Welcome

Submitted by Ellie Kronberg, James River SCD Business Manager

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These warmer days may get you thinking about some of the spring projects on your forever to-do list that you will conquer this year. My guess is last year you told yourself that next year you will scale back your garden, order less trees to plant, and don’t begin new projects until you’ve finished your past ones but what is the fun in that?

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This is the perfect time to order trees from the district. There are still many varieties available, but they usually go fast so call the office today or visit our website www.jamesriverscd.org for an availability list. They are $3/tree and we request that you order a minimum of 5 per species. These are conservation grade stock – meaning they are 12-18 inches tall and are bareroot.

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If you have a tree planting scheduled for this spring, please make sure your site is prepped as soon as possible. With the drier, mild spring, tree planting will likely start a bit earlier than normal and we like to get the trees in the ground as soon as possible after we receive them from the nurseries. Proper preparation means the ground is tilled to a “garden-soil like consistency.” All large rocks and old branches should be removed. If tilling strips, they need to be about 8-10 feet wide to allow for adequate fabric application.

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Deer, rabbits, voles, and other small critters absolutely love the new green growth on your trees and will happily feast on your hard work. You can spend a ton of money and time on fencing your trees, but one of the easiest ways to mitigate this is to spray the newly planted trees with Plantskydd. It’s made from concentrated blood and strongly repels unwanted guests. The district carries Plantskydd in granular and spray form with prices ranging from $20-$75.

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This time of year also starts our search for seasonal workers to help on our tree planting and weed barrier crews. This work lasts only a month or two – but provides an opportunity to work outside and assist in making the landscape of Dickey County a little bit greener. Please inquire at the office at 51 N 1st Street in Ellendale for more information.

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Staff have also been busy planning on projects at the Ol’ Nursery for the summer. We have several exciting projects to install and a host of programs we would like to hold. Keep your eyes peeled for additional details. We are also open to having volunteers help with our ever expanding projects. Please reach out if you have a group looking for outreach and even if you just have a few hours here or there, we can point you in the direction of a task to complete.

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Upcoming Dates:

April 9 - SCD District Board Meeting, 9am – USDA Service Center, Ellendale

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For more information contact the James River Soil Conservation District and Ellendale NRCS office at 349-3653, ext. 3. Our field office is in Ellendale at 51 N. 1st Street. Also, remember to visit the James River Soil Conservation District Facebook page and our websites for more information –http://www.jamesriverscd.org/ and http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/nd/home/. The NRCS is an equal opportunity employer, provider and lender.