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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Field trees

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  • From: "Cherry Tree Farms" <ctfarms AT helicon.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Field trees
  • Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 19:48:37 -0400

I grew up in Dakota country where we had a typical layout for a well
planned homestead that included deciduous trees on the south side of the
farm yard, preferably fruit trees. They would shade the house in the summer
and let the light through (for heat and psychology) in the winter. One
strip of (shady) garden usually got planted between the orchard belt and the
house, and another south of the orchard belt (full sun). I would think your
idea for tree shade would work as well.

For the curious since we are on the subject, the well planned
homestead also included the corn crib in the north west corner, with the
barn going across the north end of the farm yard. Coming down the west side
was for grain silo's, hay storage piles and equipment parking. The hog
house was in the north east corner with hay storage piles, chicken house,
and the shop on the east side, and more equipment parking. The entire
farmstead had a shelter belt of trees running along the west and north
sides.
In the house the kitchen window faced east, dining room faced south
or east, the living room would have a big picture window to the south, and a
porch to the west (to watch the sun set from), the mud porch usually entered
into the kitchen. And out in the pasture at the low point was the dug out
making the hills from the excavation running north east/south west. Between
the barn and the hog house was the water tank next to the well (originally
wind powered, most converted to electric) with a double layer of 1x4 - 8 ft
cedar planking run vertical to make about a 16 ft diameter water tank, dug 5
1/2 ft into the ground with 2 1/2 ft exposed and used as a stock tank. With
a frost line around 4 1/2 ft and mornings of -30 not rare the tank would get
less than an inch of ice on the surface from the ground heating. (<-I
know, not applicable to Texas!)

Good Luck,
Doyle
Atop the Alleghenies
Western PA



----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Bradshaw" <billbradshaw AT direcway.com>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 11, 2005 3:17 PM
Subject: [Market-farming] Field trees


> Just some thought, I have noticed that in our Texas hot summers, our
> vegetable plants at the end of the rows where there is some shade from
trees
> grow better.
> What if, Our rows run North to South. We planted a row of trees that would
> shade the fields from the hot afternoon sun. This would be a low
maintained
> shade. Would our crops do better or as well as the ones at the end of the
> rows? Anybody tried this? Thanks Texas
>
>
>






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