Tree Planting in the Snow

Night Time Snow Planting

Snow creates obvious difficulties for me, during tree planting season.  Mainly it makes it impossible to collect on my motorbike, when the roads are all covered in snow and then there are a number of issues when planting trees too, which are:

•  There is more digging to do.
• It is easy (especially at night) to mistake snow for soil and fill up the holes with snow.
• Its usually very cold.  I have no gloves.
• Everything you touch is wet and cold.

Fortunately this time I had already acquired quite a big stash of trees, so I was OK for materials, but short of Oaks and Alders.  

Tonight I made my way to my 'behind the houses site' with mostly small Willow an Birch.  When I had finished planting the first bag, I stashed my spade and went home, to get some more trees, but then it started to rain heavily and it's still raining now.  I'm still waiting to be able to get down there before it gets light.  I can't possibly plant it during daylight hours, because its too close to loads of houses and I would be likely to attract attention.

One advantage the snow dose bring is that; even at night, I can see even my smallest trees clearly, as the snow flattens the undergrowth, like dried grass-stems and the remains of summer perennials, leaving only the little trees clearly visible, for me to see.  The two Hawthorns in the picture on the left were only put in here last year.

Snow Method

Firstly I scrape away a patch of snow, from where I want to plant. I scrape away enough snow to have enough space to dig a hole and enough bare earth to put the soil on, so that it doesn't get mixed up with the snow.   Everything else is pretty much the same.

This snow was totally unexpected.  It is melting quite quickly, so perhaps the roads will be clear tomorrow, if it doesn't freeze. 

I should have heeded the warning of this morning's fiery red sky.

Action Acorn

Under ground Acorn Planter

Tonight I used up the last of the acorns, which I had collected with the help of some friends, earlier in the year.  I put them just half buried in a little thumb print, on the tops of banks, in the short grass between and in amongst Hawthorn hedges.  Tonight's batch went in and around the tourist car parks in the centre of Princetown.  

The aim is to introduce the Oak, also to get Oak trees to pop up here and there in these hedges before the Beech, Ash and Sycamore get in there, these trees are prevalent in people's gardens up here, once they seed in to the hedges they will become dominant and Oaks would find it allot more difficult to get a foot in the door.

Wild Daffodils

Since this site is one of my 'show-piece' Wild Daffodil plantations; I did not want to disturb the ground at all, so planting acorns is really the best method here.


These hedges divide up the tourist car park into sections and anything I have planted in here will undoubtedly be seen, by many, as Princetown is a very popular tourist destination.  Which ever way they come here, they will see Wild Daffs in the hedgerows and woods, which ever way they drive, and then when they come here and park their cars in the car park; they will be able to get out and see them close up.  The Oaks will help to ensure the success of these Daffs, as they do not grow well under Beech. 


The desired effect
I do not aim to have avenues of Oak trees here, just the odd one.  A second generation of them should be able to seed themselves here naturally.  Once this first generation reach maturity, which for Oaks can be as little as eight years, until they start becoming laden, with copious amounts of acorns.


I also want other species of trees to seed into here as well.  Many exist within seed blowing distance, so eventually these little car park dividing banks should be nice little strips of diverse deciduous woodland.  

Night Planted Trees around the Edge of a Village

The Beginning of My Woods

The biggest woods I have planted on Dartmoor, sits right on the edge of the small village of Princetown.

It begins in this small boggy valley (above), by the remains of the village pond  and proceeds down to the larger Black brook valley below and then up stream on that valley, for about a mile or two.

I have been adding to these woods for the past 11 years and now it is nearly complete.  There are just little patches left for me to do, which still remain unplanted.

The parts shown today; are amongst some of the dodgyest bits, I have planted.  This is due entirely to the close proximity of the village, to where I have to work.

Planting trees is quite noisy, when there is no sound, for miles around.  These bits have not only had to be planted at night, but also when its windy, misty and/or raining as well.  As I do prefer to work unnoticed and to keep a low profile and not to draw any more attention to myself, than I do already.

Having said that though; many people in this village know all about my activities.  I have been told about committee meetings, where questions have been asked in relation to all the little trees appearing on various bits of disused land and then someone telling them and then them saying something like "Oh Him!" So I have been told.  Apparently they call me "Jonny Apple-seed".  I guess it could be allot worse.

Out in the Storm

Last night, whilst most of you were tucked up, warm, in your beds; I was out in the howling wind & lashing rain, to bring you this:

Balanced precarious between a leat and a ditch, planting a woodland edge hedge.

When the lazy farmer repaired his fence, he just left the old one, which must have been some kind of metallic mesh, lying on the ground.  It is now tangled with weeds, impenetrable with the spade and only leaves a very thin strip between it and the ditch, into which I can plant things.

What I have planted along here are mostly suckering shrub trees, to include Blackthorns, Spindle, Wild Privet, Dog Roses, Holly and Hazel.  This is so Hopefully the trees will be able to spread to the parts I cannot plant, due to the fallen fence.

The caption above shows me disguising some newly planted shrub trees, with some grass.

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