Adamstown, Maryland
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Getting
Started: Raemelton's Early Years
Raemelton Farm began
operations in the summer of 2004. Evaluation of nearly a hundred
potential location over a two year period yielded one clear
choice. The nursery sits
on 185 acres of prime farmland in the Monocacy River valley south of
Frederick Maryland. The ground has been in agricultural
production since the 1700s and was once owned by Charles Carroll, a
signatory to the Declaration of Independence.
An intensive year of
clean-up, repair, and conversion transitioned the farm to production of
B&B trees. The high quality soil needed little help—just a
slight adjustment of the nutrient levels and some sub-soiling.
The first stock was
planted in March 2005. Field #1 (we were too tired to be more
creative) encompasses 6.5 acres and holds more than 2,700 trees of 87
different cultivars.
We learned a great deal
from our first planting. Field #2 (again with the creativity) had
its infrastructure installed the fall before planting. Irrigation
lines and valves, sod aisles, and deer exclusion fencing were in place
by December 2005.
By the summer of 2006 Fields #1 and #2 were both on-line. The trees, despite a string of 100°+ days were happily pushing new growth--thanks to cool root zones and steady moisture provided by the drip irrigation system. The deer fence was expanded to the outer perimeter of the production area.
