

Then came Helene. We couldn't get out there for several days, Old Fort was devastated as well as the up-mountain areas. We made a quick text to one of the neighbors to confirm that the farm did not wash away and that neighborhood was without power and water but otherwise ok. 

Good, and maybe the willow will be twice as tall with all the rain!

Not really, but the property was in fine shape. We were then back to drought and slowly the willow leaves  started looking dry and falling off and the whole bed was  looking very thin! There have been no catkins on any of the varieties yet, even on the 2 year plants. We are supposed to have warm weather through November, so I'm not sure what the schedule will be. 

I just hope the rods set buds! 

We had our friend with the tractor come and do a last mow and a first till of the new field. We are laying down compost on half and ryegrass as a cover crop on the other half. Then we'll lay out new landscape fabric for the new rows. Hopefully we can get to that next week, while the weather is still nice. 

First results are in

A month has gone by, and as we go into fall, the year-end result is coming into view. I did an inventory yesterday to get an idea of how many shoots will be ready to plant in February. You can see the new field behind me in the photo, 6000 square feet currently in a cover crop, and I need to know how much of it needs to be turned over and covered in landscape fabric next month. So I counted rods, only the pencil thickness or larger ones so I was very conservative. All the plants have some number of thin shoots, too flimsy to plant, so they'll get cut and composted. (Are there any uses for them? Tiny baskets maybe?) 
Some as the varieties have done exceedingly well, with substantial, upright tall rods, but most of the purpurea varieties are short, thin and floppy. Many also have an annoying side growth habit that means they are lying in the walkway. I'm not cutting those til next season. I've noticed that the second year growth really strengthened several of my first year plants, at least the ones I got in the ground in time. So there are 6 varieties that fall into the ‘not yet’ category (and sadly, most are basketry favorites like Packing Twine and Dickie Meadows) I'm hoping that plan will allow me some more time to determine if they'll do well here. 

All of the current plants are listed, with the number of plants that are viable or struggling.
Available Rods times Length (in feet) gives the number of 12" cuttings to be planted.

The varieties that excelled are typically other than purpurea, and are the varieties likely to do well for landscaping purposes. No problem there, since one of the first uses I have are living fences and structures on the property. Baskets will come later. 
OK, now for the numbers - I have potentially 1100 cut rods for planting! That’s largely from the 170 first year plants; the best performers are averaging 3.5 useable rods per plant.  Jaune de Falais, by itself,  will yield 200 plants, from 11 originals. My second year plants are only producing about 100 of those starts; Those are my live-and-learn babies: get those cuttings in the ground asap! No more pots!
Of course, when February rolls around, things could be different. Late fall here is usually pretty warm and rainy, so more growth is still possible. It could also go the other way, some of these rods may not set buds, or other problem. 
I’m planning for the best case, and it’s already about 10 times what I expected. 

6 months in

 We were sitting yesterday afternoon, heat-exhausted and tired from a few hours work on the farm, talking about just how much longer we can do this.

Not that we did that much - she mowed the plot perimeter and trimmed the edges of our main 1000 square foot plot. I watered the beds and dropped some clover seed and some straw on a small part of the newly cleared field. We had a pop-up tent and plenty of cold water, took plenty of breaks.  We managed to get out by 3, the hottest part of the day. It was still too much. The high was 92 yesterday. 

 It feels sometimes that it might kill us, with the extreme heat and our vulnerabilities. We need to be morning people. We need a helper. We need storage so we don’t have to haul equipment. We need to get that rain shed up and working. We need it to start raining, actually.  Lots of needs. Not enough energy.

So while we were talking in our exhausted states, I talked about my 3 year plan. I had thought it could be done in 3 years, have most of the infrastructure in and a small but viable business in willow. Maybe even the utilities that would allow us to stay there during harvest and planting seasons, so much more efficient. 

And, as I posted previously, it has been a year since I made an offer on the property. But, I remembered, it has only been 6 months since we’ve had access to the land. Only 6 months. The driveway was finished in mid January of this year. It feels pretty remarkable, given the time and the obstacle of weird weather, that we’ve got some pretty healthy willow growing and are still, so far, wanting to plant more. 

We have busted our old lady asses to get here. Still standing though. C’mon, 2 1/2 years.

Summertime and the willow is high?

Lower bed on left - 7wks; Upper bed on right- 4 wks

Lower bed at 7wks

Look how great this year's babies are doing! The lower bed is at 7 weeks now and the upper bed is at 4 weeks. The prize for the overachiever of the lot is still Jaune de Falais, nearly 3 ft tall at 7 wks old. Even with the dry weather, I haven't lost any plants and only a few in pots are showing yellow leaves, so I am feeling more positive that they got enough spring rain to get a good start on the summer.

Jaune de Falais

Americana 1 yr

Now that the new stalks are establishing, all they need is regular watering. We can start cleaning up the area, weeding and finally paying attention to the 1 year plants. Some are doing particularly well, some are just hanging on. Below is a group of 4 Americana stalks I planted together in a larger pot last year and it is now almost 6 ft tall (I am 5'7"). Long, almost straight rods, while the other two-each pots are smaller and bushier. All are about 8" apart. Significant? Don't know. I have several over-performing individuals from last year, hopefully ready to pollard in the fall. I will try to get some landscape fabric and mulch down in that bed this week.

And this week will be a scorcher. They are calling highs near 90 this week, and working on a property with no shade is punishing. Heat exhaustion is a real possibility at our age. Even though we got the new trimmer mower last week and have mowed the immediate planting area, the other 80% of the property still needs to be mowed. It's going to be a challenge to get to the farm early enough in the day. Neither of us are morning people, and we're an hour away.

We are still going up every other day to hand water everything during this stretch of hot, dry weather. We are currently filling a dozen gallon jugs and an RV fresh water tank that is one day destined to be installed in our project Airstream. We can get about 30 gallons in it, and with a jury-rigged spigot, we manage to soak our 25 ft.x35 ft bed in about a half hour.

The 1 yr bed is getting cleaned u

It would be really nice to not have to drive up and back every other day, and the cost in gas (not to mention water) is rising and it's only June! The long term irrigation plan is in the works, but it will take at least 2 weeks to get it in place, if not more in this heat. Social media has provided a short term idea, but that will take a bit of prep too. Until then, taking a drive in beautiful weather to a mountain valley every other day is hardly torture! But yeah, there are many loose ends to tie up.

Last night we talked about

• A siesta schedule, taking off from noon to four every day. Not sure if we can actually do this.
• Taking the camper over to a campground, 15 minutes from the farm, and spending cooler mornings and evenings on the farm and afternoons at the campground, plugged in and AC blasting. The only negative is $$ - campground fees + sitter fees for 3 kitties in need of food and attention.
• A storage shed again. Right now, loading and unloading our trimmer mower takes a fair amount of time, and we need some secure storage. Horse trailers are again being searched on Craigslist. Pro: no foundation required. Con: Expensive, if they are in shape enough to actually tow. What can I get for $1500 or less?
• Some of the short term irrigation supplies will also be needed for the permanent system, Probably anything I find at Home Depot or Lowe's will be crap so I'm researching online. Dripworks.com looks interesting.

Funny how many solutions require money.

First Beds are in!

We have finally gotten all the purchased willow stalks in the the first bed, and after a good week of rain, they are mostly thriving. Our working area has been mowed and our first planting is done. Mostly. 

I keep talking about digging holes for our 1 year willows still in pots, but we are finding that shoveling more than 2-3 holes at a time is too much for us and too few for the job to get done. More holes for landscaping and fencing are in our future too. Similarly, we have found that our mower is not up to the job of taking down the wild grass and brush on most of the farm. The solution to both is better equipment. A digging auger and a  trimmer-mower are being researched. 

The one year old potted willows slowly added
to the bed. Spindly, but surviving.

I ordered a “grill gazebo” last week which will be a perfect turnkey water shed. It’s just an open structure with a slanted roof. I probably paid more than needed, but the likelihood of us building a structure from scratch in a timely manner is small, so a turnkey kit is the best solution. We’ll add a gutter and piping into a rain barrel, (eventually a 300g water tote) for the summer droughts sure to come. 

Seems unlikely this minute, with the weather calling for 5 days of rain. I can’t believe we were hand watering just a few weeks ago. 

On a personal note, my trauma around rain has virtually disappeared. My house used to flood every time the rain was heavy or prolonged, and my anxiety would shoot up at the sound of it. I used to try to get ahead of the rising water, but it was too much for me. Now that the house is sold, and I have a field of thirsty willow, prolonged rain is… can I say good? Even great! Just getting rid of the house is cause for celebration!

2 days later

We've missed the window for spring camping at the beach, all the parks on the ocean are booked til next fall. We should be looking at mountain getaways anyway, but really, we need to put in a foundation for the water gazebo, mow and dig some more holes. The rain chances have disappeared again. Irrigation is again top of list. 

It’s been a year

4/29/24

… since this project started. I put in a bid on this property around this time last year 

 I offered the asking price, but they got 5 other offers and two offering significantly more. The owners went through due diligence through two of the top offers, but the property failed the perc test required for a reasonably priced septic system so the deal fell through. I found out in early July that I was the last one standing.  

Lucky for me, I only wanted to plant water-loving willow on it. I had started half my cuttings by then and was looking at other properties. 

It took til August 1st to close and because I was simultaneously fixing up my house to sell and recovering from a concussion, I didn’t get a driveway into the property til January. 

So here I am as May begins, and summer is starting early here in WNC, still in planting mode, though the weather is not cooperating. We are driving up to the farm and hand watering every day during a 2 week stretch of dry weather.  “DO NOT LET THEM DRY OUT!” Echoing in my head. We are behind, as in all things, in getting the irrigation system set up. 

I should mention I am 72, my partner is 65. And we live a good hour from the property. I say those things not to complain, but to acknowledge that the plan is not going to plan.  I love ambitious plans, but this one is really testing the 35 year old in my head and my 72 year old back.

All that said, we are just barely keeping up with the watering (skipping cloudy days), and it is supposed to rain today, knock on wood. And, even better, three days of rain this weekend. That means we can plant the last 70 cuttings for this year. And maybe get the water barrels in place.

Has anyone ever mentioned how like surfing this is? Catch a wave (of rainstorms) and you’re sitting on top of the world. (Boomer ref)

4/30

I was up there yesterday with the day’s water rations and decided to prune back a few of the 1 year pot-birthed willows that have gotten bushy. I will want to pollard anyway, so keeping a central rod is my goal. And now, I actually have enough to make a tiny tension tray, the first of my own willow. 

The weather report keeps changing. Fewer days and less chance of rain. Better get on those rain barrels. Planting tomorrow or Saturday. 

5/4

We got the last 70 cuttings in the ground and spread out the last bales of straw to mulch the beds. It spit some rain but held off til we were done. Relief! And it rained almost an inch yesterday - Yay! When timing is right, it’s golden. I wanted to do a few more things, like spread some cover crop seeds and wildflower mix in the open fields, but the unplanted field is getting out of control. We are now talking mowing, in a few days. A rain catchment plan, in the works.  Borrowing an augur from the Tool Library to finish planting the pots. We are also talking vacation. Much needed. 

Hoping to share new growth photos next time!

Music credit: John Scofield, "Down D" Intro

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...

Trial 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.