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.