In 2013, I purchased 200 acres of rural farmland and uprooted my city life for the land – to grow my own food. Having no experience at all with sheep farming or running farm business, one thing that I realised early on and still hold dear to my heart is what a privilege to be responsible for 200 acres of this finite earth in my lifetime.
I take this responsibility seriously and I am committed to leaving this patch of earth in better condition than when I found it.
In 2013 the farm wasn’t completely bare, in fact there were a number of tree lines with trees that were 2-3 years of age – knee to waist height. But apart from these new plantings, I could count on one hand the number of established trees. So where had all the trees gone?
There were more questions than answers. Clearing for farming had to have happened at some point however any trees remaining were charred in a fire that passed through here in the 80’s. No one had planted on the farm for 30 years.
I joined my local Landcare, where I met many farmers, and hobbyists, who shared a lot of environmental history, native revegetation projects and best of all annual access to a number of free trees to be planted on our properties. The choice of trees included shelter belt trees and understory varieties. All of which were native to this area had the best chance of survival, were propagated where possible from existing trees and attracted birdlife!
Since 2016 I have planted close to 600 trees, by hand, mostly success, sometimes failed. Human error or impacts of the drought experienced a few years ago have ben contributing factors.
However I persist. And I am committed. Last year was my biggest effort and so far, all trees planted are now over a year old and look super healthy. But I need more trees.
Working in collaboration with likeminded people like the amazing team at Organic Reflections to raise awareness of the work we are doing is a great step in the right direction. Collaboration to improve rural areas will pay dividends for our future generations.
Tube stock above the allocated amount provided by Landcare is $1.00 per tree, they are between 5-10 cm tall. We use paper carton guards which break down over the first year into the soil, which are about 10c per carton, plus some stakes to keep everything up right and protected. So, for $1.50 per tree in materials we can easily plant a lot trees this coming year.
The best time for planting is June each year. While its often cold and wet, farmers including me are always looking for as many hands as possible to assist with a tree planting day. With ample help we can get hundreds of trees into the soil and have time for a long casual lunch on the farm and fireside.
