I just dig it!

Time to do my thing and get down and dirty.

I just dig a mindful moment, a time to reflect on what is happening around me. It is so awesome when you get to grow an idea and compost negative thoughts by getting down and dirty.

One Million Trees Bundaberg has set a challenge and here on Naragaej, our plot of dirt 10 minutes from Childers we are really digging it.

We are planting a corridor along the cane train track to help with noise reduction and to encourage birds and animals to want to not only visit our place but stay for a while. All the trees are natives with seedlings being sourced from local varieties. Mike from Bundaberg Landcare was a wealth of knowledge and thanks to all the Landcare team’s work all the seedlings were strong and healthy.

As with any project you must have a plan (yippee, I love a plan, some of you maybe groaning but I am me), so it was research time. There is google and there is Mike. Step one, google got a spreadsheet started, step 2 talked to Mike and made a time to call in at Landcare Bundaberg. In the meantime, we prepared the area for planting. Cleared grass away, ran the rippers through the glorious red dirt and covered with a heavy blanket of mulch.

Back to step 2 the conversation with Mike. We chatted about my aim for the plantings and the look I wanted to achieve. It turns out the best way to decide where to plant a tree is to imagine or use if necessary, throwing a big handful of golf balls way up into the air and where they land is where a tree goes. Oh my, this doesn’t seem to be very compliant with my spreadsheet. Breathe, breathe and smile.

Next, we walked the rows of seedlings, as Mike talked their stories I was just thinking breathe and smile. I didn’t remember a thing he said. It was time to collect 60 seedlings. Finally, some clear, structured instructions: follow along behind Mike and choose from the ones him pointed out would work at our place. I can do this. 30 each was the target. As we tallied them up at the end, there was a bit of a chuckle from the support team, when the comment rang out, “You have the exact same seedlings as me!” (My secret was out…mind spreadsheet happening.)

The recipe for success was going to be rain and mulch and we had both. It is time for some pictures to tell the story. See you at the end of the page where I will update you on our journey to 250 trees.

Sept 2022

UPDATE 1. There has been the perfect amount of rain and this has see the first 190 trees flourish.

Dec 2022

60 More trees Jan 2023

In conclusion: Watch this space

Categories: do my thing