Nad Geraldson

GOAL: create an elderberry field.    I have an outlying field.  Tires are placed in rows to surround elderberry cuttings (365).  Cuttings are stuck into the ground in April- zone 4.  If we don't get enough rain in spring, the cuttings will not root.  

Solution:  create a water catchment within each tire, like a tire funnel.  My thought is to place a garbage bag over each tire, poke a hole at the base where the cutting is.  Rain water is caught & funneled directly to the cutting.  This way I am not spending ridiculous hours of time/energy shlepping water to 1.5 acres of elderberries, which may consider growing.  Bags would reduce impending weed pressure as it covers the ground.  Also, covers openings which invite wasp & snake habitat.

Challenge:  #1 garbage bag openings are too narrow for tires (26" diameter); #2 bags need to be anchored to withstand wind issues;

Creative People! can you help me brain storm a solution for keeping these elderberry cuttings alive as they take root the 1st year?  Thank you for your input!!

Ok, I have way more than 10 things= just shows how crazy October is here!  Zone 4, upper upper Midwest: BUSIEST MONTH OF YEAR!= complete outside tasks early in month to avoid working in snow/sleet/rain;
2. Have names of good farm help ready to call
3. Finish drying herbs, bag for storage; dry comfrey for winter feed
4. Pot up/Bring in tender plants; fall crops: apples, pears, squash, potatoes, (cold cellar);
5. Store: roots, tubers, bulbs, corms; (create metal cages to deter rodent damage- better for January project, but need them now!) Dig medicinal roots
6. Bring in/store irrigation equipment
7. Winterize: barn; bees; house; garden beds/layout new beds(cardboard/mulch); organize planting spaces for next season; worms; car; trees;  
8. Winter projects prep: plant rack; grape post holes; chicken tractor;
9. Cordwood(12): cut/split/stack
10. Inventory: plants/seed needed for next season; order before month end; ID spaces where ordered plant/seeds will go;
11. Fodder/bedding: bring in hay, straw; grain stored in galvanized cans;
12. Dehydrate: soup items(pepper, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, beets)
13. Collect: leaves; pallets; sawdust;
14. Plant: garlic; fall bulbs; potted woodys;
15. Cooking: make soups, casseroles,
16. Machines & tools: servicing, cleaning, storage; bring out winter tools before the doors freeze shut; replace tools needed for next season; have enough/correct tools for a crew of 4;
17. Prep: sand pots for hardwood cuttings(Feb); seed start trays(where I can access them without chipping ice);  
18. Mowing stops October 1st = ground left rough/weeds tall: for birdseed, to catch/slow snow runoff, protection for small creatures, slows the wind, easier to snowshoe/more grip
19. Remember not to start new classes during this time- too busy!
20. Wish/dream for a hoop/greenhouse using geothermal heating

received email '1 of 2" at 4:09pm central. it is now 10:42pm central and I do not see the email '2 of 2'................. yahoo address with chrome. TY (I did check the spam folder- no dice)

Paul posted an idea here, a while back, about drawing the water table/a river up the slope, using trees. Where I can find that information?
I live on a bluff, 1100 feet. I understand how to capture runoff, my dream is to strategically plant trees to draw the water up to a specific area to make it wetter and/or create a stream. I imagine the tree sucking the water up through a straw.
[img]Thanks for your ideas.

Sign me up, too! I have read this book. I am looking forward to feedback from many folks.

Hi, Mark,

I am adding orchard plants to our 6 corrals, to add the stacking element. How can I keep the plants safe from dogs, goats and llamas while the plants are growing?
I have fenced off a section of 1 corral as a test model. Our dogs occupy another corral (most of the time) and have practically destroyed some trees(stripped bark) trying to get to a squirrel(s). I have created an 8' vertical collar (vinyl siding) to protect the trees. That is still not high enough for llamas, though.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for the input. We appreciate your leadership!

..........Nad