Long Driveway/Flag Lot
deedee_2008
15 years ago
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deedee_2008
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Fruit plantings along long driveway.
Comments (9)oldmainer, We have about 800 ft of driveway, with half of it being a 60-ft wide right-of-way in from the road to the front yard. Initially, we planted northern red oak seedlings at 30 ft spacings on each side, but they just sort of 'sat there', not really putting on any significant growth for nearly 10 years; in the meantime, I become interested in pecans, and subsequently planted grafted pecan trees in between each of the red oaks, with plans to remove the oaks once the canopies of the trees began to touch. The oaks have subsequently 'taken off' - but I'll probably still remove them when the time comes. There's one area that's sort of low-lying and a bit wider than the rest that I've also planted pawpaws and mayhaws in, as it's almost boggy in the winter/early spring. Also had room to stick in a good shagbark hickory or two, and some redbuds for additional spring bloom to contrast with the mayhaws. The apples in my orchard are a PITA to mow around - pears less so, as they tend to be more upright in growth habit. Persimmons and mulberries tend to be better with regard to growth habit that lends itself to mowing around, as well....See MoreTrees along my long driveway
Comments (1)Maybe you'll have better luck on the Tree forum. This forum is for plants that grow close to the ground....See MorePlanting trees along a long dirt driveway
Comments (2)Sorry, I should have been more specific in my "first" forum. I live in Southern California - Inland Empire (desert conditions) - Zone 9. My soil type is "sandy and dry". I am using the "drip" system for all trees due to a water issue here. PH is something totally "foreign" to me but I am working on it....See Morelong question about rural building lot
Comments (2)I'm apologize in advance for my very looooong response. :-) We purchased 25.67 acres in June 2009, and didn't start our home until April 2010. We had almost a year of time to plan, prep the land and get permits and permissions in order. In hindsight, another year would have been great. Take advantage of the time you have to judge things like rainfall, groundwater, floodplain if you're near water, etc. This will help you determine ideal location of home, depth of foundation, etc. It will also let you see where windows would take advantage of sunrises/sunsets; where winds and snow are coming through the trees, etc. so you can make house plans for that specific location, or plant trees now as a windbreak or snow fence. One of the first things we did, was get permission IN WRITING from township regarding building permit, roadway permit, fencing, etc. We also contacted the Conservation Authority. Much of property is considered significant woodlot, as well as being protected due to bordering cold water creek with abundant wildlife. (You mentioned being near/adjacent to National Forest, so this may apply to your situation.) We also asked the Conservation Authority for WRITTEN PERMISSION on what we could do with the land, where we could build a home, etc. We were so fortunate that our Conservation Authority suggested applying for grants for reforestation. Although over 20 acres is already forested, they planted over 4000 trees, with at least 3000 being norway spruce. Since we began with the grants only weeks after buying the land in 2009, we had a year to work with the forester to determine which trees the deer or rabbits loved and which they avoided. Now, we have over a year of growth and they are coming back to help us apply for more grants to continue planting. WE DIDN'T PAY FOR ANY TREES OR PLANTING. Well worth the time to research any grants available to landowners! We began clearing trees at the building site ourselves. (my husband has at CAT backhoe, so this saved us lots) The first major thing we did in 2009 was put in a well. If you can't get good water, building may not be possible. As 'brickeyee' suggested, we also hired an engineer in 2009 to do our site plan, which included test pits for perc. He was able to do two pits in two different seasons. This allowed us to see where the groundwater was during spring and fall, which helped us determine the foundation depth. We also knew the type of septic system required, which allowed us to get quotes and set a budget for our future septic system. We started to build relationships with the utility people. This paid off. My husband was allowed to do the trenching - which saved us thousands of dollars. I have to stop typing now. Good luck. Sounds exciting!...See MoreSaypoint zone 6 CT
15 years agokarinl
15 years agomystic_dragon72
15 years agobahia
15 years ago
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