November Hill farm journal, 93

We’ve finally dried out enough to get a few things done outside. Husband helped me complete one big project yesterday which was to measure and cut the oak trunk that was taken down in the front pasture, and use the truck and a towing strap to move it about 30 feet to create a terraced area that will hopefully help with rainwater run-off.

His plan worked perfectly and once the huge tree trunk was in its new position, I worked on stacking fallen branches from the little grass paddock (which I call Salina’s Paddock) and the upper front pasture in a nice layer on the high side of the tree trunk.

Once this was done husband brought 4 wheelbarrows of stall waste and I layered that on top of the branches. The plan is to allow that to settle some and then continue layering with more branches and more yard/stall organic matter. After that and a rainfall or two, it should be settled enough to add the final layer of compost from our big pile, and then I’ll need to figure out something to plant there that can tolerate water run-off.

I meant to take photos but was so caught up in the doing of the thing, I did not. The area directly behind this new terraced bed is hard red clay and rocks which stays that way due to the run-off and resulting erosion. I’m hoping this will ease that enough that the area can heal a bit. I’ve got a small compost pile that’s been cooking on the edge of the eroded part and I began spreading it out a bit yesterday. When I plant the terraced bed I’ll finish spreading the compost down there and then plant some orchard grass/red clover mix to see if I can get some roots in the ground.

We also re-wrapped the tulip poplars with a green plastic netting material to keep the herd from chewing the bark. So far this year, knocking on wood here, they haven’t touched any living trees. I started their spirulina early and hopefully between that and the netting we won’t have any issues. Tulip poplars are not only regal and lovely, they are the largest source of nectar flow in our area for honeybees and also the native bees. Over the years of living here, we’ve lost several to storms and two more to equine girding. Not to mention the power company’s taking down several two years ago in Poplar Folly. I don’t want to lose any more!

While we had the truck in the pasture, we used it to move three large cedar logs that were salvaged when a dying cedar was taken down a year ago. These amazingly long-lasting logs are now in Brown Bunny Potager ready to create 1.5 garden beds. I’ll be working on that this week. There are more cedar logs in Poplar Folly that will have to be carried up by hand since we can’t get the truck back there. Between using brush pile waste and salvaged logs from dying/dead trees for the terraces and the garden beds, I’m getting some space cleared out. The brush piles mulch down pretty quickly even if left alone, and in that time they offer shelter for wildlife.

About a year ago I completed the paperwork and November Hill was certified as a wildlife refuge, and this week I did the same to have it certified as being on the Butterfly Highway. These are simple, honor system questionnaires that can be completed online. Getting the attractive signs that you can purchase is a good way to support the Wildlife Federation and also to remind yourself and anyone who visits that we can all participate in making our yards and farms part of the larger puzzle of supporting wildlife and insect life.

Two Advil and an ice pack at the end of yesterday helped avoid my waking up with sore muscles. Today we have to move one bluebird house, install a second one, and yuck chore but necessary, clean the dryer vent. Then I’m off to plant ecology class. :)