Happy Urban Dirt

Unless otherwise noted, all photos and illustrations are copyright © 2023 by Clay Bottom Farm.

Farm like a tree: simplify your field work

A single tree, although it never moves, can be surprisingly productive. Mature pecan and chestnut trees produce about 50 pounds of nuts in one season; a robust apple tree will grow 15 bushels of apples a year; A sugar maple will produce 20 gallons of sap at a good time of year.

How do they do it? Over the last few years, we have planted hundreds of trees on our farm, reforesting areas that we do not utilize for growing crops. I’ve been observing and thinking a lot about trees lately. Here are four observations that I think support explain their productivity.

1. Trees work forward

Trees can be so productive because they spend years preparing. For example, the fruit and nut trees we have planted utilize their first few seasons to build a mighty scaffolding of branches before they bear vast amounts of fruit. They prepare in advance for high productivity.

Similarly, we have learned that it is better to thoroughly perform configuration before going to production.

Before the season starts, we take inventory and make sure we have ordered enough (but not too many) row covers, clamshell containers, tomato crates and other supplies we will need in the coming months.

As I write this, we are in the middle of winter getting ready to transplant tomatoes into the greenhouse in March. We disinfect trays, landscape fabrics and the germination chamber and inventory labels, stakes and other materials necessary for the work.

We are also working forward in the field. If we want to utilize the bed in spring, prepare it in the fall by adding compost a few months before planting the bed. (The compost itself was made at least a year earlier.)

In autumn we have more time, so we are less in a hurry and have a greater chance of doing a better job. It’s best not to farm when you tend to constantly catch up. Think ahead and prepare.

2. Trees leave plant matter in place

Our policy is to leave the roots in the ground to feed the soil.

Trees understand the value of a dead leaf. A mature maple tree has about 500 square feet of leaves and weighs about 500 pounds.

The total chloroplast area of ​​a single tree is approximately 140 square miles – an impressive solar system. In fall, these leaves are full of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and other nutrients.7

It is a great tragedy that so many people feel forced to throw their leaves into the garbage or, worse yet, burn them.

The trees we have planted do not move their leaves. They simply allow them to fall and decompose in their original location to feed themselves and the organisms living in the soil.

Many gardeners remove dead plants from the garden at the end of the season to tidy the garden and supposedly prevent disease.

For many years, as we were taught, we cleaned up in the fall this way, pulling out the plants, roots and all, and then moving them to compost.

Now we take a different approach. Where practical, we allow elderly plants to decompose where the minerals from their leaves, stems and roots feed the soil, much like a tree would.

3. Trees practice peace

Conventional wisdom holds that trees remain dormant in winter to conserve energy. On the surface this is mostly true, but up-to-date research shows that underground it’s a different story.

Michael Snyder, writing for Northern Woodlands magazine, explains: “Tree roots appear to remain ready to grow independently of the above-ground parts of the tree. This means that the roots remain largely inactive, but can and do function and grow during the winter months when soil temperatures are favorable, even if the air above the ground is brutally frigid.”

This is called winter dormancy when the roots are resting but ready.

This is a survival tactic significant to the health of the tree. “It is this feature that allows evergreen plants to absorb water from the soil and prevent their needles from drying out in winter,” writes Snyder. Stillness “gives all species, including deciduous deciduous trees, the opportunity to expand their root systems in search of water and nutrients before spring budbreak.”8

On the farm, winter is a perfect time for both rest and development.

The days are shorter and there is less work. It is significant to sleep more and work less.

But the frigid season is also the best time to explore up-to-date farming techniques, redesign tools, and visit other farms to learn up-to-date skills in preparation for spring. Trees are an example that you can rest and prepare at the same time.

Notes

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