Permaculture–
A.V. Walters
It’s clear that the neighbors all think I’ve lost it. Our immediate neighbors are retired organic farmers. When I said that the solution to poor soils in the orchard area was to amend the soil before planting, they just shook their heads. But, I meant it. It’s one of the cool things about having heavy equipment—you can do things that make sense, but normally wouldn’t be worth the effort.
When I said that we’d amend to a depth of 5 to 6 feet, I was exaggerating, but not by much. We dug out 4 to 5 feet. That’s the beauty of a backhoe. Still, it wasn’t easy. The digging goes well enough, but then you have to separate out the good topsoil, from the glacial sand below. Then you have to add in the compost—just a little over a cubic yard per hole—and mix it together with the good topsoil. You can’t just layer it, or you could get “perching,” where the compacted layers resist water flow. So the mixing and the filling of the holes has to be done by hand.
Even Rick thought I was nutty. He mentioned that it felt like he’d been conscripted into the army, and was sentenced to dig holes and fill them in again. That was what we were doing—though not quite as simple as that (and not punitive.)
If ever there was ever a good reason to go to great lengths, putting in trees would be it. It’s why they call it permaculture. They’re permanent. If you don’t take extra measures now—you won’t get the chance later. These trees deserve the best start they can get. If planted in well draining soil that’s also rich in organic material, these trees will be well ahead of the game. We live in an area that considers itself the “Cherry Capital.” All too often, though, the cherry farmers drop the whips (baby trees) into the sandy ground and then fertilize and spray them for the rest of their lives. It’s like being hooked up to an IV feeding tube! So much for conventional agriculture.
We won’t be doing that. You can grow healthy fruit without all the junk. It helps if you think ahead. This weekend was a backbreaking exercise in thinking ahead. Just as we were finishing up last evening, yet another neighbor walked over to query us on just what we were doing. I was hip-deep in the last hole. Granted, we didn’t actually plant yesterday. We were too tired. So, it really did look as though we were just digging holes and filling them. We were. In a funny way, we are burying treasure. She didn’t look convinced when I explained our system. When I told her that we’d water them with willow bark tea for good root development, her eyes widened.
This is a small town. I’m sure that within the week the whole town will know how crazy we are. Most folks just dig an 18 inch hole for a tree. That’s what the instructions say. We’ll hear all about it when we go into the hardware store. That’s were you can catch all the good farm gossip.
Today the trees went in. We now have 4 cherry trees, 2 pear trees, and 3 apples. We still have one more orchard tree to plant this year, a plum. It hasn’t yet arrived, snug in its mail order carton. We’ll put in another four next year (they were out of stock this year!) and then the orchard is complete. All were selected for winter hardiness, disease resistance, flavor, type (cooking or eating), and timing. After all, you wouldn’t want them all ripe at once!
Between forest trees and orchard, in the past two weeks, we’ve planted 95 trees. It’s a relief to go back to building.
We can’t put in the garden for another ten days. When our frost-free date comes, we’re ready to plant our seedlings. If they think we’re crazy with the orchard, wait ‘til the neighbors see the buckets.
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Congratulations, you are now some serious orchardists! And, you will be rewarded for the big dig, especially when your trees hit their stride after 4-5 years, I think.
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Well, they’re two year trees going in, so there will be some small rewards in two years or so.
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So Rick only “thinks” you’re nutty? Ha!
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I all makes sense when you explain it, AV. I don’t know why anyone would shake their heads. Maybe because they see the truth, but don’t want to be roped into doing it themselves!
Fascinating read.
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Because Rick is a builder, he sees tools and their use differently than the average gardener. I say, “We need big holes.” Rick says, “Backhoe.” Somewhere in between we are finding inter-disciplinary magic. I’ll admit, in a heartbeat, that if these holes had to be dug, just with shovels, I wouldn’t have gone to such extremes.
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I’m chuckling. Our farming neighbors think we’re crazy too. Why would you sow clover in your garden? How can you expect anything to grow without fertilizer? The bugs are going to eat everything you plant if you don’t dust your gardens. Etc.
Meanwhile they’re planting tobacco and buying their food at Walmart. Who’s crazy?
But craziness like ours (and yours) must be catching. It’s not as lonely as it used to be. I’d wager that within a few years folks in your community will start asking you for advice.
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Yeah, clover is next.
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Since your neighbors think you are crazy I will be interested to hear how all of it turns out in the end.
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And the husband dropped by yesterday, to ask what was I doing with the buckets (more on this later) and he just shook his head. Yes, we’ll follow through to show how it all turns out in the end.
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wow, I hadn’t realized the work that goes into it. when I was growing up my family had a very simple garden. it yielded well but if we had known all I am discovering on your blog I’m sure it would have been a much better experience. I’ll be referring back here often!
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