Revved Up Ragtag, Part 9
Winter arrived overnight.
We went from a high of 60 degrees F yesterday to an expected high of 39 today . And even that's not really accurate. With the wind chill factor - it's howling today - it feels ten degrees colder.
It's a good thing, then, that I found a guy with a saw to start working on my 'volunteer' tree situation before the temps dropped so drastically. I actually had him start with a side of the house y'all have never seen before. This is the east side and it's obviously in need of some attention. 'Buzzsaw Bill' got into it so fast, he had the first tree down before I got a picture of the entire mess. (Yes, it was worse.) You can see the remnant sticking up near the back corner of the house.
This one had two trunks and was easily taller than the house. It's another black walnut, which is not only a very hard wood, it leaks sap like crazy when cut. The sap was messing with the saw blade, too. You can see a small dark spot on the left trunk where the friction was causing enough heat to burn the wood.
Even so, he took the stumps down further. I'll be drilling out a hole in the tops and filling them with epsom salts. From what I've read, that will draw out all the moisture and basically dry-rot the remains from the inside out. Beats the hell out of digging 'em up!
Oh, and will you look at that... more ragtag supplies! Score! I thought hubby had stashed those 4x4s in the shed. Silly me. Luckily, they're still plenty solid. I'm sure I can find a good use for them.
Part of the reason this patch was ignored was due to the fact that it's mostly rose bushes. The previous owner was nuts about roses and now I get to deal with consequences. You can see the rose hips scattered in the tangle. Thankfully, Buzzsaw had some sturdy gloves and made short work of this mess.
This is the first tree that Buzzsaw did. As you can see, it had to come down piecemeal to make sure the attic window didn't get broken. Those pieces are heavier than they look because the wood is so dense.
Once the trees were down, the roses and intermingled weeds were easier to access. I now have a new brush pile to sort through. The little stuff will be burned next spring. I'll probably limb a few of the longer trunks. I can burn the branches, but the trunks are straight enough, they might make good supports for something like beans. I'll have to seal any cuts beforehand though, because black walnut trees have a toxic effect on nearby plants.
Much better!
The ones in the Jungle are next...
Key Features in The Revved Up Ragtag Project.
Stay Tuned For The Next Installment - Coming Soon!
Latest episodes of the Ragtag Saga:
Revved Up Ragtag, Part 1
Revved Up Ragtag, Part 2
Revved Up Ragtag, Part 3
Revved Up Ragtag, Part 4
Revved Up Ragtag, Part 5
Revved Up Ragtag, Part 6
Revved Up Ragtag, Part 7
Revved Up Ragtag, Part 8
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Its the right time of year for it!
Sure is!
I wish black walnuts grew like weeds around here. 😢
The squirrels 'planted' these bad boys. I'd be happy to send you every last of one of mine if I could. I wouldn't mind so much if the lot was bigger, but sadly, these guys just don't fit in the gameplan.
Yeah I can see that. They do get big.
Certain varieties of Black Walnut will grow around here but I have never heard of them self seeding here.
Hmmm Rose hip tea is the bomb! Packed with vitamin C!
That's what I've heard, but have never had it. One of these days I'll give it a try. Thanks for the tip!
We are in the process of taking a very large elm down in our back yard. It’s only about 10 feet from our house, 10 feet from our small bee yard and right next to our chicken coop, so it has to come down in pieces. I’ve been wondering what we’re going to do with all that tree. We can use some for the fire pit, some for crafting... I don’t want to waste any!! I like your idea of using the straigher branches for climbing poles in the garden. I wish I would have thought of it!
Do be careful! That sounds like some very precise cutting is required. Good on y'all for re-purposing as much as you can. I'll look forward to seeing what you come up with! Swapping ideas is one of the best features of the homesteader crowd here.
This summer, the trellis I rigged up for my peas was a bit unstable and not tall enough, so I grabbed a branch and worked it in to the support system. This is also a good example of why I use the term Ragtag. Lol!
Okay, so by ‘we’ I actually mean my husband and son who have some experience.
Adam, my husband thinks I need some practice using ‘we’ properly!!
ROFL! Yeah, that 'we' thing can get a little fluid after a while. I'm sure you're right in there with lots of moral support and sandwiches. ;~D
Do you suppose someone purposely planted those trees so close to the house, or were they volunteer? It does look much tidier with them gone, and I don't suppose they were providing much shade anyway.
It was probably squirrels. They weren't supposed to be there. They could mess with the foundation blocks by being so close. It sure is easier getting through there now!