Unexpected Rewards

[NCLee]

Sometimes hard work yields unexpected rewards. Thought I'd share an instance with you.

Let me set the scene, first.

Road
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---------House-----------Driveway--------------Garden Space
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................................Driveway Ends........... Goat House /Corn Crib
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................................ Trees with a creek beyond them...... Back 40.
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. .....................Back 40................................................ ...............

Part of our property slopes down hill from the road. Garden space is the most level part till you get beyond the creek. When DOT paved our road about 10 years ago, they put loads and loads of fill dirt where the driveway is indicated. Prior to that we had a circular drive in front of the house.

The drive way is now level with the garden. This resulted in a 5' or so high embankment where "Driveway Ends". Nature planted it with cedars and maple trees. That was fine, until my arch enemy, Kudzu arrived. Sneaked in from behind the goat house and took over than embankment.

Enough scene setting... :)

We've been cleaning out that kudzu to run fencing for chickens and goats and to keep that pest from getting any closer to the house. The other day, while working I noticed what appeared to be a branch with apple leaves. Had aleady spotted a dogwood. Yep, sure nuff, it was an apple tree. "How in the heck did an apple tree get here?" This was on the low side of the bank.

A little later on, spotted another one. (They're about 6-8' tall.) Then, yet another one turned up. Now, I'm scratching my head. :neo: I didn't plant any apple trees. More kept turning up. When working the edge at the top of the bank next to the drive way, 3 more emerged from the tangle of kudzu and honeysuckle.

Finally figured it out! They are Gala apples!!! Better half used to eat an apple on the way home from work each day. Then tossed the core out for the wild rabbits that had a den out there somewhere at the end of the driveway. Evidently nature took its course and the seeds ended up being scattered along that bank.

Moral of the story is that we were tempted to tackle that kudzu with Roundup. Elected to save the trees (erosion control & shade), so that meant doing the work the hardway with loppers and pruning shears. Then spot treat with Roundup.

That hardwork is being rewarded with at least a half dozen apple trees that should be bearing before long. Since they may not be true to the parent tree, it's anyones guess on the apples. At worst, they'll be food for the animals. At best, we'll have some good eating at the end of the driveway.

Just never know when hard work will yield unexpected rewards.

Lee

[WVMan73]

Hey Lee

6 apple trees and a dogwood, that's a pretty good find for the day!! It just goes to show how wonderful mother nature really is and how she'll help us if we just let her. Now if only you can keep ahead of the kudzu and honeysuckle. I've been fighting honeysuckle around here for the past few years too. It's all over the woods and road sides in this area, but never had it in the yard before. Now in the last 4 years it's popped up in just about every shrub I've got. How do ya kill the honeysuckle and not the bush? lol Anyway, I know how you feel after hacking your way through all of that, and good luck with keeping ahead of it.

WVMan73

[Aamylf]

How terrific for you! And the scene setting is perfect. Do you think if I threw a quarter out each day at the end of the driveway I'd end up with one of those 'money trees' my dad used to talk about?

[NCLee]

WVMan73, agree with you with what nature can do, if left alone and/or given a little encouragement. For example, we have several young black walnut trees that the squirrels planted. A friend gave us some, still in the hull. Had them on the porch and the squirrels stole them & planted same.

Birds spead honeysuckle, so it's been a never ending battle around here, since we moved in. Sometimes with shrubs it becomes a question of whether its worth trying to save the infested plant. I have a few that I'm thinking about cutting down / digging up just to get rid of the honeysucker patch. It's taken over a planting of yucca. Can't prune it out because of the spines. Can't spray one without killing the other.

Depending on what you have, how badly you want to save it, and how persistant you are, you can use a paint brush to paint full strength Roundup on the leaves. Or, put on a pair of rubber gloves, followed by cloth ones. Dip your hands in Round Up to apply it. When done, carefully remove the gloves and discard them.

BTW, I've seen a new way to get rid of kudzu. :) We can't totally remove it from our place because it runs rampent on neighboring property. However, beaver have moved in and built a series of ponds. Kudzu can't grow in water, so the beaver have taken out about a acre of that stuff along the property line. What was it that you said about nature taking care of things? :wink:

Lee

[firegirl969]

Congrats on finding the apple trees, Lee! That hard work you put forth will be blessed with delicious apples. You should have enough in a few years to put up jelly, applesause, and aspples for pies and tarts!

[Deberosa]

Keep digging! I found a 10 by 20 chicken coop complete with a bank of 15 galvanized steel nests buried in the brambles I cleared from Deberosa I. I had no idea it was there! The door was nailed shut - I opened it VERY carefully - having no idea what I would find inside!

[AzLoneRider]

Congrats on the find!!

[Faye]

I had my GS take down a muscadine vine because the honeysuckle and hedges had taken over and it did not have good muscadines on it. It even had a pecan tree growing up through it. We planted a new vine this year and since my DH won't keep it cleaned out I guess I will. Sure wish I could grow apple trees here.

[Aamylf]

Deborosa -- don't keep me in suspense! What did you find?:meeting:

[WVMan73]

That's a really good tip about painting on the round-up. I had never thought to try that. I've got several different bushes with the honeysuckle coming up in them and really don't want to just cut them all out, so that is really a good idea. I'm going to give it a try just as soon as I can get to the store for the round-up.

That's great news about the beavers!!! They are such amazing little critters, the way they can change the land and make it suit their own needs. Kind of sounds familiar in someway, doesn't it? ;)

WVMan73

[NCLee]

Debbie, we won't ever be that lucky! :) Our place started out as a corner of a cow pasture. No buildings. Just a big pile of trash to haul off, where the former owner disposed of their household trash. No buildings to explore. Just a bunch of nature seeded small trees and a few large ones. Lots of big ones now after all these years.

Faye, at least you've got a pecan tree that now has a better chance without the competition of the other stuff. Do you have an arbor for the new grapevine or are you using posts and wire for support? Depending on how they are designed, you should be able to mow around them to keep the other things from invading it. Tip: old carpet, laid upside down, will act as a mulch and weed barrier. After a few years and it starts letting weeds crop up, just lay more carpet over the first. If the appearance is a problem, a light layer of traditional mulch will hide it. FWIW, I like to use old carpet anywhere that doesn't need to be tilled and is a pain to mow. It's good for plants that have high water demands and like cooler roots. Earthworms love to live under that old carpet, too. Since earthworms like it, that should be an indication to the value as a mulch and weed barrier.

Lee

[Deberosa]

Deborosa -- don't keep me in suspense! What did you find?:meeting:
It was a complete chicken coop all set up - bank of 15 galvanized steel nests, roosts, everything. It was all cleaned out too so when they quit having chickens they cleaned it out before nailing the door shut.

Got rid of a few cobwebs and I was back in business!

Debbie

[WVMan73]

Deborosa, that's an awesome find!!!! I really wonder why they nailed the door shut though. Guess maybe they didn't want kids in it or something. lol

WVMan73

[Faye]

Roy likes the post and wire and as long as it is kept cleaned around or mulched I don't mind which way. I like to use cardboard and old newspaper and put mulch on that. I have both anyway so might as well use it.

[yotetrapper]

Deborosa, that's an awesome find!!!! I really wonder why they nailed the door shut though. Guess maybe they didn't want kids in it or something. lol

WVMan73

That, or there's a dead body buried under the floorboards. Or gold!

[cinok]

Set the goats loose on the kudzu they will have a party. Its like chocalate to them. Some kuddzu was planted to provide forage for goats.

[NCLee]

That's exactly what I'm planning to do, once we get some boundry fencing done. If we were further off the road, wouldn't even need that. Although it needs repair, about 1/2 of our original fencing is still in place.

A nearby neighbor has been hard at work creating pasture land for horses. He's turning a farm that had almost been abandoned into a nice place. He started out with 6 goats. He's down to 3. Because he has wonderful grazing for horses and cattle, the goats won't stay in the pasture. They're jumping the fence to eat brush. They've almost cleaned around the old abandoned home place. A few months ago, you couldn't see the house, even though it's probably 50' off the road. Today, there's a clear view as high as the goats can reach. Sadly, 3 of them have been hit by vehicles, as they won't stay out of the road.

Speaking of fences, sometimes I wish we were rich folks. :) Couple of miles from me, saw a horse pasture take shape in just a couple of days. Bobcat posthole digger & a crew. There's no telling how many posts they set along the highway. Gate went in at the pond. As best I could tell from the road, the posts and boards were some type of prefab material. Estimating that about 10 acres that used to be hay fields are now destined for horses.

Back to the kudzu. :) I've thought about how much feed has been going to waste with what we've been cutting. One area that we've been clearing won't be fenced. Trying to get that under control, as the fence will be just beyond it. Goats will take care of their side :yes2:, we just gotta finish the other side. Don't want to give the goats the idea there's greener pastures on our side of the fence. :fie:

Lee

Lee

[cinok]

I would take the cuttings and take them to the goats to eat. When ever we clear and trim we either set up temp fencing aroung the pile or load up the trailer and bring it to them and left the 4 legged shreders go at it.

[NCLee]

Don't have any goats, yet. :( Have just recently convinced better half to get them again. We're trying to get ready for them. All the record breaking heat in June has slowed us down. Would probably already have them, if it had been a little cooler.

Lee

[Deberosa]

Deborosa, that's an awesome find!!!! I really wonder why they nailed the door shut though. Guess maybe they didn't want kids in it or something. lol

WVMan73

Here is what it looked like! I didn't check under the floor boards!:eek:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b340/deberosa/MVC-764Frotated.jpg