Wondering what to do with this land

   / Wondering what to do with this land #1  

ning

Elite Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2017
Messages
2,701
Location
Northern California
Tractor
Branson 3520h
We've got a couple acres which some 40 years ago were part of a larger area cleared and for a landing strip (grass, unpaved); apparently the fellow landed the plane once and never tried it again. I'm not sure about the whole landing story (did he crash? get freaked out? just didn't fly any more? idk) but the land is pretty iffy at this point. It doesn't drain much in the winter (assuming we get rain, which happened a sadly small amount this year!).

Grasses grow on the land; the soil isn't great, and if you dig down much at all there are some rocks and a lot of clay. Last summer I drilled into it 5' for solar ground mount footings so I'm somewhat familiar with its deeper reaches.

So my question is... what should I do with this? I'd kinda like to make it productive in some way; at the very least it seems it should be planted with something to encourage soil production, do something to encourage drainage, and at best plant something that can actually be harvested or eaten by idk, future goats, or even humans?

I have water available (there's a regional canal system via which we have access to water, and nearby). I have my tractor (35hp gross/29hp pto/4000# bare weight), a 3ph tiller, and a subsoiler. I'm willing to buy another implement if needed (like this, though I don't know if it's appropriate for my tractor, or a good price).

Our summers here are hot and very dry (think desert dry; it's typically 15% humidity and occasionally in the single-digits); the land in question is in full sun from 9AM-630PM in the summer (which is why I put my solar there). Winters here are supposed to be wet, but this year were merely damp; it occasionally gets one day's snow but usually just chilly rain - USDA zone 9B for the most part.

So I put to the good people of TBN - spend my money and take my (already overbooked) time - and give me hopefully educated ideas of what to do?
 
   / Wondering what to do with this land #2  
Around here there are a lot of CRP( Conservation Reserve Program) lands. During the "down" years a lot of the farmers plant a nitrogen rich crop( sweet peas ). This crop is tilled in and provides needed nitrogen.

You could do this while determining the "final solution".
 
   / Wondering what to do with this land #3  
That land sounds like what would be a natural grassland to me. If it was me I'd look to keep it that way rather than adding more work by planting something that needs irrigating.

I'd suggest native California grasses but they generally can't out compete the introduced species like cheat. And the seeds are expensive. You could ask the ag extention folks but they are focused on commercial ag products and may not have a recommendation for a ground cover that you're not going to harvest.

We used to have a big problem with sweet pea. Its wet enough here for it to grow with abundance and it's quite agressive. Mowing knocks it back. I've planted different grasses and ground cover like clover in the open areas I've cleared of brush. I'm still not sure what I ought to be planting or encouraging.
 
   / Wondering what to do with this land #4  
Great story about the former owner! Hopefully your prior owner didn't add rock to the runway.

Spreading lime or gypsum would be a great start. Subsoiling it before and after would be even better. Lots of it. The added calcium will help transform the clay to something more loamy. If you have big rocks, you might want to hire that out to a dozer operator, as they are better able to take the shocks of hitting big rocks. If you can get wood chips easily, they are a great long term way to add carbon back to the soil, but you will need to add nitrogen to keep up with it. I have a neighbor who went to town and put down 18-24" a few years ago, and it has mulched down to beautiful compost. I think he has a relative who is an arborist.

If you plant something that is deep rooted, mustard, alfalfa, or vetch, it will help the water penetrate the soil. You can put in green crops like pigeon peas and plow it in to start building your soil.

After that, I think it depends on whether you want cows, or goats, or an orchard. If you have water rights to the canal nearby, that really opens up what you can think about. While laying out drainage ditches is fun, and easy with a level and a plow, I would suggest irrigation pipe to conserve water.

If you decide on cows, we have miniature belted galloways, and love them. 39" or so at the shoulder, very hardy, and easy keepers.
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Personally, with water, I would go to town on an orchard. Failing that, cows to keep things short for fire safety.

All the best, Peter
 
   / Wondering what to do with this land #5  
That land sounds like what would be a natural grassland to me. If it was me I'd look to keep it that way rather than adding more work by planting something that needs irrigating.

I'd suggest native California grasses but they generally can't out compete the introduced species like cheat. And the seeds are expensive. You could ask the ag extention folks but they are focused on commercial ag products and may not have a recommendation for a ground cover that you're not going to harvest.

We used to have a big problem with sweet pea. Its wet enough here for it to grow with abundance and it's quite agressive. Mowing knocks it back. I've planted different grasses and ground cover like clover in the open areas I've cleared of brush. I'm still not sure what I ought to be planting or encouraging.
Yes, native grasses get to be pricey and it starts down the path of to when are you restoring. 50, 500, or 10,000 years ago? We tried native grass planting when we first moved in, and it was a bust, despite coaching and advice from local experts. I have found that we get better grass, and more native grasses by managing our grazing.

FWIW: Holistic Management International runs some nice seminars on how to use grazing as a tool to restore lands and sequester carbon, building soil.

All the best,

Peter
 
   / Wondering what to do with this land
  • Thread Starter
#6  
We've got rights to the water; unfortunately we do have to pump it as the canal is about 5' below the land grade (we have a gravity-fed cistern and a jet pump; not allowed to suck water from the ditch, we just get however much comes through a certain size opening at next to no pressure).

We have ~50 various fruit trees on another part of similar land. I'd definitely consider planting more out on this area (though not in front of the solar panels haha) if that seems the way to go.

I haven't encountered any large rocks near the surface, just stuff up to a couple pounds.
 
   / Wondering what to do with this land #7  
We've got rights to the water; unfortunately we do have to pump it as the canal is about 5' below the land grade (we have a gravity-fed cistern and a jet pump; not allowed to suck water from the ditch, we just get however much comes through a certain size opening at next to no pressure).

We have ~50 various fruit trees on another part of similar land. I'd definitely consider planting more out on this area (though not in front of the solar panels haha) if that seems the way to go.

I haven't encountered any large rocks near the surface, just stuff up to a couple pounds.
Is that an idea? Fill the area with solar panels and sell the "crop" back to the utility company.
 
   / Wondering what to do with this land #8  
Buy a airplane and enjoy the runway. ;)
 
   / Wondering what to do with this land #9  
Lots of California water rights are set up like that "a 2" pipe flow..."

Well a few more solar panels and you have your irrigation. If it were me, I would be tempted to use solar to pump it to tank near the orchard and go from there, and bypass PG&E completely and just have the solar pump the water when the sun shines. I don't see PG&E power getting cheaper or more friendly to solar or agriculture in the future.

If you already have an orchard, you have an idea of what does well where you are, and you can add to it. Peaches, pears, apples, raspberries, black berries....

All the best,

Peter
 
   / Wondering what to do with this land
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Lots of California water rights are set up like that "a 2" pipe flow..."

Here it's measured in "miner's inch" units, I think here's it's the flow through a 1" diameter hole with 6" of head pressure.

black berries....

yep don't have to plant those here, they'll take over the whole meadow if you don't pull them! We make amazing blackberry wine out of them though!
 
 
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