Planting

​I got the 300 plants on Friday last week so of course Saturday I got right into it, but only managed to get 10 planted. The grass was dead where I had sprayed it but it was still fairly long, making it hard to dig out, so after doing those 10 I was a bit tired. My next idea was to use the utility mower and cut all the spots on either side of the ditch down very low to make it easier for planting. Initially I was using the mattock, but now the only tools I use are my digging stick and the hammer for pounding in the stakes. I was cutting the turf into four strips but decided it was easier to just cut a square and flip it over, then cut a hole in the middle for the plant. The latest refinement I discovered today is to put water in the hole and then when I come back to it it’s much easier to plant the tube stock. There may be more refinements to make things easier, but at least now I have 100 plants in, one third of the total in less than a week from when I picked them up. I got the last 25 planted this morning, since then it has been raining a bit, but only about 6 mm/0.25″.

I’ve been concentrating a bit on putting a few more plants to eventually block the view of all the neighbour’s old vehicles, while still technically putting them where I’m supposed to. All the spots that I sprayed last are starting to die off pretty well now, so they will be the next section I tackle. I have mainly been putting in low shrubs, trees, and just a few of the reeds and grasses that like the boggy areas, but next I will be planting out a lot more of those in the wide section to the right of the ditch and going up towards the back fence. I’m hoping I can get another 100 planted next week, then think about where the next 100 will go. I will probably do some up under the trees but leave some gaps for the other 50 plants I have to pick up in May. I may talk to the guy Steve about getting some more of the tall eucalypts to expand the treed area up there to the right of the property. I got 5 brown tipped gum and 5 white gum in the first batch so I wouldn’t mind a few more of those.