We're on the Indian side of the duck as well. One a spot that was a well used ford for the natives.Weed suppression is amazing. Under the Sunn Hemp canopy, just bare dirt.
Yes, we find arrowheads. Unfortunately, found one that cut through the steel belts of one of my truck tires!
Was perusing through the history section of our local library and found big books detailing the histories of various counties in TN. Flipped through the history of Humphreys County and there were many stories about the Settler/Indian battles in my area. In the late 1700s, the Duck River was the dividing line between Settler land (north of the river) and Indian land (south of the river). Apparently, the steep hills and hollers of the Paint Rock area (Paint Rock Rd along the river) was the primary area of contention and there were lots of small battles and killings along that section of the river. First, I had no idea the Indians painted Paint Rock long before the todays teenagers spay-painted it! Second, my place is very close to that, on the "Indian side" of the river, so they were actively living and hunting the area right up until the early 1800s.
Cattle graze it well.
Well...how did it take to being bushhogged? I need a good soil builder for the next 2 years before alfalfa goes in once I clear this 3.5 acres of junk trees by May.
Bushhogging went well. Tilling went terrible. I will never try to till Sunn Hemp ever again! I'm going to have fields full of steel fibers forever! Now I think you could drill through the cut hemp with ease, as long as you are pulling the drill in the same direction of travel as when you bushhogged it.
Yes, they will stand, but a freeze will knock the leaves off.
That is disheartening. I guess buckwheat it is then.
I have a couple of plots I hope to do buckwheat in as well...hadn't priced it locally but I hope the price returns to normal soon....last year we saw it at $83 to $85 per 50lb bag... discouraging when your wanting to plant multiple acres.... really like buckwheat though...in the past it's performed well in some of our newer plots that have poorer soil....the turkeys and dove loved it....deer browsed it a little but not to bad...great soil builder and we let it go to seed for a second crop in late summer....but one of the most impressive things we experienced with buckwheat was it's ability to suppress weeds.
I was paying about $80-85 per bag for Buckwheat last year. Expensive, but I'll continue to use it.
Could it be that it provides a specific nutrient that they need and crave at that specific time?
I would assume that is correct.
Oh yes! The pictures above were Sunn Hemp planted in terrible soil during the worst drought in 15 years, and the stuff still grew 12 feet tall.
