Making A Pasture

Baymule

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We cleared a green briar snarl on the north side of our property between the house and sheep barn. Then we had trees cut and went through the clean up process from that. I sowed giant Bermuda in that newly created future pasture about 1 1/2 weeks ago, it is coming up now.

I also sowed seed in Pasture #1, in the sunny strip next to the driveway. BJ finally caved in and said I can cut trees out of the middle of that pasture, to open it up to sunlight. When we get that done and cleaned up, I'll sow seed there.

In pasture #2, I let the sheep graze the clovers that reseeded and came back this spring. Then BJ mowed the stubble, the Bermuda grass that we sprigged 2 years ago came up and I let the sheep graze that. There are bare patches, so I ran the tractor disc in a few strips and sowed giant Bermuda there too.

I've been watering every day and there are tiny green specks. Today it is RAINING! I am excited about that! A water sprinkler just doesn't compare to rain. Plus, it is a lot easier to watch the rain as opposed to dragging water hoses.

I'll post pictures when there is something to look at besides dirt. LOL
 

Baymule

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Yesterday morning we got 2 1/4” of rain, last night we got 3/4” of rain. The ground got a good soaking, it will sure help the grass!
 

Sheepshape

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Over here we are seriously sopping......some places in Britain got 2 months of predicted rain in 24 hours.....so flooding is a real problem 9and in sharp contrast to last year when we had no rain for ages).

Well, at least we have green.

This is about how much grass has grown in the last week.

Sheep today (2).jpg


That would be about 3-4 inches.

This is a sort of 'meadow bank'

Sheep today (1).jpg


So, that's what rain in copious amounts and temperatures of 55-65 F by day grow. And, because those two pics are deadly boring, here's one of some of my girls and their lambs enjoying the meadow.

Sheep today.jpg


The meadow below has not been re-seeded for many years, has had only 'sheep shed fertiliser' on it, but has been weed-wiped for the reeds (which you can see in the bottom part of the field). On the near side of the fence you can see most of the 'nasties' which grow at twice the rate and with twice the vigour of the grass......docks, nettles, briars, single and creeping thistles.
 

Sheepshape

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n spite of the 'nasties' it is a really pleasant view of your rolling hills.
Thank you, Mike. I forget how much this is a 'Green and pleasant land'. Well to be accurate, that is a quote from 'Jerusalem' which says England's green and pleasant land and Wales is a separate part.....I hesitate to say country, but, having a capital, a unique language and culture, it's certainly more than a 'county' (as are Scotland and both bits of Ireland). but then again, the States of America are very different one from another. Well, before I try to get technical, suffice to say it's often hidden from view by mist!

too bad the animals don't eat the nasty ones.
Too right.....they seem to have amazing growth rates, too. Goats not keen on most of them, which is a pity.
The stone building - house? How old?
That is, indeed, our house (and the excuse for a lawn in front of it). The stone apparently came from a surface quarry a couple of hundred yards away (just appearing as 'scoops' on the hillside now.) Exact date unknown, and history before about 1920 lost, but seems to be late 18th or early 19th century .....when we went to Public Records we found the house on the 1842 tithes, but as the records prior to 1850 were all on micro-fiche we didn't have time to look earlier than that. Even the internal walls are about 2 feet thick and built on bedrock with no foundations as such. Seems to have stood the test of time so far, though.
 

Baymule

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Beautiful view, that’s food for the soul. @Sheepshape i hope I have pasture as lovely as yours someday. I love your house! There is native stone here, a reddish iron ore rock that makes interesting structures, but is seldom used anymore.

We have had huge amounts of rain in our country too. It’s been a flood year. We are high and dry but in many parts of the country farms and whole towns have flooded.
 

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