Woodland chores continue as my outdoor grounds crew and gardeners also transition to our long list of spring tasks. From now through summer is our busiest time here at my Bedford, New York farm.
This time of year, my team works on many projects, including removing the burlap that has protected my boxwood all winter long, pruning various trees and hedges, and preparing our garden beds. But there is also work being done in the woodland - moving cut trees closer to the carriage road, so they can be hauled to our big compost pile in the back field, chipping branches and twigs, and staking up young trees for added support and visibility as they grow. There is always so much to do on my working farm.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is the great big sycamore tree and symbol of my farm, Cantitoe Corners. This tree is among my favorites. It stands prominently on one end of my back hayfield. It is quite old and original to my farm.
While I did not plant the great sycamore, I have planted thousands and thousands of trees on my 153-acre farm – at least 20-thousand over the years. I love how they look in the landscape and how they change through the seasons. Most importantly, we need trees for the environment – they help combat climate change, provide habitat and food for birds and other animals, and release oxygen for us to live. This is one of my groves of weeping willows. It is located on a marshy edge of my middle field.
I also planted these beautiful larch trees along this carriage road in the back field. Larch trees are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. They are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the far north, and high on mountains further south. Larches are also deciduous, meaning that they lose their needles in the fall – rare for coniferous trees. These are just budding out.
And here, smaller, younger evergreens are growing well in the middle field. We plant trees every year, so there are trees in all stages of growth.
Younger trees are staked for several years after planting. Brian cuts bamboo canes in half to use as strong tree stakes. Bamboo canes are easy to buy in bulk, and can be found in a variety of sizes. These canes are about eight feet tall and cut down to half.
Brian replaces short wooden stakes with these stronger bamboo poles. These stakes alert anyone working in the area and also provides added support to the tree as it grows.
This tree is big enough that it no longer needs its stake. It is sturdy and well-established. Brian removes stakes from trees like this.
Brian cuts a piece of jute twine and ties the stake loosely to the tree.
The knots used should be very simple. I always teach every member of the crew to twist the twine into a figure eight before knotting, so the tree or vine or cane is not crushed or strangled.
Here, in this section of mature trees, one can see clear through the woodland to the hayfield beyond.
Such views wouldn’t be possible without some general maintenance work. Every year, my outdoor grounds crew spends several weeks “cleaning” the woods. “Cleaning” the woods allows us to reuse and repurpose a lot of natural materials – and it makes the area much prettier. As part of this maintenance, dead, damaged, and diseased trees are taken down during various times of the year.
Once the trees are taken down, they are placed in various piles around the farm. We try to keep all the piles as neat as possible so as not to block any carriage roads or damage the ground beneath them.
Any cut branches are gathered and also placed on the side of the carriage road. These will all be picked up later and chipped for top dressing.
When piles get too big, we call in our friend Juan from Central Tree Service, Inc. This company in nearby Rye, provides full arbor care for all trees and shrubs including the removal of any logs and stumps.
Juan is very skilled at using this hydraulic grapple attachment. He carefully lifts each piece of wood that he has collected and placed into his truck to the big pile in my compost yard.
This pile is then saved for the tub grinder, which I call in every summer. The tub grinder reduces the size of our debris pile into much finer, usable nutrient-rich mulch.
Many of you ask me why I’ve cut down so many trees. Many of the trees are ash trees – infested and killed by the emerald ash borer. The borer larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves water and sugars up and down its trunk. This is a closer look at the damage done by the emerald ash borer under the bark. The ash borer, also known by the acronym EAB, is responsible for the destruction of tens of millions of ash trees in 30 US states since it was first identified in this country in 2002.
Any long, straight logs are set aside in another pile for our sawmill, which will cut them down into usable lumber boards for various projects. If I cannot save a tree, it is comforting to know I can reuse the wood left behind.
Here are our main piles of debris – leaf mold, clippings, and organic matter made up of manure and other biodegradable materials. Most of these piles are combined and also put through the tub grinder – twice.
And out comes this rich compost filled with nutrients. My gardens are so successful, in part, because of the excellent soil, amended with compost made right here. I am so pleased we can use our organic debris in so many different ways – including planting more trees. Share your early spring chores with me in the comments section below.
Like many of you, every year I eagerly await those first signs of spring. Among them, the furry catkins of pussy willows.
Recently, my gardeners cut bunches of pussy willows from a grove I planted along the wetlands behind my main greenhouse. These deciduous shrubs, Salix, naturally grow up to 20-feet tall, or even more if left unpruned. They are very easy to multiply and make wonderful cut arrangements. We always collect a good number of long, straight branches to make large, dramatic displays for my home.
Enjoy these photos.
Pussy willows grow in almost any kind of moist to wet soil near meadows, swamps and streams. And they thrive best in full sun. Around this time every year, my gardeners head down to the pussy willow grove to cut branches for my spring arrangements.
My pussy willows are located in a field behind my greenhouse, where there is lots of room for them to grow and flourish. Willows are known to have invasive roots, so they need to be planted away from septic tanks, sewers, and water lines.
Pussy willow is a common name given to many smaller species of the genus, Salix, when their furry, velvety catkins are young. Salix discolor is the American pussy willow.
Pussy willow trunks can be either single or clustered with flexible branches and branchlets.
Pruning regularly makes the most attractive part of the branches easier to reach when cutting.
These pussy willows have grown so well in this location. They can grow up to 24-inches per year if well maintained.
Pussy willow is common throughout the southern half of Canada and the north-central and northeastern portions of the United States.
Whenever we pick pussy willow branches, my gardeners know to cut the longest, straightest ones – at least four-feet – and filled with catkins.
Some pussy willows have very large, furry catkins.
While other pussy willow varieties have smaller catkins.
Some branches are also interestingly shaped. This unusual willow is Salix udensis ‘Sekka’, or Fantail Willow. It has a unique, flattened form, rich color, and small catkins.
These are Purple Heirloom pussy willows. This unique variety of pussy willow has attractive blonde bark, thin grassy stems, and lots of small dark purple catkins.
Once the best pussy willow branches are cut, they’re gathered and brought to my carport until I make the arrangements. I like to do this in time for Easter.
Pussy willows root so easily that stems of almost any size can simply be stuck into a vase of water, where they will form roots in just a few weeks.
Once the roots form, pussy willows can then be potted into liner pots with moist soil for a few more weeks while their roots develop.
One can also plant cuttings directly into the ground in the spring, where they should eventually root.
Look at all we cut from the grove this year. We placed the branches upright in these empty antique planters gifted to me by Carmine Lupino. Cutting branches for indoor displays is an excellent use of these pussy willow catkins. I will be sure to share photos of these once they are arranged for the holiday.
It's always such a joy when we have babies at the farm growing and thriving. Among the newest residents is a fluffy week-old gosling. It's doing so well - eating, drinking, and enjoying all the sights and sounds of its new surroundings.
As many of you know, I’ve had Pomeranian guard geese for many years. I also have Sebastopol geese, Toulouse geese, Chinese geese, and Brown African geese. Right now, it's breeding season for all the waterfowl. Once an egg is laid, it is placed in a special incubator set-up in my stable feed room. The incubation period for goose eggs varies slightly by breed. Some eggs may start pipping after 28-days, while eggs from larger birds may take up to 35-days. This gosling is the first of several eggs to hatch, and already he is the most popular bird in our brooder.
Enjoy these photos.
The goose eggs are kept in this Brinsea incubator. Several more goose eggs are waiting. Eggs are brought up and placed in the incubator the day they are laid. Here, they will be safe from other birds and closely monitored until they hatch.
Hard to see through the cover, but whenever an egg comes up from the coop, we label it with the kind of egg it is and the date it was placed in the machine, so we can gage approximately when it will hatch.
When it comes close to the end of the incubation period, it is placed in this hatcher from GQF Manufacturing, Inc., where the egg can hatch safely and where goslings and chicks can stay until they are dry and can move into a brooder.
And here is our first gosling. At just a day old, it has already had many, many visitors.
Once hatched, the gosling is moved to a cage in the same room. It will stay here for a few weeks. The cage has plenty of food and lots of fresh water that is changed several times a day.
A few days later, our gosling is walking around very steadily watching all the activity in the room.
It is also making new friends. Here it is with a chick. Our brooder is also home to about a dozen fluffy chicks, but these two are always together.
Helen Peparo is my stable manager, but she also oversees the care of my chickens, peafowl, and geese. She is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about animals.
Here is our gosling resting in the cage next to one of our Silkie chicks. The photo looks a bit red because of the heat lamp in the cage. Very young chicks and goslings need constant monitoring until they are at least a month old. They require an air temperature of 95 degrees during the first week, 90 degrees the second week, and so on – going down by around five degrees per week until they’re ready to transition to the coop.
Here is the heat lamp suspended about a foot and a half above the center of the cage. These babies also have ample feeders and waterers.
Some of my other chicks include these cochins. All the babies are up and about and playing and interacting with each other.
This chick is watching our camera from behind the feeder. They are all very alert and curious.
Our gosling is also growing quickly every day. It has bright, clean eyes – a sign of good health in a bird. This gosling is very energetic and already flapping its wings.
This gosling is also eating very well. It will eat starter food for several weeks. Afterward, it will get a pelleted growing food along with cracked corn and other grains.
Here is my operations manager, Stephanie Lofaro. Her office is just across the cobblestone courtyard. She enjoys checking in on our young residents whenever she can.
And just outside is the goose pen, where 13 adult geese reside. These are two Pomeranian guard geese – always sounding off their “alarms” as soon as visitors arrive.
Here are two Sebastopol geese and two Chinese geese.
From mid-winter to early spring, it’s mating season for the waterfowl. Because geese prefer to mate in water, it is safer to provide them with shallow containers. They seem to like them.
This goose is fondly named “Bear.” Our gosling has marking similar to his.
Here he is checking out who is entering the enclosure….
… perhaps it’s a case of “like father like gosling.” We’ll soon see…
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