Day 99

Getting trees for practically free is one thing, but as my college economics  professor always said, “there is no such thing as a free lunch.” He was right. Getting the trees in the ground and ready to thrive took time, planning, energy, and resources.

Some of the trees were going to be put right in front of the big lawn that stretched from the road to the barn. We definitely wanted some variety out there and a lot less to mow. Others would be scattered throughout the rest of the yard. However, the majority would be placed in the big backyard.

Scout proper locations. Dig a hole. Put the tree in hole. Fill the remaining space in hole with dirt. Add some wood chips. Water. Observe. Repeat about a thousand times. 

Arduous, yes. Necessary, yes. Exciting, not so much. But if we wanted to transform the land, we had to put in the work.

Not having the best equipment made it a bit tricky, but we made it work. We didn't have a large tractor, but we did have a small riding lawn mower with a cart that could be attached to haul things. We didn't have running water where we planted, so we improvised. We used the aforementioned cart and filled up big storage bins with water. Then, the kids practiced their driving skills as we slowly traveled to the trees with the bin of water and our favorite buckets from the sandbox.

Even though it wasn't the most glamorous work, the chance to drive the mower motivated the kids for the time needed to get the trees established. We then hoped Mother Nature would take over. Initially, some of the trees did better than others, but if some were lost, at least they weren't expensive. Sometimes, you learn by trying, even if it involves making mistakes. Sometimes, your path to success is meandering and full of u-turns and roadblocks. Sometimes, the input is more valuable than the output.

Beginning to add trees to the farm was very rewarding. Whether they thrived or not, the time with the kids made all the work worthwhile.

But we made sure to set aside time to play.