Hello Grant. Thanks for the Chestnuts and Apples you sent me in the spring!! They were huge and doing great!! I only bought ten of each, planted near the house. I have 12 acres I would like to plant to LOTS more trees, fruit, nut, shelterbelts, native for wildlife. What's your best ideas for grants for trees? Is the NRCS a good way to go, or are their rules/guidelines a hassle?
Also, any ideas for preventing my sheep from eating them? I have a three t post, shelter tube, woven wire contraption that works, but is time and material intensive. I tried Sepp's bone sauce, didn't have good bones so kind a worked for a little while. Got good marrow bones now, so gonna try it again. Any further suggestions? The sheep are generating the only profit on farm for the moment, so they can't go.
Thanks!!!

Rick Knoll wrote:Hello Grant. Thanks for the Chestnuts and Apples you sent me in the spring!! They were huge and doing great!! I only bought ten of each, planted near the house.

CHESTNUT AND APPLE TREES

Awesome! We're offering full height uncropped Antonovka apple trees and P.18 apple trees this year as well.

Rick Knoll wrote:I have 12 acres I would like to plant to LOTS more trees, fruit, nut, shelterbelts, native for wildlife. What's your best ideas for grants for trees? Is the NRCS a good way to go, or are their rules/guidelines a hassle?

NRCS EQIP for Trees

Here's a screenshot of a recent EQIP contract I have for some tree plantings. Species you may plant or availability of these programs is variable by region, but this is proof this is possible. $9,753 for trees. Up to you to keep them alive. My NRCS rep is awesome, and we're all learning about these programs together.

Rick Knoll wrote:
Also, any ideas for preventing my sheep from eating them [trees]? I have a three t post, shelter tube, woven wire contraption that works, but is time and material intensive. I tried Sepp's bone sauce, didn't have good bones so kind a worked for a little while. Got good marrow bones now, so gonna try it again. Any further suggestions? The sheep are generating the only profit on farm for the moment, so they can't go.
Thanks!!!

KEEPING SHEEP FROM EATING TREES

Lots of different ways to accomplish this, so I'll toss out some low-cost ways that work in different situations.

Pallets. Screw 3 or 4 used pallets together as a barricade around tree
Cost: $0.50 in screws and some of your time
Lifetime: 3-8 years
Pro: robust
Con: tough to access tree without climbing
mulching is important for weed control (but that is true with ANY practice)

Tree Tube
Cost: $1/ea for posterboard versatubes $5-6/ea for plastic tubex type.
Lifetime: 1-2 years
Pro: cheap, fast, improves growth rate
Con: a really enterprising sheep may rip them off, only way to find out is try it
does degrade in time, aesthetics of a white decomposing piece of cardboard in a field - better than a dead tree!
mulching is important for weed control (but that is true with ANY practice)

Zach Weiss did give me some SEPP-PREPARED [<---zomg!!] bone sauce, and it appears to work, but I couldn't imagine preparing enough for my giant orchard.

Thanks Grant, I'l have to think about the pallet idea. Seems easier and cheaper than what I've done. Thanks for the links to Bone Sauce. I'm going to try it again. Funny how people post about bone sauce for deer. my dog keeps them away, and I need bone sauce for my own sheep!!
Thanks!

Rick Knoll wrote:Thanks Grant, I'l have to think about the pallet idea. Seems easier and cheaper than what I've done. Thanks for the links to Bone Sauce. I'm going to try it again. Funny how people post about bone sauce for deer. my dog keeps them away, and I need bone sauce for my own sheep!!
Thanks!

In Germany:



pallets are cheaper (free!) and easier.