I finally bought a house in Cave Country! W00T!!!

[The Chairman]

While I'm here, life is springing all around me. Yeah, I know it's still February, but mother nature is starting to move forward with her plans to greenify the place. I really want to add a lot of trees to the landscape to isolate me just a tad more. The fields to the South and West of me just got planted in pine. I still want to add some trees over there and have already planted a couple of redbuds and a red maple. The next rees over there will have wildlife appeal. Crabapples and the sort of trees that will attract the deer are on my list.

@sphyon and his far, far better half have donated and planted a fig tree. Already it's rolling out the Spring Line of wardrobe for the Silt Out...

I have already planted five Eastern Red Cedars along the North, but I wanted a lot more. Unfortunately, they were expensive and they didn't seem to be doing all that well. Most of this was my fault as they sat for a long time (45+ days) before I got to plant them. I found a far closer nursery up in Lee Florida that was a lot cheaper and boy oh boy, do they seem a lot healthier from the start. At $44/100 bare root Eastern Red Cedars I got a great deal and a large number of trees to plant. My Daughter, @Thee Frosty, visited the cats this weekend (you know she didn't make the trip to see me) and got to do a few things around the homestead. After she complained about the lack of a towel rack, I handed her one and coached her how to install it. She did a great job. She also complained about the lack of a toilet paper holder, so I gave her that as well and didn't even inspect her work until I took the photo! Both are secure as well as level. Good job, Chelsea!

In addition to those, she helped me replant the five cedars on the North boundary and ten more. I think I wore her out, but am excited that she might be moving up here for a bit.

So, that's 15 down and 85 to go! Woot! It's a beginning. I have to say we eyeballed those trees. The lines are "OK", and they'll change as the trees grow anyway. The biggest problem we had was the heat. Man, it's getting hot already and the North field is very open and exposed.

 

[The Chairman]

This morning was gorgeous with a soft fog enveloping the 10+ acres. I fed the cats, myself and while it was still young, I got out with a bucket full of seedlings, a couple of jugs of water, my trusty Dibble Stick, a bunch of pipe I cut up and some string.

I measured 25' out from the Eastern fence. There are already some Red Cedars planted along the fence line, so I'm giving it some room. I'm only going to be 15' away from the North Fence.

I pounded in a stake every twenty feet. This will be a much longer and straighter row.

Tools of the trade: Water jug (repurposed from a Kitty Litter Jug), Seedlings and Dibble Stick.

Shove the Dibble Stick into the ground two inches from the stake and rock back and forth.
There's a foot bar if the ground is tough.

This produces a rather squarish hole that tapers down about 18 inches.

Select a seedling.

Fill the hole with water.

Work the seedling and it's roots as far into the hole as possible. The deeper the better.
Just don't harm or bend the taproot!

Pull the seedling back up to where the roots are just below the soil line.
Tamp the soil into place with your feet. Be careful not to step on the seedling!

A happy seedling ready to spring forth!

The set-up took about an hour and a half. The actual planting took about a half hour (with a break or three).​

Today, in a little over two hours I planted another 21 Eastern Red Cedars. Tomorrow, I'll add another line and possibly start on the East side of the North Boundary. FWIW, the most tiresome task was rolling up the 300+ ft of line. Man that was a lot of work!

 

[stuartv]

Awesome work, Pete.

Just FYI, the first picture in your last post and a bunch of the pictures in your previous post are not displaying (for me, anyway).

 

[mddolson]

Our technique of planting seedlings is a little different here (north), Using a square end garden spade, we make vertical cut down at planting location, remove blade & tip the blade, normal to the flat & make a 45 degree down angle cut that intersects at the bottom of the first cut. This will create a pie wedge V shaped piece. Lift it out, keep it on the shovel & pour in water, set the seedling against the vertical face, & slide the wedge back into gap. Step in wedge to pack. Mark with stake. Move to next spot. I don't know what the soil is like in your area. But give it a try you may like it.

 

[The Chairman]

The Dibble Stick (or Hoodad in the PNW) was designed for this job. I got a bit of the flu this past week, which has hampered me a bit, but I've planted 64 so far.

 

[The Chairman]

It's really springing all around me. I love it. The lows are supposed to be in the low 40s this time of year, but alas and alack, it's been in the mid to upper 60s since I got back from Bonaire. I'm going through a Spring rain here at the moment and it's simply awesome. It's supposed to be heralding in a cold front and it appears I'll have some 40+-degree weather this weekend! Woot!!!

Unfortunately, in spite of avoiding lots of humans (save shopping), I got the flu this past week. Yuck! I thought I had it and then I didn't, and then it was obvious. Not nearly as bad as some of the cases of flu I've had or maybe I'm just stronger in battling it. Today was the first day since I last planted cedars that I've felt 'whole', albeit still weak. I took in the Kia to replace the RF tire this morning and pulled the tire off the trailer to plug it. I'll take some pictures tomorrow, but I have a Dogwood in full bloom and a number of small ones that I can transplant elsewhere.

 

[Akimbo]

I got the flu this past week. Yuck!

My wife came down with flu symptoms within two hours of picking me up from shoulder surgery. We were in a hotel with a 24 hour clinic nearby. Yep, the mouth swab confirmed Influenza A. She started on a Tamiflu regiment an hour later and I started the prophylactic series the next day. She felt much better within 48 hours, all better in 4 days, and I got off clean. We both had the flu shot which is supposed to help recovery time.

That was our first experience with Tamiflu, but won't be the last. Unfortunately it only helps if taken within 48 hours of first symptoms. Recommended.

 

[The Chairman]

Gud to know.

I'm still feeling the effects. I have low BP and sometimes when I stand up to fast, I get to sit right back on down. I feel a lot more susceptible to that right now. Fortunately, the cats are in cuddly mode right now, especially Ma~.

 

[Johnoly]

Those seedlings sure looks like a timber farm to me. And that equals a DR-499C Property tax classification and that is a Huge savings.

Agricultural Property Tax Classification

 

[The Chairman]

Those seedlings sure looks like a timber farm to me. And that equals a DR-499C Property tax classification and that is a Huge savings.

Agricultural Property Tax Classification

Yeah, the ag-extension officer thought so too. I don't need a goat at this point.