Native soil did not have alot left to give me when I came here but with some good care it gives me all i want and more. The soil was exposed from when we installed an electric line. It’s obvious the good soil is gone at this location. Once deep rich top soil was lost due to errosion in the dirty thirties and many years of poor farming practices. Thankfully for me the clay is actually very rich but without compost or organic material it’s considered to be of little value
Notice the changes taking place. Look at the base of that apple tree. With natures help im correcting the problem. The roots are pulling nutrients from deep within the soil where farmers could not reach it. When the leaves fall the rich nutrients are now breaking down as organic material rich in nurients at the top of the ground. Grasses and leaves are left behind to fertilize and decompose which draws more worms and other beneficial microbes and fungi. The system needed help but has been set back on the right path again now.
When i first moved here the soil was mostly that orange color clay with a thin layer of loam in places not over a few inches to 1 foot thick. The old timers laughed when i said i would grow fruit. They tried and had some limited success. The occasional pear on an old former home site here and there was all that was left. Those ancient pears though few inspired me to keep trying. My family taught me to observe nature and i noticed the wild seedling flowering pears had little trouble growing in difficult conditions. If we are not successful its because we lack the knowledge we need to have. Take care of the land and the land will take care of you as shown in the link below and by the pictures from 2019. Here comes the 2019 pear harvest!
