On the North side of the barn is a smallish field. A loafing field really.
It is directly behind the pig sty.
We rolled the last two bales of mississippi grass hay through the pig sty and out to the North side, positioning them with difficulty at either end, then built a fence down the middle.
Right about there where the lambs were laying about in the morning.
Then Queenie, Hairy and The Bobby took up residence in one side.
And Mama and her flock were on the other side, sharing with Daisy through the fence and the sheep and Daisy still with access to their indoor living. Inside the barn is a special pen called a creep pen that only the lambs can access, this has good alfalfa and some oats and barley with their own water bucket. Otherwise the big sheep steal all their stuff. In fact I find that the lambs are often in there, out of the way of the others, just sleeping.
Do you see Johnathon Livingston Seagull Tilly?
Good morning. Life on the farm is toddling along in this new warm environment. The clothes are out on the clothesline, I have begun to clear flower beds, today we will put in the first of the potatoes and another set of onions (my aim is 365 onions this year.) After a few more days of warm sunshine like this then we will see some grass beginning. I feel like a race horse being let out of a starting gate with a great Leap.
Yesterday I was standing in the barn thinking what a joy it was not to have to wear so many clothes, though I still had four layers and the clown pants on!
The boys are off to begin to collect next years firewood today. A friend is tearing out some of his hedge trees. I growled at him yesterday about pulling down the trees that help keep his air clean, I asked him what he was gaining, he said four extra rows. (He was talking about corn and beans) I used colourful language. (Which only made them laugh as bad language in a posh NZ accent cannot be taken seriously evidently). John called him a tree assassin and shook his head. He hates to see trees go down.
The flip side of this dirty coin is that we will now work to get our wood shed filled so the wood is put to good use. Hedge apple wood makes good fence posts too so I hope to pull some of that size out of the piles before they set fire to the lot. And I will take the man a tree tomorrow, to plant in his own garden, as an offering to the tree gods. (Can you imagine the look on his face but he will not be able to say no!) Frankly I wish the trees had Gods but I am afraid they would be a vengeful lot in this day and age. It makes me so sad to see big trees go down, I cannot help but feel it. Every year we plant trees here, but I have an old apple and an old peach that will have to give way to the young ones soon, due to rot, but it will still make me sad to take them out. John keeps putting it off. We will plant four trees to replace them though.
I hope you all get to plant a tree this year. If you don’t have the space, let me know and I will plant a tree for you. Maybe along the creek or along our back fence line for shade for the animals. You can choose. Keeping the tree canopy alive makes a huge difference to our air quality so look after your big trees in town too, especially after last years drought.
Back to the farm. Each of these loafing fields has access to a big field. My plan is that once these bales are gone, we can lay out the electric fences, open the gates and let the animals begin their green grass cycles. And in the interim the empty home fields will be growing new forage for the late summer. Won’t that be excellent.
Have a lovely, lovely, lovely day. It is almost dawn, off I go.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
76 responses to “Looking after our canopy of trees”
In our Chicago back yard, we have a silver maple at least 60 years old, whose crown embraces the entire yard. For this reason I cannot plant anything else and the grass beneath it is pretty much a disaster. Yet every year I measure the circumference of the trunk. It is now 88 inches. There are no words to express what I feel about this tree.
Oh my, that must be magnificent .. to have such a tree is a joy! How wonderful..c
But enough about me….Celia how did you ever learn so much about farm life? I mean just for instance, knowing about a creep pen nevermind how to make one. Amazing!
Every time I make a wee space for the lambs to creep into it is different, there is no such thing as sharing in the sheep world so I wanted them to have a space to feed without having to fight. I spend a lot of time sitting in the barn watching and thinking, this and Google is how I learn. Of course I invent stuff and think I am so clever then I google it and discover it has been done for years.. ! laugh! c
I had a guy come to my front door one day last year, asking if I wanted my pine trees (and others) removed from the back of my property – and in no uncertain terms I told him absolutely not! He tried to tell me that the little woodland I have would grow back better if i chopped all the trees down – excuse me? Mother nature is quite capable of looking after my little woodland thank you! Since I moved into my little cottage 4 years ago I have planted one apple (actually I planted three but two died) and the surviving tree is an English Bramley! Planted 1 cherry and 1 plum. Also 2 crap apple, 2 red buds, 2 maples , and 4 other trees I just can’t remember the names of – oh yes 2 are hawthorn. I love trees and all growing things! maybe not weeds, but as my Dad used to say “A weed is a plant growing in the wrong place”
Have a great weekend C.
I say exactly what your dad says, some of my weeds are fantastic chook food! I love red buds, I might try and find one for here.. and crab apples are a favourite of mine too, well done saving your wee woods from a mad chopper!! c
Such a shame that we’ve forgotten what hedgerows can to for us! We desperately need habitats for our pollinators–those extra rows won’t do well without them, not to mention hiding and nesting places for birds that will help to keep the garden pests in control; and, . . . oxygen for all of us, . . . and moisture, and soil retention, and on and on and on! (Sorry! Enough of the ‘soapbox’ moments) Jason and I are in the process of turning our property into a ‘food forest’. We are adding 2 more fruit trees this afternoon!
Lisa
Oh fantastic, i must pop over and see how you are doing, it is ages since i visited! c
365 onions sounds about right to me – you can’t have enough 😉
Oh i do agree, I use onions all the time,but i can never grow enough to store! I eat them too fast! c
Oh, thanks for the memories – we had calves standing close to the big rolls of hay ( or tower of bales before then) Those rolls make great wind blocks which is all he cattle here needed many times.
Tree assassin – love that! Glad the wood will be put to use instead of rotting or burned in a pile. We use cedar for long term fence posts here.
Never enough trees. Some here are growing some from acorns of that big oak that was moved – and hope to sell the saplings for a tree /park fund. Trying to get city to sell tree designed Tshirt, too. (That oak is doing well – new pix coming this week)
Hoppy Easter to you and yours!
Happy easter to you too Mouse, and city trees are so important, good for you giving them support! c
We’re in a little town – but within commuter distance from both Houston and Galveston. It’s growing fast here – and some of us are trying to preserve what so many came to this area for! Things can be lost so quickly when money is waved. We’ve a spot I think we can sandwich in at least one more palm tree…maybe two…never enough trees! Easter warmth to all the farmy
I love palm trees! c
A Happy Easter to all who live in the kingdom of The Farmy, Celi. XXOO V.
I’ve heard that even the old rotting trees can be very useful to wildlife? Perhaps you could cut them down but find a place to leave the wood, as a home for beetles and fungi.
These are miles away and we are not in charge, or we would not be cutting them at all, just trimming.. however there you are, and yes i do agree about rotton wood, any old firewood that is impossible to split or too far gone goes into the gardens here.. not that there was much of that this year! c
I would love to have a tree planted in my name…our Milanese apartment doesn’t offer much in the way of “places to plant trees.” Let me know how much it costs and you shall be duly remunerated! I feel like I just got a star named after me…
No need for the renumeration at all Charlotte, I will find a lovely tree for you, one that will grow HUGE! One for you and one for Claire so far. Claire wants an apple, do you have a preference? c
That is exactly why Terry and I were so sad and upset last year over that needless and senseless TWO fires set by people who are not even part of our land. I cried over the old cottonwood and I cried over the sage and chico and rabbittbrush. Then the ditch company decided to swoop over and spray our other cottonwood…it was a very hard spring and very hard to see the venerable old trees and sage and chico consumed. They had been here since before the white man came.
The whole mess still makes me sad. Oh, well! we have moved on as there really is nothing else one can do.
Great Post CECILIA!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
I remember that too,i would have sat on your porch and cried with you… terrible to see the old trees go, they do so much for the land from UNDERGROUND.. people forget this in the instant coffee world! c
Hi C. Alan here.
Looking from a kiwi farm perspective I agree we all need to plant more trees. I guess the trees in your part of the world would need to be able to handle the cold and would grow more slowly than in NZ but have you thought about growing a coppicing wood lot?
In the drought this year we have been cutting our poplars for stock feed and then using the wood for firewood. They then grow back and we can do the same thing for many years.
This is a good idea, Dad has suggested it also and i am looking into a species that will do this, we do it on a small scale with mulberry.. they grow back no problem at all.. great thinking little sister!..I will put in more this year and maybe next year when you are here! c
I live on a heavily wooded hillside, and sadly, my husband would tell you we have “more than enough trees, thank you!” Unfortunately, my neighbor is similar to yours. He has been gradually cutting down his trees – mostly for firewood, but more recently because he wants a “real yard” with grass. It makes me so sad and angry to see his trees go. The trees he’s removing? They’re oak trees with minimum 12″-18″ diameter trunks. Depending on the specific oak species, those trees are 30-50 years old or more. I could just cry. Cecilia, I would feel honored if you would plant a tree to honor those fallen oaks.
Christina you are on, we shall plant an oak for you. Felling those beautiful old trees would make me cry too.. so sad! Oaks take such a long time to grow. but thats OK, we have time.. c
I would very much like you to plant a tree for me. I live in a rental house and although it is old and has big trees, they are not my trees… you can name it in memory of my kitty Mr. M. I would appreciate it. I don’t care what kind of tree…. thank you…
I would love to, I will think hard about a tree that a cat would like.. thank you so much for having your very own tree on the land out here.. it would be my pleasure.. c
Wow, thanks. I also love weeping willows, haven’t been around those since I was a kid. But it doesn’t matter. Your choice!
When I wrote that I thought I was going to have to put him to sleep this week. He’s picked up somewhat though…got a reprieve. What a guy.
I am so glad he is feeling better, these animals get right into our hearts don;t they.. c
Have made myself quite unpopular here with people who cannot be bothered raking leaves and regularly ‘clear land for a proper garden’! I have cried more than once!!! And all the branches simply get mulched by the arborists and taken away. We are not allowed open fires in the community! Am afraid my medium patch no longer has space for new additions but a tree to shade the animals does sound oh so very nice!
What about a weeping willow Eha. I would love to plant a tree for you.. c
How did you know I loved weeping trees? [or 😉 ! have I been guilty of too much of the action on the blog 🙂 !] In all seriousness a gentle willow once upon a time swaying in the wind would suit the romantic me wonderfully well! Big hug, beautiful Miss C!
I planted a large number of trees on my western boundary when my neighbour started mowing his grass naked………..well apart from boots ………do you think its something in the water?