Spring Planting 2021

Spring planting this year through us several curveballs some good and some unexpected.

We ordered cuttings last fall with an idea but no concrete decision on where they were going to be planted. One option was a three acre piece in a chunk of land my brother in law had recently bought and the other was on some of my neighbors land. Although both offers were very generous and we feel grateful to have such great family and neighbors however nothing is better than owning your own land. None the less we ended up getting the cuttings with a plan to put them on my neighbors land because it was so close to the house.

In February we noticed some land come up for sale a few miles from where we live. The land was all open, certified organic and planted in forage with winter wheat drilled in last fall. We had some differing opinions about jumping with both feet into the farm debt pool but we just couldn't pass it up.

We were able to purchase the land and now Popple Tree Creek Farms was no longer just an idea with 1740 elderberry cuttings in the refrigerator waiting for spring it became a real thing!

I had planned everything out, I was going to close on the land then get into the field to till in some compost, adjust for a ph of 6.0 that the elderberries would love and even add a little phosphorus that the soil test said I should. The day we closed is when the rain started...and went on for almost two weeks. Well so much for tilling and compost for the meantime. No big deal Ill just wait a little longer. Then I had an unrecognized refrigerator issue that cause my cuttings to start to sprout in the refrigerator...Time to plant or risk everything.

Still a little to wet to get a tractor and tiller into the ground I went the manual route. My daughter, nephews and I went out and in one day used my garden tiller to work the ground enough to get rid if the wheat and to get the cuttings in. On the next day my brother inlay cam to the rescue with his bale buster and we covered them all in hay and straw to help with weed control.

Click on the pictures below to enlarge.

Packed up and ready to go

I put all the cuttings in buckets to keep track and added a little water to rehydrate after thier long slumber in the fridge.

Unloading for a long day

The crew consisting of my daughter and three nephews didnt realize the long haul we were in for at first and maybe I didnt either.

First row goiing in

We started on the first 1/2 acre of Ranch. We're not really in our grove yet but geting them in the ground.

Second row tilling

We are starting to develop a rythm here. Getting the second row worked up. The ground i still pretty wet and is working the tiller hard. Wish it would have been dry enough for a tractor tiller.

Cuttings in a row

My planting team is hard at work here they have developed quite a system to get the job done.

More planting

Working on our third row here.

Uh oh...Breakdown

Broke a belt on the trusty tiller, luckily we did this on a saturday and our local hardware store had one in stock...Thanks Shawn. If youre ever in Clearbrook MN check out Morth Country Hardware for all the needs.