Advise: Clearing Land

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ol skool

Active Member
Chopped blackberries to clear a spot for next spring. The soil is a creek side alluvial deposit nice but heavy loam, though it percs well. pH runs right at 6.9 to 7.0. About 10 hours clear sunlight from sun-up on. Flecked sunlight late afternoon to dusk. I picked East aspect as temps can get too hot here in late summer and I need the dew dried off to prevent mold in the mornings.

Plan on digging in some llama doodoo this winter to bolster organic component along with some crab, kelp and fish bone meal to get the worms moving in.

What else outdoor experts? Any tips appreciated. This is my second season - legal!
 
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ol skool

Active Member
Stud:
Wow appreciate the link. Happen to have a old fallen cottonwood snag that needs to be bucked up in that area. The rounds and chunks could be used along with the blackberry debris. Then let time do it's magic, it'll be ready when it's ready!
 
ShLUbY

ShLUbY

Well-Known Member
yeah you could also start a brush pile/fire and once it goes down to a pile of red hot coals extinguish the coals and you will leave yourself a nice pile of biochar to amend into your new area or add to a big compost pile! just a thought
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
ol skool said:
Chopped blackberries to clear a spot for next spring. The soil is a creek side alluvial deposit nice but heavy loam, though it percs well. pH runs right at 6.9 to 7.0. About 10 hours clear sunlight from sun-up on. Flecked sunlight late afternoon to dusk. I picked East aspect as temps can get too hot here in late summer and I need the dew dried off to prevent mold in the mornings.

Plan on digging in some llama doodoo this winter to bolster organic component along with some crab, kelp and fish bone meal to get the worms moving in.

What else outdoor experts? Any tips appreciated. This is my second season - legal!
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you going to dig out the dirt?
reason I ask, is typically blackberries are in an acidic soil.
I love blackberries, I used to have four types, as well as marionberries, loganberries, ollalieberries, raspberries...
Makes the damn tastiest pie
Start the mother of all leaf compost piles ASAP
 
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ol skool

Active Member
ShLUby: sounds good, will have to wait for spring though, nothing will light up right now. I WILL look into this and Stud's idea too.

ann: No ann, but I thank you for your insight. The soil samples I took so far are fairly pH neutral. Can't imagine packing off this interesting but heavy loam for - what would I replace it with?
But, you're right blackberries prefer acidic soils, but you know they're oppotunist too, they'll occupy neutral soils if there's a square foot to occupy and a hint of sun!

The immediate issue is getting ready for next seasons crop. But, God willing and the creeks don't rise I'll have time for biochar and hugel kulture too.
 
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MustangStudFarm

MustangStudFarm

Well-Known Member
ol skool said:
ShLUby: sounds good, will have to wait for spring though, nothing will light up right now. I WILL look into this and Stud's idea too.

ann: No ann, but I thank you for your insight. The soil samples I took so far are fairly pH neutral. Can't imagine packing off this interesting but heavy loam for - what would I replace it with?
But, you're right blackberries prefer acidic soils, but you know they're oppotunist too, they'll occupy neutral soils if there's a square foot to occupy and a hint of sun!

The immediate issue is getting ready for next seasons crop. But, God willing and the creeks don't rise I'll have time for biochar and hugel kulture too.
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@greasemonkeymann is the person that I have been learning from!!! He told me about using rotting wood and bio-char, and it sparked my interest in the right direction. I can go out with a rake and find good leaf mold, so a lot of his advice has not cost me money and I can go in the backyard and just do it.

Last year, I had redworms show up in my outdoor worm bin and I didnt have to pay for them. I just used leaf compost and started adding food scraps, I let it sit for a little while and I was going to transfer some worms from my indoor bin, but they were already there.
 
Oregon Gardener

Oregon Gardener

Well-Known Member
ol skool said:
Chopped blackberries to clear a spot for next spring. The soil is a creek side alluvial deposit nice but heavy loam, though it percs well. pH runs right at 6.9 to 7.0. About 10 hours clear sunlight from sun-up on. Flecked sunlight late afternoon to dusk. I picked East aspect as temps can get too hot here in late summer and I need the dew dried off to prevent mold in the mornings.

Plan on digging in some llama doodoo this winter to bolster organic component along with some crab, kelp and fish bone meal to get the worms moving in.

What else outdoor experts? Any tips appreciated. This is my second season - legal!
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Sounds like you did some homework, and this is your second season, so the only advice I would give a woods grower, If you are in bear country, And using blood, bone meal, or fishy stuff, they can smell it. I have had my plants thrashed but fortunately, never destroyed. Keep the B-1 handy and watch out for ticks, they suck!
 
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ol skool

Active Member
Thanks stud appreciate the heads up.

Sorry mann not ann. I don't mean any dis-respect!!! I already checked pH as indicated in the orginal post 'cause, greasemonkeymann, I get what blackberries like. I get it 'cause like you, been picking, growing (triple crown, marion berry, and variety of raspberries) and eradicating them for 30 years. But this is my 2nd WEED grow, I WON'T pretend to know squat about - DOPE... That's why I ask. You have some gray in your beard too? I'm trying to be friendly via written word here... Please accept my apology...

I hope I sound like a puppy rolling over pissing on myself. I got no ego to or chest to pound here. My momma taught me manners on the backside by many, many broken wooden spoons. I try to use it when I can... I'm ol skool, humble, know how to listen, appreciate ANYONE that will lend a hand.
 
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ol skool

Active Member
Oregon Gardner: A HOMIE! Hey neighbor.

Got a momma bear training a cub, and a momma fox plus her 2 kits interested in ALL of the above amendments last season. How'd you know! Momma bear taught the cub to strip my apple tree. But the foxes did a heck of job banging the yellow jacket population. Gotta take the good with the bad if I go organic...

Both seriously dig the ground where I side dress but the plants they left alone. Very interesting. Even had a herd of Elk walking right by the plot twice a day for 6 weeks with no interest at all!

More serious cages is the plan next season. Hopefully my plants will be bigger next year and the yield will need the support. One can only hope.
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
ol skool said:
Thanks stud appreciate the heads up.

Sorry mann not ann. I don't mean any dis-respect!!! I already checked pH as indicated in the orginal post 'cause, greasemonkeymann, I get what blackberries like. I get it 'cause like you, been picking, growing (triple crown, marion berry, and variety of raspberries) and eradicating them for 30 years. But this is my 2nd WEED grow, I WON'T pretend to know squat about - DOPE... That's why I ask. You have some gray in your beard too? I'm trying to be friendly via written word here... Please accept my apology...

I hope I sound like a puppy rolling over pissing on myself. I got no ego to or chest to pound here. My momma taught me manners on the backside by many, many broken wooden spoons. I try to use it when I can... I'm ol skool, humble, know how to listen, appreciate ANYONE that will lend a hand.
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Ah my friend, no need for an apology, seems we have similar upbringings, if I got a dollar for each wooden spoon my mom broke on my ass i'd have... uh... well... like 6 bucks, but I digress.
Anyways, i'm possibly the most laid-back person on this site, so don't sweat it man.
And yeaa... got a speck of gray, but not much, i'm a light-haired irish dude, so it's not showing much.

Just keeping any brambles down is a quite the feat though.
just remember you want a southern facing slope (sure you already know that)
I know you said the east, but in the summer that may bite you a bit, especially if you do anything from clones, they'll flower to quickly, also important to remember that what is in the sun now in december, may not be as good in may-sep.
Also unless it's scorchingly hot there, i'd say you're better off in the sun..
I do an outside crop every yr, and it regularly gets to 100+ and they are fine as long as you keep them watered.
in extreme cases you can cover the topsoil with wet cardboard and that works like a.c.

I sincerely think you probably know this already, but thought i'd mention it in case someone reading this didn't know.
Just sayin for all the effort put into making a grow location, the location is paramount.
That extra hour of light can net you some serious flowers man.
 
ShLUbY

ShLUbY

Well-Known Member
greasemonkeymann said:
Ah my friend, no need for an apology, seems we have similar upbringings, if I got a dollar for each wooden spoon my mom broke on my ass i'd have... uh... well... like 6 bucks, but I digress.
Anyways, i'm possibly the most laid-back person on this site, so don't sweat it man.
And yeaa... got a speck of gray, but not much, i'm a light-haired irish dude, so it's not showing much.

Just keeping any brambles down is a quite the feat though.
just remember you want a southern facing slope (sure you already know that)
I know you said the east, but in the summer that may bite you a bit, especially if you do anything from clones, they'll flower to quickly, also important to remember that what is in the sun now in december, may not be as good in may-sep.
Also unless it's scorchingly hot there, i'd say you're better off in the sun..
I do an outside crop every yr, and it regularly gets to 100+ and they are fine as long as you keep them watered.
in extreme cases you can cover the topsoil with wet cardboard and that works like a.c.

I sincerely think you probably know this already, but thought i'd mention it in case someone reading this didn't know.
Just sayin for all the effort put into making a grow location, the location is paramount.
That extra hour of light can net you some serious flowers man.
Click to expand...
yes the south facing for sure. having east facing wont be the deal breaker for mold issues. outside, that's just a game you have to play. like grease says, the angle of the sun is different this time of year. the sun is more direct overhead in the summer. you want all the hours you can get!
 
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