Apiary
The field of berries
Wow ... what a great idea ... a whole field for berries!
Ses, that's right ... the idea came this summer when in July along with three French wwoofers we started to clean up a new pitch of about 500 square meters in the wood. The field is quite far from home and therefore difficult to manage in terms of continue maintenance. In addition, the soil is quite acidic and well drained. For watering, being downstream of the field where this year we cultivated potatoes, we could either continue the existing pipe to the new field, or restore the old "beo" - as the old channels of withdrawal of water for the irrigation are named here. The beo derives from a flowing stream about 50 meters away and reaches the field alongside a path with a very smooth and regular slope. But it is a very long and complex work.
The pitch is bordered by a dry stone wall collapsed in some places, but overall in good condition. It was a time, looking at what remains of old crops, for the vineyard, of which only the remains of old rotten poles and some overgrown vines that climb tenacious in search of light on high hazelnut trees or wild cherry.
It is largely invaded by blackthorn that we want to preserve and then to transplant to protect the fence from the attacks of wild animals and make it a little less aesthetically "invasive". It seems the realm of wild boars, given the numerous lairs scattered through the vegetation, and the typical holes dug looking for grubs and tubers.
We begin work in early July, seeking a new way, possibly short and smooth, which can be opened between the plot of seemingly impenetrable bushes, clematis, cherry, hazel, ash, chestnut, strawberry, heather. We search it first try going down from home following the old disused aerial ropeway and reach the camp, and then going looking for traces of ancient paths or steps. Browse to the location, which we would able also to use from the motor wheelbarrow, we begin the work of cleaning and flattening, through the minimum cutting of shrubs and brambles, and creating fills near the depressions, taking care not to interfere with the normal flow of rainwater.
Open the path, we go down along with the French WWOOFers with the wheelbarrow, the shredder, scissors and saw, to the field to clean up. We will have to work for almost a month, but in the end the field will be shown in all its charm. This year, however, the fence is delayed, the field is so beautiful as it is, we hate to build around it a fence wire mesh ... but sooner or later I know that we have to put it, at least if we would actually make it a field of berries without deer and wild boar which make their table of it.
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- Created on Tuesday, 27 November 2012 08:28
- Written by Guido
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