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:
Beautiful red cedar mulch was delivered to the farm this weekYou can see the orchard rows running north to south.We have flagged/marked the rows to make it easier for us and the workers to find their wayMaking slow progress. This might not look like a lot of mulch, but I assure you it is.Our mulching has been fairly consistent placing the mulch approximately 4-5 inches away from the stem of the tree in a circle around the sapling.
With all the crazy weather this year in Canada, spring has finally arrived. Spring has always represented a new beginning and for Seven Fields Farm & Orchard this year has brought new life to the farm. This week, in partnership with Forests Ontario’s 50 Million Trees Program, we planted 3,500 trees at the farm signalling the beginning of our walnut orchard. Even the heavens were excited that day because the sunshine was shining on us and double digit temperatures made for a wonderful day of planting. We would be remiss if we didn’t say a big thank you to Forests Ontario and the professional team of planters that helped us make our dream a reality.
With that, let’s get to some pictures from our day of planting. We have featured some of the best photos below, but please feel free to view some additional photos on our gallery page as well. Enjoy!
The heavy workhorses ready for planting
The mechanical tree planter is manned by an individual who places the tree sapling into the auger after a hole has been bored. The wheels at the rear push and compact the soil around the sapling to protect it.
The black walnut saplings are prepared on the planter for planting
You can see the extensive root system of the black walnut saplings
We also planted some white pine to protect the walnuts along the perimetre of the orchard
The field which will house the walnut orchard was prepared and sprayed to ensure that the saplings will have a chance to root and grow against any grasses, weeds, or invasive species
The tree planting was largely done by tractors with the auger attachment at rear
This was our very first black walnut tree planted. We are so proud to bring this native species back to the area.
Similarly, this was our very first white pine sapling planted to protect the orchard from traditionally strong north-westerly winds.
The white pines beautifully aligned along the edge of the field.
It may be hard now to see the walnut saplings, but in the years to come, they will grow rapidlyAfter a day of planting the Forests Ontario crew headed out. They did an amazing job and we are so thankful for their dedicated work.
Seven Fields Farm & Orchard 