In a follow-up to our exciting news of 3,5oo trees having being planted we wanted to provide you with a brief update of some post-plating work that has been going on at the farm. As you know a walnut orchard requires considerable care in the first several years of growth and so our plan is ensure we give the walnut trees their best chance at survival. A big part of that is controlling weed and grass from encroaching and competing with the saplings by putting down good mulch. Mulch has many uses including water preservation, weed and pest prevention, control soil erosion, and trapping heat as well. This past week be began the mulching process by laying down some red cedar mulch (which has a wonderful aroma) approximately 4-5 inches away from the sapling root in a circle around the tree. Here are some pictures of that process:
Seven Fields Farm & Orchard 