tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26874980310673528892024-03-14T02:11:44.790-05:00Black Oak FarmHome of Virginia ChestnutsHolly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-34757182415418411062017-09-26T19:08:00.003-05:002017-09-26T19:08:59.347-05:00Chestnut Harvest 2017The chestnut harvest this year began about 10 days early. However, we are about caught up and will continue harvesting for the next 3 weeks, with the bulk of the harvest in the next 2 weeks. Harvesting is done with equipment and manually. Here are a few photos:<br />
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This step in the process separates the husks from the nuts before they are cleaned, dried and refrigerated.Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-55621877264254917912017-08-30T12:28:00.001-05:002017-09-26T18:59:06.901-05:00Grow Your Own Trees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Are you interested in growing a few chestnut trees or starting your own orchard? Please contact us at kim@VirginiaChestnuts.com. We will let you know when trees are available in the Spring and where they are available. Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-72942472809384103542017-08-08T15:46:00.000-05:002017-08-08T15:46:49.924-05:00Back to the BlogMuch has happened in the last few years at Black Oak Farm. We're now calling it Bryant Farm for one. And the chestnuts are moving in a forward direction. 2015 brought us our first decent harvest. 2016 brought another loss, only a few hundred pounds due to weather issues. But here we are on 2017 and optimistic about the harvest this year.<br />
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We have started another business, Virginia Chestnuts, and this will be the processing wing of chestnut production. Virginia Chestnuts purchases chestnuts from Bryant Farm and other orchards and then takes on the responsibility of cleaning, weighing, refrigerating and selling the chestnuts. Visit www.VirginiaChestnuts.com to see what's going on there.<br />
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We'll be posting photos during this harvest and would like to hear what you think. You can send a comment at Virginia Chestnuts, or link to our FB page, https://www.facebook.com/virginiachestnuts/<br />
or our Twitter page, https://twitter.com/vachestnuts. Look forward to hearing from you there.Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-70391029694429532172014-04-17T09:41:00.000-05:002014-04-17T09:41:33.720-05:00Back to Chestnuts - 2014Much has happened in the last few years, hence the break from the blog. 2013 turned out to be a disaster for chestnut farming. It was the year of the cicada, and by July, my husband realized that they had done so much damage, that we would loose our crop. He was 100% correct.<br />
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Moving forward, speaking with experienced farmers, the loss may turn out to be good for our crop this year. When a tree does not have to produce fruit, the energy and nutrients it takes in build up the root structure. So we are hoping for a an extra special crop this year to make up for last year. I'll be posting photos soon as trees begin to bud and we look for signs of the new crop.<br />
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We have continued to add trees to our crop each year, and now have about 1,500 trees on our farm. We have also started a growers group and have a total of 5 chestnut orchards in Nelson County. 2014 is looking good already.Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-26957692590336975682011-09-02T11:17:00.001-05:002011-09-02T11:17:45.083-05:00The Chestnuts are on the Way!We didn't fall off the earth (or the internet), just too busy to post. The chestnuts are really doing well this year. Trees are out of the tubes and many trees have several chestnuts on them. Today the chestnut outer shell is green, and over the next few weeks it will begin to turn brown and we'll have our first, very small, crop. I post a few photos when they begin.
<a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-25817783600697943552011-03-08T14:25:00.004-05:002011-09-02T11:15:20.172-05:00Happy 2011We're back and ready for all that this new year has to offer. The chestnut trees are looking good and we are starting to work on the fields. This year we will try to get on top of the weeds before they choke out everything in their path. There seems to be a shortage of 10-10-10, so we're checking some other fertilizer options.<br />
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There has not been much loss of trees over the winter. The main problem has been the wind storms that cause the bamboo in the tree tubes to break and knock over the trees. That has an easy fix, just replacing the bamboo with rebar. The other problem is how the tube ties are breaking due to weather exposure. When the wind comes through, the ties are broken, leaving the rebar standing and the tree on the ground. Other than that, the majority of trees have exceeded the tree tube in growth (5 ft) and we are now hoping for a good number of those trees to produce chestnuts this year.<br />
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The other focus this year will be irrigation. In order to have a quality chestnut, it is necessary to insure that the trees have the correct amount of water. So we are working on the irrigation system in preparation for a dry summer.<br />
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That's all for now. If you have any suggestions on weed control, fertilizer or irrigation, let us know your thoughts. And as the leaves appear on the trees, we'll have more photos.
<a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-59497268621485910392010-10-18T12:12:00.001-05:002010-10-18T12:14:13.625-05:00The Last Chestnut<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529435139337749890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/TLx_9ojKBYI/AAAAAAAAAlo/f5u9viKqefg/s200/Chestnut2_10-18-10.JPG" border="0" /> We carefully searched the orchard over the weekend for any remaining chestnuts. This one is still attached to the tree. I thought that I would pick it, but the shell is firmly attached. So we'll check it each day to see when it finally falls. The pod is not open, it may be a day or two.<br /><div></div><br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-15753845421745518192010-10-18T12:07:00.003-05:002010-10-18T12:11:45.200-05:00Chestnut Trees<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/TLx_cKIMcRI/AAAAAAAAAlY/kby6KzmHcfc/s1600/Chestnut1_10-18-10.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529434564235915538" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/TLx_cKIMcRI/AAAAAAAAAlY/kby6KzmHcfc/s200/Chestnut1_10-18-10.JPG" border="0" /></a>It's amazing to me that the chestnut trees have been so drought resistant this year. As of today, they still have their leaves. Some appear to have stress, and those were primarily the ones that produced nuts this year. We have not yet measured the loss for the season, however, will post that information within the week.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/TLx_mNoNV3I/AAAAAAAAAlg/wIAy4bILZl4/s1600/Chestnut3_10-18-10.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529434736974190450" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/TLx_mNoNV3I/AAAAAAAAAlg/wIAy4bILZl4/s200/Chestnut3_10-18-10.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-65040487851705713022010-10-11T20:42:00.004-05:002010-10-11T20:57:36.946-05:00Chestnut Management 2010This has been a year of maintenance for the orchard. We planted another 100 trees, some that were to replace the trees that we lost from last year's crop. We had a loss rate of about 5% or 50 trees. Our cost per tree for planting has been on average $12.00 per tree. That includes the cost of the tree, fertilizer, tree tube, tree ties and bamboo. The cost of the tree was actually increased this year with the purchase of rebar. Bamboo did not make a good stabilizer for the trees as it began to rot off about 6 months after the first trees were planted. After each heavy rain/wind storm, we have to replace the bamboo with rebar for 30-40 trees. Some trees are laying on the ground and we try to get to them within 24 hours so that the trunk does not snap and so that the leaves are not damaged. We have some loss due to the trees falling.<br /><br />The main cause of loss this year has been due to drought and pests. Crickets, beatles and grass hoppers have been eating the foliage. A light application of Seven helped, but was probably a little too late. We used a 1 oz to 1 gallon of water mixture, trying not to damage the plant in the process. Next year we will move to a 2 oz to 1 gallon of water mixture, and will begin a regular spray season earlier in the year.<br /><br />Other heavy maintenance has been weed control and mowing. Our orchard is rough and we are working the land to improve water management. Weeding has been done with the weed badger which has been great for the tree rows. Next season we are looking for a good herbicide that can be used closer to the trees, since this is the worst concentration of weeds. Mowing has helped stimulate grass growth. We also fertilized the grass rows with turkey litter this year and it has made a great difference. Where we were unable to grow anything, some grass is now growing. We will continue to use this method to build up the soil quality.<br /><br />For the rest of the season, we just need some rain. The rest of the year will be spent on planning, budgeting and learning about chestnuts and chestnut processing. We are open to suggestions if you would like to share one with us.<br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-34148669598211860162010-10-11T20:32:00.006-05:002010-10-11T20:39:53.999-05:00How Chestnuts Fall<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/TLO7NKGP85I/AAAAAAAAAk4/7Ejn3jHgnPg/s1600/Chestnuts_10-11-2010_01.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/TLO7NKGP85I/AAAAAAAAAk4/7Ejn3jHgnPg/s200/Chestnuts_10-11-2010_01.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526967002436989842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/TLO7ijw4nJI/AAAAAAAAAlI/YbG-vB5vmQM/s1600/Chestnuts_10-11-2010_03.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/TLO7ijw4nJI/AAAAAAAAAlI/YbG-vB5vmQM/s200/Chestnuts_10-11-2010_03.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526967370103954578" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/TLO7mOx3n7I/AAAAAAAAAlQ/9Cjo5SWFPlA/s1600/Chestnuts_10-11-2010_04.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/TLO7mOx3n7I/AAAAAAAAAlQ/9Cjo5SWFPlA/s200/Chestnuts_10-11-2010_04.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526967433190416306" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/TLO7eZ_dKkI/AAAAAAAAAlA/-Gwp2UQm6L4/s1600/Chestnuts_10-11-2010_02.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/TLO7eZ_dKkI/AAAAAAAAAlA/-Gwp2UQm6L4/s200/Chestnuts_10-11-2010_02.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526967298761239106" border="0" /></a>A few weeks ago we saw the chestnut shells beginning to form on the trees. This week, we noticed that the shells were turning from green to brown.<br /><br />Yesterday the shells opened, revealing the chestnut. And today, the shell and the chestnut fell to the ground. Success, at least for today.<br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-58067921029317679302010-10-11T20:29:00.003-05:002010-10-11T20:32:39.696-05:00The Chestnuts are Here...Ok, only one chestnut has actually fallen. But still.<br /><br />I've been very negligent on this blog, but now will be back with our updates. This summer has been extremely dry, even as I write this I am praying for some rain this week to finish up the season. The trees still have leaves and we're very grateful that they made it through the hot temps this summer. <br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-34983716010743095532009-12-21T19:25:00.002-05:002009-12-21T19:27:27.375-05:00Peace on Earth<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SzASJQOojUI/AAAAAAAAAkA/PCDC4rZGtwM/s1600-h/ChristmasPorch_12-20-09.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417850301911174466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SzASJQOojUI/AAAAAAAAAkA/PCDC4rZGtwM/s200/ChristmasPorch_12-20-09.JPG" border="0" /></a> There are many reasons why we choose to farm. But at the end of the day, this is it. Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas from Black Oak Farm.<br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-1637310520584657042009-10-05T19:05:00.003-05:002009-10-05T19:12:22.278-05:00Chestnut Tree SeasonIt looks like the new seedlings that were planted had a pretty good season. Last week we took a detailed look at the trees in order to mark the ones that did not make it. We had a 4% loss rate which was about expected. And we were very pleased to have such a mild summer with enough rain that irrigation was not necessary. I'll take some photos this week to show how far some of the seedlings have grown out of the tubes. We've been working on the fields this week with mowing and next we will be back to weeding carefully around each tree. In March 2010 we will replace the trees that did not make it and decide what needs to be done next.<br /><br />One question we do have is about spraying. We did not worry about this too much because we did not anticipate much foliage on the trees. However, even the trees that did not exceed the height of the tubes have leaves on them. If anyone can give us some direction on a spray schedule and products it would be greatly appreciated. We have some general information on nut trees in general, but nothing specific to chestnuts. Thanks for your help.<br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-40872638316384380102009-09-29T19:21:00.005-05:002009-09-29T19:31:49.181-05:00Back to the Farm (ok, the Pool)I haven't given up on the farm blog, or the farm. We've been a little distracted this summer with something not entirely farm related. This summer we installed a pool. Literally. Ourselves. Although this is not complete, we have done a few things that hopefully will benefit the farm.<br /><br />First, we installed irrigation pipe from our creek to the top of hill where the garden resides. Yes, we used the irrigation pump for the pool, but really, we will be using this for irrigation beginning in the spring. Then, we had a hydroseeder come and seed the banks around the pool. This lesson taught us to let the professionals just do their job. We have grass around the pool, in less than 7 days. We did plant our own grass on the outskirts of the hydroseed, and then blew straw on it. Maybe we'll have grass in those areas in 70 days. Finally, we installed snow fence, hence the redneck pool photo. Installing snow fence is much easier than installing wood plank fence and it comes already painted, orange. We did this mainly because of small children and safety. Maybe we'll keep it. Nah.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387051006819339554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SsKmWVBgjSI/AAAAAAAAAjw/5Wo-BsCNQt8/s200/Pool1.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387051139144710706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SsKmeB-VejI/AAAAAAAAAj4/DcXD_OqDmnY/s200/Pool2.JPG" border="0" /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-50532764892571041092009-06-29T19:22:00.007-05:002009-06-30T08:29:01.592-05:00Orchard Weeds<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SklbcxK11OI/AAAAAAAAAjY/B1CKHeduYEo/s1600-h/WeedBadger_6-13-09.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352910181899818210" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 200px; height: 150px;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SklbcxK11OI/AAAAAAAAAjY/B1CKHeduYEo/s200/WeedBadger_6-13-09.JPG" border="0" /></a>We had to do a little research to find out how we could efficiently weed the orchard without working 24/7. On-line we found an attachment for the Bobcat called a Weed Badger. Basically this is installed on the front of the skid-steer. It allows you to move the Weed Badger between the trees, without disturbing the trees. Sort of like a souped-up weed eater. You can see how clean the rows are.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SklbVj_aD2I/AAAAAAAAAjQ/jEeW3cj_Dg0/s1600-h/ChestnutOrchard_6-13-09.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352910058103115618" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 200px; height: 150px;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SklbVj_aD2I/AAAAAAAAAjQ/jEeW3cj_Dg0/s200/ChestnutOrchard_6-13-09.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-59558820862971677332009-06-29T19:11:00.004-05:002009-06-29T19:16:31.896-05:00Chestnut Growth<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SklZIZ4DyQI/AAAAAAAAAjA/9lCY1fqnRyU/s1600-h/Chestnuts1_6-26-09.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352907633026386178" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SklZIZ4DyQI/AAAAAAAAAjA/9lCY1fqnRyU/s200/Chestnuts1_6-26-09.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SklZOwtT4fI/AAAAAAAAAjI/mVJevMSBTps/s1600-h/Chestnuts2_6-26-09.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352907742234534386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SklZOwtT4fI/AAAAAAAAAjI/mVJevMSBTps/s200/Chestnuts2_6-26-09.JPG" border="0" /></a> I haven't forgotten about the blog, we've just been pretty busy on the farm. Here are 2 pictures of the chestnut trees. We have a few that are actually growing out of the tube. Remember that the tubes are 5' tall. We were so fortunate to have all of the rain right after planting, and hopefully this will lead to strong growth for the rest.<br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-91157933414207002572009-05-04T07:39:00.003-05:002009-05-04T07:41:31.431-05:00Spring RainWhen the weather gets hot and dry, it always seems, to me, that it may never rain again. But of course, that's not the case. We've had a great rain this weekend, almost 2 inches since Friday. The trees will be in good shape when the sun comes out again. And since I planted the garden last week, I'm thrilled that it got a good soaking.<br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-47027890806050266842009-04-27T09:02:00.002-05:002009-04-27T09:05:33.777-05:0090 DegreesWe've had a pretty good stretch of very hot weather in April. It has been 90 degrees and hotter, Saturday through today, with temps beginning to lower by Wednesday. So how is this affecting the trees? Our concern about purchasing the tubes was about heat collection in the tube. However, although the tubes are called "grow tubes", they are ventilated. About 18" from the ground the ventilation begins and is about 12" from there. Hopefully this will be enough to allow heat to escape and prevent the tree from burning. We'll let you know in about a week how that is working out.<br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-40915515027656889662009-04-24T11:57:00.004-05:002009-04-24T12:02:19.184-05:00FertilizerGenerally we try to do all of our tree fertilization in early spring, but shipping schedules of our trees, the fertilizer and the rain put us off a few weeks. This weekend, we added fertilizer packages to our tree tubes. Because our soil is so poor and much rain was on the way, we dropped the packages into the tubes instead of planting them with the plants (and because the fertilizer did not arrive until a week after the tree planting was completed). Sometimes you just have to work within circumstances that are out of your control. Above is a photo of the fertilizer pack. And yes, it looks like a tea bag.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SfHwaxPhD8I/AAAAAAAAAhg/OBHqwW4wA_g/s1600-h/fertilizerpacket200x136.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SfHwaxPhD8I/AAAAAAAAAhg/OBHqwW4wA_g/s200/fertilizerpacket200x136.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328304176841691074" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-59200772959606518082009-04-23T20:45:00.004-05:002009-04-23T20:51:53.460-05:00Tree Tubes<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SfEbAvzg6HI/AAAAAAAAAhY/UgvbHvbXjwY/s1600-h/Chestnuts_4-24-09.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328069533802489970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SfEbAvzg6HI/AAAAAAAAAhY/UgvbHvbXjwY/s200/Chestnuts_4-24-09.JPG" border="0" /></a> Last year we lost the majority of our chestnut crop to deer pressure and drought. Not again. We decided to invest in tree tubes. There are orchards that choose to use these tubes to jump-start growth on their trees. Our primary goal was to protect them from the deer.<br /><br /><div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328069354718675282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SfEa2UqmwVI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/oE4-11ywces/s200/Tubes_4-24-09.JPG" border="0" />The trees that we planted are between 24-36" tall. The tree tubes are 5' tall. A 1/2 inch bamboo pole (6' tall) was installed next to each tree. The tube fits over the pole and the tree and then secured with 3 plastic ties. It was a very windy day when we installed the majority of the tubes, and they withstood the wind and heavy rains.<br /><br />Without tree tubes, crop loss can be very great. With the tubes, we expect about a 4% loss due to weather and soil conditions annually.<br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a></div>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-33483331857661984132009-04-23T20:37:00.006-05:002009-04-23T20:43:49.357-05:00Chestnut Trees Planted<div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328067188420283602" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SfEY4Ok0jNI/AAAAAAAAAg4/TQg8iQ94New/s200/ChestnutTree2_4-24-09.JPG" border="0" />So I'm finally getting around to posting the pictures of our new orchard. Here are the before and after of the tubes. As you can see, it is almost impossible to determine where the trees are after they have been planted. But once the tubes are on, we'll be able to do an accurate count of trees in each field. We'll be evaluating the success rate of trees in each field so that we can prepare for next year.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SfEZDjUOk2I/AAAAAAAAAhA/YG1oU0PX78s/s1600-h/ChestnutTree3_4-24-09.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328067382966391650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SfEZDjUOk2I/AAAAAAAAAhA/YG1oU0PX78s/s200/ChestnutTree3_4-24-09.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a></div>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-75652701787236331822009-04-08T13:17:00.005-05:002009-04-23T20:45:11.518-05:00Chestnuts<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SfEZjiqmvAI/AAAAAAAAAhI/JGzeASwXB4I/s1600-h/ChestnutTree_4-24-09.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328067932547628034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SfEZjiqmvAI/AAAAAAAAAhI/JGzeASwXB4I/s200/ChestnutTree_4-24-09.JPG" border="0" /></a>It's been a while since I wrote about the farm, but only because we've been busy planting chestnut trees. We have planted about 25 acres in Dunstan chestnut trees.<br /><br />Step one was plowing and tilling. The earth is so rocky and grassy that tilling is the only way to make the soil workable and give us a good soil consistency in which to plant. Step two was planting (yes, with a shovel). We did auger a few holes for trees on a steep part of the farm where the soil is not in good shape. This was done mainly to prevent the erosion during heavy downpours.<br /><br />We started planing trees last week, March 30 and finished this morning. The next step will be tree tubes. The chestnut seedlings are 24-36 inches tall. We have ordered tree tubes that are 5 feet tall and prevent deer and other animals from destroying our crop. I'll blog about our crop from last year on another day - it's a little sad. I will say that the trees that survived all had deer scare tape on them. So a thank-you to the scare tape folks.<br /><br />I'll post some photos after the tubes have been installed. It's hard to see the seedlings from a distance of more than 2 feet. And hopefully we'll see some budding and leafing in the next few weeks.<br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-67509705295717685352008-11-11T12:51:00.002-05:002008-11-11T12:55:02.989-05:00The Farm House<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SRnGz5ejO2I/AAAAAAAAAUk/FhS7346ODbo/s1600-h/House2_11-10-08.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267459834091092834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SRnGz5ejO2I/AAAAAAAAAUk/FhS7346ODbo/s200/House2_11-10-08.JPG" border="0" /></a>Ta-da! Ok, so we're about 95% finished the painting. Some touch-up work is needed on the roof and the back (and a little more on the front) and then we'll be done. Until a bird lands on the roof and paints a little more. That's Ok, goes with the weathering of the metal.<br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-73389314321176919402008-11-11T12:44:00.005-05:002009-04-24T13:00:42.594-05:00Roof PaintIf you are reading this blog and are interested in the paint we used on the roof, here are the details. We purchased everything from Sherwin Williams. The primer was called Kem Kromic and the paint was Sher-Cryl. These were both tinted to give us the barn-red color on the roof, and to actually match the barn. I'm very pleased with the way these products went on and should last.<br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2687498031067352889.post-91732099950830134642008-11-04T07:32:00.004-05:002009-04-23T13:41:33.631-05:00Roof Painting<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SRBA-_3paDI/AAAAAAAAAUU/W1BeFlOy-4A/s1600-h/HouseRoof_11-3-08.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264779415437010994" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 200px; height: 150px;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WzI6zmtgw04/SRBA-_3paDI/AAAAAAAAAUU/W1BeFlOy-4A/s200/HouseRoof_11-3-08.JPG" border="0" /></a> So I haven't posted any photos of our house, because after 3 1/2 years we are still working on it. This week we are painting the tin roof.<br /><br />Tin has to age for a little while before being painted (probably not 3 1/2 years), but it was time. We rented a lift for the steep parts and to get us to the top roof. Most of the primer and paint have been sprayed on. Some of the smaller roof areas have been hand painted. I'll post more photos as we complete this project, another one checked off the list.<br /><a href="http://www.trainingforce.com/"></a>Holly Road Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12183711451515153390noreply@blogger.com0