The Land, The Plot, The Bed and The Plan--- A four part series on land development

In July of 2017, I took out a long term lease on a piece of land which needs some prudent management. It has been in my family for over 60 years, during which little care was taken in caring for the long term development.

I have already started some work on restoration, reclamation and development of access ways, gardens, grazing areas and hydrologics.

This is a four part blog on the development plan and techniques I am using for the improvement of the property.

Some parts will be dry and technical, but a basic understanding of the processes for is necessary a person to apply or modify such techniques on their own property.

Part 1 of 4: The Land

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The land is located in North-Central Oklahoma (36.13N, 96.55W) in USDA Hardiness Zone 6B.

It receives approximately 38 inches of rain per year. In the peak of summer, temperatures can reach as high as 112F , though it generally peaks around 102F. Winter temperatures can drop to 18F, but have been known to reach -20F in extremely cold years.

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The land in development at this time is gently sloped to the south-southeast with occasional ridges, both natural and man-made. The majority of runoff tends to be caught in a moderately sized pond which was built in the early 1970's

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Due to various factors, there are a wide range of soil types, ranging from 70% clay, 70% loam to a quite exceptional silty clay-loam. There is a wide variation in soil organic matter, 0.25% in the lowest quality samples to over 4% in the highest quality samples.

The majority of my work will be located in areas of the lower quality soils, as I need to get the hardest work done while I'm still young enough to make a significant positive impact.

Existing Flora

The existing grasses are, in general, quite dense. The primary grass is lespedeza , moderately interspersed with bermuda , blue stem and intermediate feather grass . Other grasses can also be found, but are of little technical significance.

Occasional patches of wild blackberry, multi-flora rose, sand plum, poison ivy, silver nightshade and milkweed can also be found.

Many trees can be found on the property. Eastern red cedar, black locust, elm, willow, pecan, hackberry, ash, cottonwood, Osage orange and several others are quite common. There are no oak or black walnut trees to be found on the property, which is a matter I plan to remedy in the next five to seven years.

Of the trees, the eastern red cedar is of the most concern. As an early successional tree, it is long lived (up to 800 years) and excessively prolific. The Eastern red cedar was re-introduced in the 1930's to slow the wind erosion experienced during the Great Dust Bowl and unfortunately few land owners understood how to manage such trees.

The final master plan for the development of this land will include multiple garden plots, hügelkultur beds, swales, fruit trees, nut trees, shrubs and a variety of perennial plants for food production.

End of Part 1

Note: All proceeds from this blog go to land restoration and agricultural development!