Well, the 3 of us were actually eating the dust. Mulch dust to be specific. This was the last big project revolving around the trees. For 2016 anyway. Once we had the pawpaws and elderberries planted and the weed cloth laid down, we knew that they needed mulch.  Lots and lots of it.  Not only to keep the weeds at bay but to reduce the amount of watering we would have to do in these first years.  Even though Ron has greatly improved our irrigation system, it is still serious work and takes all 3 of us to get it done efficiently. The less we have to do, the better.

Ron contacted a local company about the mulch and arranged to have a truck load delivered to THF. 

This time we were smart enough to lay out a huge tarp for it.  That way we can more easily shovel it and also, not lose as much to the grass.  It was delivered on Friday, June 10  so we knew that our weekend plans were set.  Saturday morning Ron and Jo headed to the farm for some mushroom log shifting and soaking.  I stayed home and put a few hours in on the computer for work.  Then I went out back and did some weeding.  We have lots of thistles in our garden.  Which the rabbits simply refuse to eat.  Maybe if I sautéed them with butter and some of our garlic?  Or presented them as part of a mixed greens salad?  I kept working while pondering somewhat evil thoughts about our rabbits and ignored the light rain shower.  Then the rain really came down.  Not long after that, Ron and Jo came home, soaked to the bone.  A hot shower, coffee and change of clothes urgently needed.  They would head back in a few hours once the soaking time was done.

Instead all 3 of us now headed to the farm.  Jo and I got started filled up the large tubs we had with mulch and hauling them to the elderberries.  I decided we needed to start with them.  Since we didn’t tiller the ground up around them, they will have more weeds to deal with right from the start. We surrounded each plant with mulch, doing one row at a time. So much harder than it sounds. While Jo and I tackled the mulch, Ron was busy with his own project.

And Ron thought he was done with lawn mowing. Fat chance. Unless he can find someone to loan him a herd of goats. That won’t also eat the trees. But it is his own fault. He simply hates an untidy look.  And no, we are NOT getting goats of our own.
We trudged along hauling one bucket at a time until all the elderberries were mulched. We took a break to drink water and rest a bit, then got started again. This time we were taking care of the pawpaws and with Ron now able to join the team; we made good progress. Such a relief when we were finally done with the last plant. Home to shower and drink lots of water. Totally beat and ready for a solid nights sleep. Fully aware we were going back again because the job is not yet finished.

We had focused on surrounding each plant with the mulch, looking to cut down on the weeds and improve with moisture retention.  Do you see the pretty elderflowers?  I wasn’t expecting to see any this year.

While telling my tale to friend Josi at work on Monday, she looked at me and asked why we weren’t using our 4 wheeler?  How dumb are we?  Totally forgot we  had the blasted thing.  Sent email to Ron and he replied that he had already thought of that. Sure he had.  No matter who had the brainstorm, our mulch hauling after work went much easier.

Over the next few nights we met after work and spent a few hours of good quality family time.

We got the majority of the rows covered and could turn our attention to our things. After all the pile of mulch wasn’t going anywhere.

June 26 and finally – we are going to tackle the rest of the mulching. We needed to get the rest of mulch off the field. Ron had used an online calculator to figure our how much we would need for this project. Obviously we got a bit more than we needed, but that is better than not enough. We had left the ends of each row un-mulched and there were clearly a few spots that could use another inch or two.

We still have some mulch to spread out, but all the rows are fully covered and we already see fewer weeds. By next year we will see if this project actually makes a difference in the health of our pawpaws and elderberries.

Ron says this shot looks like a graveyard. Fingers crossed that he is not right. Though it might be a deer graveyard soon. Those blasted critters are going after my elderberries. Anybody got some kids they can spare this summer? That want to camp out and be human scarecrows out at THF? We can set up a tent for them and already have an outhouse. All applicants will be considered.