A month ago, I was anxious about not getting things done in time. Now I am even more anxious! It seems that we have hardly had a chance to be down in the field due to bad weather on weekends (when Eric is home to operate the tractor). We've had a few hours here and there, if we run down between rain showers, or in mild-drizzle/mist.
I'm reminding myself that this is exactly the kind of weather we'll be pruning in every year, too. We're going to have to invest in some good rain-gear! Eric has already worn out his Japanese rain boots. David's old wellies are shot, too. But the big thing is jackets and hats. Luckily, they'll be tax deductible! Actually, I found a really nice Land's End rainjacket (brand new!) at Goodwill the other day. That takes care of me, at least!
Eric has used the indoor time wisely, I must say. He's sharpened all his chainsaw blades, the blades of the chipper, greased the tractor and chipper, changed out fluids, tightened screws. He's purchased more tools for his tractor. The equipment is ready to go, once conditions allow!
Then there's the issue of the boundary between our property and our neighbors' to the south. Our two properties combined used to be one 10 acre parcel, which had 25' buffers around the exterior, but not between the parcels when it was subdivided. Although we have a buffer at the far end, and on the left side, technically, there's no buffer between us and our next-door neighbors on the right. Eric and I spent several drizzly hours down on the property below trying to determine where the line is exactly. Unfortunately, all the property pins between our parcels on that side have been removed or lost, so all we have to go on is the north fence line (left). Measuring from that line over, we are pretty sure we know where the line is on the south side(right side), and we're hoping to get together with our neighbor tomorrow to measure together. We both agree that a survey would not be worth the cost, and we're hoping to come to amicable terms. He's not thrilled about our blueberry field idea, but he's always been a good neighbor. We want to keep it that way! The only conflict is that he would prefer us to leave the thin line of ugly, non-native, wood-pecker devastated pine trees between our parcel and his, and we don't think it would be a good idea. If it turns out that they're on his side, he will leave them. He likes the "woodsy" look, and he's probably thinking of privacy, too. They really don't give much privacy, because they're not well branched along the bottoms of the trunks. You can see through them pretty easily. But also, those trees are going to be a problem . As time goes on, they'll become hazardous, because they will be falling hazards on his house down there, which is close to the property line. We wouldn't want them to fall on our berries, either. Or ruin the fence. But the biggest issue is the shade they will produce, because we have first hand experience with how fast they grow in a short period of time! The better solution is to remove them and plant a shorter, denser hedge. Emerald Green Arbovritae seem to be the best choice, as they get 10-12 feet tall, a mere 4' wide, and will fill in between if you top them about 12". They never need pruning otherwise, which is a huge bonus for us, as we'll be busy enough with other things! I really think he would like them better than the pine in the end, because they would provide a much more complete screen, and he wouldn't feel that his dead trucks are so conspicuous. (His dead trucks are the primary reason we are putting up a hedge at all, as a wire fence alone won't hide much. We want things to look nice.)
Originally we had planned on doing a Bay hedge, making cuttings from our own tree, because we liked the idea of having a dual purpose plant: a hedge, and also a bay leaf crop. However, when Eric was talking to our neighbor, he accidentally told him we'd be planting the hedge with Cyprus. He was alarmed to realize his mistake, and that those are pretty expensive plants, and I was floored by the spread: 10-12 feet! Even if we could afford them, they'd hog so much space that there would be no room for an access road on that side. Besides, they'd need constant pruning to keep them at the height we'd need. It's just not a good fit for us. We feel kind of bad about telling our neighbor we were going to plant a bushy evergreen hedge, so we've given up the Bay idea altogether and have settled on the Arborvitae, which is closer in type to a Cyprus than a Bay would be, and a better idea, really, than either of the others. Bay would have required quite a bit of time to grow to an appreciable height, and then a lifetime of pruning to keep it in bounds. And it so happens that my dear mom gave me 9 of these very Emerald Green Arborvitae a few weeks ago, that she had gotten on clearance, so we will actually have a break in price for the total project! This was a nice surprise! I just hope the neighbors will be OK with it!
Now we also have a question about the 25 foot boundary at the far end. The description says "natural vegetation buffer". We wonder, does that mean we have to leave it as is, or can we take down the enormous trees and replant with smaller versions of those trees? The county website doesn't explain it exactly. I will probably have to go back down to the county and talk to someone at the Department of Natural Resources. If we can take them down, it would be better in some ways. However, we kind of like the looks of them. They're old and established, and would keep deer from entering in that direction. (The deer couldn't get a running start to jump the fence.) And they're probably not directly going to shade the berries. The question is how well they are going to do standing alone, since the forest land behind them was harvested 5 years ago, and we have now cleared our trees on this side. Will they be able to withstand the winds? Would it be better to drop them now, while we still have room for them to fall? There's no question that we will retain the vegetation buffer--it's a given. It would be nice to know what our options are, though.
We have talked about transplanting a lot of our native huckleberries along that back side, so as not to lose them as a food source. We've heard that hucks planted near blues will get bigger because of the cross pollination. (Hopefully it doesn't work the opposite way, too!). We love huckleberries, and so do the birds. We'll definitely use them, either in the buffer or on our side of it.
There is also a 25 foot buffer between us and our neighbors to the left. Tristan is happy about this, because it means he can keep his favorite nature area back there. Among the diverse trees and shrubs back there is a large maple that turns gold in the fall, and will give cool shade in the summer, too. It's all cleared beneath it, because of that very shade, making it a perfect place to take a break. It will not shade the berries, either. Tristan loves to photograph all the unique and interesting plants and animals he finds, and that area is really rich in those things. We were thinking of making an "interpretive trail" through it for our customers to walk if they want to. We could label things and T could give tours when he's around. He'd like that. We were thinking along the lines of that cool bug park we visited in Japan! Anyway, I think it'll be fun to have that natural area. It'll give our neighbor's chickens a little more privacy, too. :) They are good neighbors. I am sorry we won't be taking out thelarge maple for their sake. Although they think it's gorgeous in the fall, apparently it sheds it's leaves all over their backyard. I wish we could please both our neighbors with the tree issues.
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