16. Trees, 2020
“(S)He who plants a tree, plants hope.”
Yesterday, I planted our first tree.
This planting is imbued with so much: it’s the future of the farm. This planting is a small step toward regeneration of the soil, provides a wind-break (when the trees get a bit bigger), provides shade and erosion control, and with some of the species, they will also be a part of farm production.
I’m planting 25 white pine trees, 25 sugar maples, and 25 red maples.
With the maples, I’ll be doing syrup when they’re big enough to tap, and with the shade and micro-climate created by the maturing trees, I’ll be able to grow mushrooms. Additionally, the pine needles shed will make great mulch, and the “baby forest” I’m planting is on a section of the land that isn’t hospitable to the market garden. So, three cheers for trees!
One down, 74 to go…
Of course, when I’m more liquid (hopefully by the fall), the orchard work begins with fruit and nut trees on the south side of the property (and then BEES!).
So I’m two months in, have 74 trees to plant in the next couple of days, and a couple acres of increasingly high grass to mow with a combination of weed-wacker and 16” electric mower. It is laughable (and takes forever!). I’ve been trying to mow every single day it doesn’t rain. For every 30 minutes I get out of the battery-powered mower, it takes 60 minutes to recharge, so to mow about a five foot wide swath, it takes three hours. Gah!
Luckily, I’m about to start a part-time job at a hardware store, so I’ll get a discount for that giant ride-on mower we need to get the grass under control. I’ve pulled two ticks off of one of the dogs, one out of the bed, and one off of me, so it’s kind of an emergency. But the chickens like it, though.
Wanda for the win.
Nevertheless, I love the work, and sometimes catch myself just sweating and smiling stupidly. Plus, I get plenty of time to read audio books, and catch up on podcasts. Go team!