Elderberry Experiment: Update #6

[NeoGreen]

Last edited Fri Apr 13, 2018, 12:53 PM - Edit history (1)

The experiment expands with continued implementation of my sketched out plans for 2018 (i.e. Phase 2).

Digging rows for pending spring plantings.


Rows are ~160-feet long and will be on 10-foot centers. The plan is to use a 6-foot spacing between plants within each row, which is a slightly higher density than the 6-feet x 12-feet spacing recommended in the 2016 Growing Elderberries: A Production Manual and Enterprise Viability Guide for Vermont and the Northeast, published by UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture, University of Vermont Extension. The 160-foot long rows and 6-foot spacing means there will be ~25-plants per row. Each trench will be filled and mounded with a topsoil/mulch/native soil mixture. Plus, I am thinking of adding a small (<1-inch) water line in each trench for "passive" irrigation.


I anticipate completing up to 8-rows within this paddock, which equates to 200 plants, of which I (currently) plan on being split among ~100 Bob Gordons, ~50 Niagara Wild and ~50 of my local Soil and Water Conservation District provided generics (the post card notice that my order of 50 “bare-root” cuttings will be ready for pickup starting April 19th has already been received).

Originally I thought I might make intra-mixed rows, but now I’m thinking that each row will be only one type each, to make it easier to track which plant is which.


The current status of Phase 1: Still waiting for the Spring Warm-up (please ignore the April snow flurry)


One of my Novas:


One of my Yorks:



Plus, the future area of Phase 3:

This is about a 1-acre area to be cleared of scrub and stumps followed by drainage improvements after the 2018 Phase 2 cuttings are planted. I hope to start planting Phase 3 in 2019.


So, all in all it will be a busy spring and summer!

Links to previous updates:
Elderberry Experiment: In the beginning: https://www.democraticunderground.com/11597228
Elderberry Experiment: Update #1: https://www.democraticunderground.com/11597235
Elderberry Experiment: Update #2: https://www.democraticunderground.com/11597246
Elderberry Experiment: Update #3: https://www.democraticunderground.com/11597391
Elderberry Experiment: Update #4: https://www.democraticunderground.com/11597481
Elderberry Experiment: Update #5: https://www.democraticunderground.com/11597520