Collins Kids Black Walnut Plantation

[George Collins]

The area receiving the walnuts was once an area of Youngblood's hayfield. However, the state came in and tested the soil to see if it would work for a dam that had been proposed at one time to dam up the Tallahala Creek. Twas a very large test resulting in a large hole being excavated in one place and the removed dirt placed in a dam shaped mound in another. Fortunately for the Collins Estates, the project never went through. Once the state put things back the way they were originally, it was never quite the same for whatever reason and Youngblood never again cut hay from that spot. However, and I'm not sure why, he never let it grow up in trees but there are briars and sweet gum saplings galore. I asked for and received permission to convert it into a black walnuts grove. I was going to get it bush hogged but the early germination of my nuts caught me completely flatfooted and I was forced to make spontaneous arrangements which meant I had to ask Youngblood to lightly disc the area which he did with much cussin.

After having planted in a lightly disced plot, I can attest firmly that doing so is suboptimal. I asked that he only disc about 25% of the available area which gives the needed window of opportunity to get the rest bush hogged and for me to erect my electric fencing about the other intended plot while still allowing this year's planting to proceed as the nuts reach the desired stage of germination.

I will take pictures of the broader area in the near future showing the overall progress.

[George Collins]

After returning home today from work and a trip to the farm supply store, we spent a few hours working on our system to hopefully expedite all future plantings. I made three marking strings by wrapping them around two stakes ten feet apart, spraying the strings at the point they wrapped around the stakes with black spray paint and then we took our new marking tools to the grove. After staking out several new rows, we returned home and started digging around in pots to fish out the newly germinated seeds. We then took our seeds, drove back to the grove and put shovel in dirt around 3:00. The rows at this relatively narrow point of the field are 20 trees long.

We ran out of nuts right at dusk-dark and were wrapped up in mosquitos as they were out in force and with all of the mud on our hands, slapping them away was difficult at best.

They fed well.

We got 52 more in the ground bringing the total up to 120.

[matt walker]

120 trees! This is a fantastic project George, "atta boy" is certainly in order. Great idea on the layout tools as well, very cool. Now you just gotta keep those cows out!

[Lollykoko]

George, something I ran across the other day indicated that a decoction of black walnut made a good insecticide. Doing more research, it seems that it's good for fleas and ants, but doesn't do a thing for mosquitoes.

[George Collins]

Matt, thanks for the encouragement. We now face the true test - endurance over time. When one is sitting around the fire place contemplating future farming endeavors, two acres doesn't sound like much. One might even make boastful claims like planting some crazy amount like five acres of black walnuts as if doing so were all in a normal day's light work. Then one gets one's hands dirty. One gets the nail of their right middle finger pulled away from the nail bed and is laying awake at night with the dern thing throbbing. One get about 90 scratches per square inch below the forearms and on one's right knee from from staying on grid with the planting NO MATTER WHAT! One might SAY five acres while sitting around the fire but when one looks at a row that is 600' long, when one considers that a 600' long row represents 60 sets and that this year we've not yet been able to make that many sets in one day, one has a away of tempering one's ambitions. One starts thinking thought like, "You know, I ain't never gunna see a dern cent outta all this here work. Them younguns, they don't care. Just look at em all off'n out thar in the field a playin whilst I'ma out here slavin away for their future. I think I'll stop when I get to the end if this here row I'm own and go have me some fun."

But then I'm a Marine. After I gave that little wimp-bitch inside me that started in with all the whining a good dressing down, it's all good. I plan on pulling another finger nail off before the sun sets again.

BTW, this is our hay field which is separate from the two spots Youngblood keeps his cows. My original planting and the one intended to be enlarged this year is part of his cow pasture. The hay field plot was intended to be the overflow plot for this year's planting. However, that untimely bit of earlier-than-expected germination forced me to use the back-up plot as the primary until I can get the electric fence installed.

Lolly,
I've read many times in the survival literature that black walnuts have insect repellant qualities but never with any particulars. It's good to know what I had already suspected as it relates to mosquitoes. Having said that, there is one plant that if memory serves shows great promise as a natural insect repellant and is currently being researched for that purpose - beauty berry.

[George Collins]

Plus the sixteen more just added brings the total up to 136.

[pa_friendly_guy]

!36 trees is alot of trees George. What is the magic number that you are shooting for this spring? If you get the number planted that you are shooting for what would it Be? Just wondered if you were 1/2 done for the year, 1/4 done, 1/10th done? I know that your plan is pretty energetic for this spring, must be the Marine in you.

[George Collins]

Guy,

The long-term goal is 7 acres.

The short-terms goal is go like hell.

I'll be angry at myself with less than two acres planted this year.

Over two acres planted and I start getting happy.

If I get five acres planted, I'll be elated.

Get all seven planted and my wife may have to have another baby.

How that translates into numbers, if memory serves, is it takes 333 trees planted on a 10' x 10' grid to saturate an acre. So anything less than 666 trees, scratch that, 667 trees in the ground will cause me to go into a convulsive cussin fit (i.e. act like Youngblood when it comes time to get the cows up).

[George Collins]

136 + 23 = 159

On the first two rows there are a total of 40 sets. A quick survey prior to leaving the field today revealed that 14 are up which translates into a 35% known success rate thus far.

[George Collins]

I beat the sun up this morning. As soon as there was light enough to see, Youngblood and I were in the walnut grove with him bush bogging the rest of the area to facilitate all of the work yet to be done.

As he was finishing with the bush hog, my help arrived - a couple of 21yo young men. With their help, 42 steel posts for the anti-deer fence were driven into the ground and 95ish% of the field was flagged. Altogether, I believe we have about 1,000 flags in the ground of which, along with the four added today, 163 have been planted.

As we were working in the field putting out marking flags, my uncle sent an email stating, "I am bringing a ton of sprouted walnuts this week-end.  Hope you are ready."

I replied, "Bring em!"

Cause now I'm close enough to being ready that the light at the end of he tunnel is looming large.

Here's a picture of Youngblood as he is just getting started bush hogging:


And here he is about done (The really green area is his hay field):