We were gifted with 10 days of warm, breezy weather that dried the ground sufficiently to plant all 20 acres of new peach trees. With all hands on deck, we completed the job in 4 days. That amounts to 1,000 trees planted per day!
The key to this last week’s success was absolutely perfect weather conditions. We had several invaluable heavy rains, followed by just enough dry weather to create a perfect planting environment.
The tree planting is a multi-step process. It all started in September when we measured and staked out the new field, delineating tree rows and irrigation pathways. Next we applied compost, homemade of course, at a rate of 7 tons of compost per acre. Soil tests showed us that the calcium levels in the field were low, so using a spreader, we added 100 tons of ground up oyster shells, a product we source from a company in Petaluma. The next step in field prep is to use a tractor to break the hardpan, which exists about 6 ft under groundlevel. This new 20 acres of land was planted in tomatoes for many years. Annual vegetable roots, like those of a tomato, are not able to penetrate the hardpan like the fruit tree can. This, coupled with compaction and irrigation, causes a “hardpan” to develop- a dense layer of soil that is fairly impervious to roots and water.
After the field is opened up, ridges are formed along each tree row. We plant our trees about 1 foot above ground level, so that water drains away from the roots. A planting wire is then run across the length of each row. This wire is anchored at each end by a 6 foot steel bar, sunken two feet into the Earth. The planting wire has a bolt every 12 foot, marking the position for each tree along the 640 ft row.
Now, we skip ahead several months to mid February- planting day. Each planting team consists of three people. The digger moves ahead of the of the planters, making a hole for the tree. Next, the tree is positioned in the hole by the planter, checking that the roots have plenty of space, are pointing down, and are free from obstruction. Finally, the third person backfills the soil around the roots. As backfilling occurs, the planter slowly pulls the tree up, to ensure that roots are pointing down.
The tree planting process is still four steps from completion. Next, our planting team leader cuts the tree down to 18 inches, leaving a 1/2 inch truck full of buds. Within the next two years, these buds will mature into the structure of the tree. Following this, a tree protector is placed around each tree, in order to protect the tree from sunburn and rodent damage.
Next, the baby peach trees get their first big gulp of water. Each tree is immediately irrigated with 1 gallon of water. Farmer Al predicts that we will have good rain events in March, ideal for strong, deep, root development.
The final step is the application of vermi-compost around the new trees. As part of an experiment, vermi-compost is only being added to every other row, but we’ll tell you more about this endeavor next time.
For now, Farmer Al has felt “a huge sigh of relief to get those trees in the ground.” February is the best month to plant trees and we are happy to say a new peach crop is on the way!
