Cultivation

Before seeding, we need to clear the field.  The vineyard managers left piles of grape vines that are difficult to move, so I decided to burn them.  Thankfully, Ridgewood Ranch had some ethanol laying around and donated some such that the fire was cleanly fueled.

Fire faeries

Piles and the ethanol that could

On the same day, 8 farmers responded to my call for a work day and came to dig out blackberries down to the root.  They cleared more than an acre and made a great deal of progress.  I am forever grateful for their hard work! Later in the week, Rae showed me how to bundle and compress the pulled out blackberries so that we could pile them up elsewhere for burning.

Farmer friends

End of the day

Rae doing the blackberry stomp

Cold Creek Compost delivery

Considering that the field hasn't been cultivated in more than 15 years and does not contain a whole lotta nutrients, I decided to try to increase the pH and organic matter.  I compared the following inputs: cow manure, chicken manure, compost, compost + lime, and lime.  Chicken manure is powerful and the fresh stuff is noxious -- a potential neighbor problem.  I wanted composted manure and lime so that calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) are balanced.  Ideally, the soil holds a 7 (Ca):1 (Mg) ratio; the Ca keeps the soil aggregated while Mg holds water.  After many calls to chicken farms and poop dealers, I went with Cold Creek Compost who can mix lime into their compost composed of chicken manure, grape pumice, and vegetation scraps. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't get the compost spread before the first discing.  Pete of Johnson Family Ranch came out with his crew to disc a few times.  They went down half a foot so we got to the base of the weed roots without doing a deep till.  The soil is soft and fluffy.

Now, to get the compost spread.  This has been an insurance mess, but I'll find a way!