It starts in the back yard…
As the pandemic began to grow in early 2020, I found myself homebound and decided it was time to start my backyard project. I also reached out to the local USDA for guidance and EQIP funding. I started clearing my sumac. The goal was to plant early, mid and late-blooming plants to support our local ecosystem from Spring to Fall. We are trying to do this as naturally as possible with zero chemicals, insecticides and herbicides. There might be some bottom plowing and tilling.
It was slow going and looks like I am halfway done. Most of the sumac was too big for a mower or brush hog and had to be cut by hand with loppers or a chainsaw. These were cut as close to the ground as possible. I was thankful my neighbor stopped by with a ratcheting lopper. The right tool made the job much easier. Plus, he stayed awhile and helped me out. It looks like my dog (Ginger) made it into the picture (at right).
As I continued clearing I started piling the sumac. I wanted to chip (mulch) as much as I could and then burn the rest. I had plans for the mulch but it ended being put to use elsewhere. More to come on how/where I used the mulch. This was all I was able to accomplish before going back to work and halting my project. I did some chipping on weekends when my schedule and the weather cooperated.
I finally hear back from the USDA and they deny my EQIP request. After requesting an explanation as to why, I am informed there was a current policy change and I may be eligible and can proceed with an application. I was hoping for some guidance as to the best practices of clearing and planting as well. They could only help with spraying and polluting my land. I refused to kill my bees, so I could develop a better habitat in a few years for them. It was recommended my application include 3 sections/areas of – CLOVER, WILD FLOWERS & SHRUBS.
As the snow started to melt in March 2021, I move east to the prickly ash and buckthorn – exciting times!! Most of the area was covered with small prickly ash and I was able to easily lop them and create piles. I was fortunate a neighbor brought his tractor with a boom and lifted the buckthorn out of the ground roots and all. These were pretty much trees, later cut and burned. The ash was chipped (on cool days) so it was nice chipping with long sleeve shirts. Those thorns will get you. The picture right is after everything was cut down.
In May I tried to bottom plow with a used, old, small garden tractor I picked up locally. It was working but a half acre, hard packed ground turned out a little too much for both myself and the old tractor. This is when I broke down and rented a bobcat with a harley rake attachment. I only had 8 hours in my contract and did not take any pictures of this progress. The bucket allowed us to level the small mounds you can see in this picture.
It is now early June and this picture reflects the progress after renting the bobcat. I believe I recently planted some buckwheat before the soil started growing again. This was the recommendation from the USDA to repel or choke out weeds and feed the soil after mowing. You can also see some of the orchard we planted in the Spring of 2019. My beeyard is just left of this picture.
Wildflower Patch (.5 acre)
Oh no, if you decide to undertake a similar project, please learn from my mistakes. I neglected my wild flower patch while working on the clover patch…
I had to rent a self propelled Billygoat to brush cut the new sumac growth. I later learned it takes 2-3 years of continued mowing to mostly eradicate sumac from returning.
Shrubs (.2 acre)
I am glad I rented the Billygoat (yes it is still June 2021). It was now time to start clearing my north fence line for the shrubs in my application. I used that brush hog to save time from lopping and chipping the little prickly ash. Yes, there was still some bigger trees that required the chainsaw, but this made 50% of the area complete in less than an hour. The plan is to plant shrubs along half of my northern property line. The fence line is for Deacon, our neighbor’s friendly horse.
Here is the rest of the shrub area that will need to be cleaned by hand. This section of tall grass is natural WI prairie grass. The USDA advised I should leave this and let it slowly spread. Now I go in every spring and hand cut the prickly ash that pops up. In hindsight, I wish I would have walked this area out and planned where each species of shrub was going in the ground. More to come on why this was a crucial mistake on my part.
I spent the rest of the year keeping everything mowed so nothing would regrow (sumac and prickly ash). The clover patch was only mowed twice to let the buckwheat flower re-seed. I completed the hand clearing for the shrubs. Except for tilling and bottom plowing the wild flower patch, everything was coming together. I also received confirmation that my USDA EQIP application was approved. I would be receiving funding for .5 acre wild flower seeds, .4 acre clover seeds and .2 acre shrubs (180 in total). Now I can order my shrubs (fall) and seeds (Jan 2022) for planting in early 2022.
Ok, its October/November and my local County Extension is doing their annual tree/shrub/plant sale at great prices. Wait, they only have 2 of my 3 required shrubs. I quickly contact the USDA and request a substitution. Yes, approved and in a timely manner – perfect. I was worried they would sell out quickly. I order Chokecherry, American Plum and Cranberry (my substitute for Nannyberry). If I order anywhere else my costs increase significantly. In January, I order my seeds – clover patch had 3 clovers, timothy and alfalfa. Wildflower patch had 5 grasses and 18 forbs/legumes – both also had oats mixed in as a companion crop.
It has been 2 years since I started this project and I can’t believe you are still reading this long picture journal. It is March 2022 and I am getting excited to finally start planting. Shrubs will be ready at the end of April. I start making cages out of rolls of fencing. This is very laborious but each cage cost around $1.50, compared to purchasing at $3-$5 each (that is 2-3 times more than the shrub cost). This will hopefully keep the deer at bay from eating the shrubs down to the ground. The fence included rabbit protection for the first 12 inches. I was warned rabbits will be able to eat the shrubs during the first couple winters after the snow gets deep.
Shrubs
I think there was still snow on the ground when I walked my fence line planning where each shrub would go. Wait this can’t be right. I don’t remember how long I spent walking, counting and checking my contract. The shrubs were to be planted 8 X 8. I only had room for 80 in 2 rows. I call my local USDA and leave a frantic message on their cell. A week goes by, so I leave another message on their cell. Unfortunately this has been common in my dealings with the USDA – never hearing back. Finally (3 weeks later) I get a call (after contacting the assistant state conservationist) and my contract has a clerical error. The page inside the contract that determines how many shrubs I need to order has .5 acre instead of .2 acre. I am told don’t worry we won’t lower the funds. No kidding but where am I going to put the 100 extra shrubs already bought and paid for that are arriving in less than 2 weeks? New plan – plant my whole northern fence line, 2 rows at 6 X 6. This would utilize 120 shrubs. I was also able to border the wildflower patch on the east side with about 40 chokecherry shrubs single file. The rest were planted close. I will use these to replace any dead shrubs along the northern fence line first. I know some of them will not make it.
It is hard to see the shrubs and cages in these pictures. Future pictures will hopefully show more of a shrub than a twig. I hand planted the shrubs with a dibble. After planting all the shrubs, I went back and placed a 12″ X 12″ weed blocker, staked the cage around the twig and then added mulch. This was a great use for the red cedar and sumac that I chipped into piles the past year.
Middle north fence lineClover Patch (.4 acre)
Ok, one planting complete. Time to start on the clover patch. I should get a picture of my little garden tractors and their tillers. It was slow going but I was able to till the ground, wait a month for weeds to start growing and till it again. I then used a drag to smooth out the area. Once complete, I checked the weather. The forecast was rain for 2-3 days at the end of the week. Perfect! I used a walk behind spreader to broad cast my clover the day before the rain. I walked north to south, east to west and then a diagonal pattern to make sure I completely covered the whole area. Then, I used a cultipacker to push the seeds firmly into the ground. The picture below – is after seeding and cultipacking the second week of June, 2022.
I have to shout a BIG thanks to my great neighbors (friends) who helped me get to this point. “THANK YOU!!” I could not have done it without them and their efforts.
It is definitely a long journey and not a sprint. I do not have enough time to complete the wildflower patch. I am granted an extension through the Spring of 2023 with the USDA for that part of the contract. The seeds should still be viable, no worries. I spent the rest of the summer mowing the wildflower patch (not much sumac came back), watering my shrubs (another summer drought) and letting the clover patch go to seed before mowing. I did have an inspection before receiving half my funds (shrubs and clover). I was graded a B on my clover and A+ on the shrubs. I did not have a way to water my clover with the drought. My home-made water tank is a 55 gallon drum on a garden cart using gravity for the water flow. No fancy battery sprayers here.
Wildflower Patch
In May of 2023, we cultivated one more time to turn over the weeds and make sure there were no more sumac roots. After 2-3 years of mowing the sumac should be mostly eradicated. The wildflower seed was planted and cultipacked before and after the planting. I always try to do this prior to a good rain. Unfortunately, this is my last update on our wildflower patch. In June, we found our forever home in South Dakota and our offer was accepted. Good news – the new owners plan on hosting bees and keeping the clover, shrubs and wildflowers. The improved ecosystem will remain in place for the time being.
UPDATE: I checked back on the pollination station in May 2024. The shrubs are doing splendid, including the clover. The wildflower was not blooming or flowering at this time. There were some bare spots, and it looks like it will need the full 3 years or some additional spot planting to have a full 1/2 acre of flowers.
Note
It is not my intent to bash on the USDA. This picture journal is (hopefully) to inspire others to do similar projects bigger or smaller to support our pollinators. There is government money out there and I had to work extremely hard and diligent to receive it. The biggest hurdle was not getting anyone to return my calls and emails. I can accept the mistakes as we are all human. I researched best practices to establish an organic approach to clearing my land. It is difficult for me to accept, in 2022, that our USDA consistently advises the use of chemicals to improve our ecosystem. I wanted to share my struggles and time it took to keep everything chemical free. At the end of the day, my EQIP grant paid for all my seeds/shrubs and half the cages/protectors. It was extremely frustrating on my part, but I consider it a win for the little guy (small ag). My local USDA would have kept advising small farmers and homesteads they do not qualify because of a missed policy change on their part.