On April 17th, volunteers from the Northern CT Land Trust (NCLT) and CT-TACF joined forces to prepare a section of NCLT?s Swann Farm for possible use as a chestnut orchard. Located in Ellington, the Swann property has been preserved as working farmland and also helps provide income for NCLT?s land preservation activities. The site offers excellent access to well-drained Narragansett silt loam soils adjacent to a forest with numerous chestnut sprouts.
However, due to its recent cultivation, a soil test last fall revealed a pH of 6.9, not quite acid enough for optimum chestnut growth. It was decided to try a bit of an experiment with soil amendments, to see if acidity could be restored in time for a test planting in mid-May. First, Swann Property Manager George Grant and Jesse Amsel of NCLT and I measured and flagged a three-quarter acre portion of the potential orchard area for rows nineteen feet apart. A central row representing the highest to lowest areas of the field?s slope was selected for our test, to check if all areas have favorable soil and drainage qualities.
This test strip was gamely rototilled by CT-TACF?s Garrett Smith, while NCLT members and I developed pitching arms tossing aside numerous rocks brought to the surface. NCLT Vice President Jerry Stage, Directors Albe Grant and Arend Knuttel, Jesse, George and I prepared ten 9×9 plots spaced twenty-one feet apart within the strip. Each plot had seven pounds of iron sulfate mixed in, followed by a second tilling; next we raked in one-quarter bale of milled peat moss to add additional acidity plus organic matter. Ginny Patsun, Bruce Marvonek and Leslie Grant joined us for final prep work and cleanup.
NCLT – Swann Farm Chestnut Orchard
Garrett Smith guides the rambunctious rototiller between surveyors flags marking row and planting areas (Photo by Gayle Kida) [click on photo to see larger version]
After soil bacteria have a month to break down the iron sulfate into acid components, we plan to plant ten 100% American chestnut seed within protective plastic tubes in the prepared plots around mid-May. Ten additional seeds will be planted in non-treated areas for comparison. I will soil test both treated and untreated areas to see what effect the amendments had over this short period.
NCLT – Swann Farm Chestnut Orchard
During this beautiful afternoon at Swann Farm, Jerry, Albe and Garrett work in the iron sulfate
(Photo by Gayle Kida)
[click on photo to see larger version]
CT-TACF appreciates NCLT?s support of our early steps toward a system of backcross orchards in Connecticut, and their willingness to set aside land to perform this planting. I would like to personally thank each enthusiastic volunteer for their assistance, and hope the combined resources of CT-TACF and NCLT will nurture promising generations of backcross chestnut seedlings in the years ahead.
NCLT – Swann Farm Chestnut Orchard
The intrepid Swann work crew (left to right): Ginny Patsun, Bruce Marvonek, Albe Grant, Jerry Stage, Arend Knuttel, Gayle Kida and George Grant. Not pictured but participating: Garrett Smith, Jesse Amsel and Leslie Grant (Photo by Leslie Grant) [click on photo to see larger version]
