Whiteley Creek Homestead

A farmer planted our field for many years. But he got old. He decided it was time to retire. Dick and I knew, that when that day came, we would plant trees where once buckwheat, triticale, clover, and winter wheat had grown.

To give us a jump start, we started with three burr oak trees that were maybe 4-5 years old. For the remainder of the field, I ordered 50 tree seedlings from the Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District, during their January 1-February 28, 2018 tree sale. They were available for pickup at the Northland Arboretum in Brainerd (Minnesota) on May 11 and 12. 

Contained in a garbage bag to keep the roots wet, we immediately began digging the 25 red oak and 25 balsam fir tree seedlings into the ground. The organic farmer's rotation of carefully selected crops had transformed our sandy soil into rich loam making digging a cinch with the aid of a planting bar I borrowed from the DNR's forestry department.