Planting Trees and other stuff

Kiwi and Honeygold apple supports almost finished.

The plantings are coming along.  My husband has constructed the supports for the kiwi and espalier apple tree, we just have to add the cable supports.  He is very good with wood and produces a fine product whenever I ask.  I got busy and sifted some compost so I could mix in some "good stuff" with the old shrub bed soil.  After getting these fruiting plants in the ground, we sighted the area for the peach tree and put that in as well.  It was a bit breezy this morning and the trees were not anchoring in the soil as well as I would have liked.  The are lightly staked to keep them from tipping their root balls out while they are settling in.

I have also been taking stock of what has reseeded that is worth keeping.  There is quite a bit of good stuff in the garden beds that I will have to weed around and tuck in additional plants from my garden stock.  Everything is on the small side from starting it later, so the plants will grow up side by side just fine.  Often the new additions are larger and over-power the reseeding annuals.  We have the materials for a new garden planter (raised) to go along the fence.  This will be the area for most of the bedding plants to go in.  We are still going to work on growing some flowers for the wedding.

I have taken stock of what I have inventory this morning.  I may have more than I need.  I really should get the flower pots done which would use up all the odd stuff I bought.  I would also know how much additional plants I have to share as far as all the cutting plants go.  I am just a bit tired from this morning, so sitting at the computer is much more appealing than crawling around on my hands and knees.  Time to motivate and get back out there.

Sometimes gardening is hard work

I have been pushing myself to the limits lately.  There are these big jobs that I put off until another day until they just can't wait anymore.  I live adjacent to a county park which is only 13 acres, but the county has been cutting budgets and staff to the point that nothing gets done which isn't an emergency.  For the 15+ years that we have been their neighbor, we have adopted our 140' stretch of "natural" area to keep it free of most invasives.  Trust me, this is what would grow there exclusively if it weren't for human intervention to fight it.

I did the pruning on the sugar maple that was planted there to keep it growing in good form this weekend.  I think it will take a rope and saddle rather than free climbing the next round.  By then it might also be ready to tap for maple syrup.  Time will tell.  I also pulled and pruned off several box elder sprouts that are threatening to make life miserable.  I had one that got away from us and it is too big to cut down without notice now.  That one got pruned up so a mower can pass under it rather than letting the burdock grow under its protection again.  This meant more brush to the pile.  Add to that the dead, cracked, and worn out lilac stems that were creating a tangled mess of nothing pretty to the mix and the pile grew even more.  Fortunately, a former co-worker is able to come by and chip the multiple piles and leave behind a truckload of chips besides.

My husband has one knee replacement and one needing replacement, so shovel work really aggravates the problem.  We have two more deck posts to dig out as well as three shrubs to transplant in the place of the invasives.  In their place, kiwi vines will grow to fruit and screen the backyard.  They arrived in the mail this week, so time is of the essence.  The old deck poles will find a new home as supports for these hardy vines.

Asparagus roots have arrived and the mushroom plugs are waiting for the spruce stumps to sprout their bounty.  Seedlings are needing water in the basement greenhouse and another round of seeds need a home to grow.  When it rains, it pours.

My advice:  Don't come around anytime soon if you don't want a shovel thrust into your hands.  Happy Arbor Day!

Let the ordering begin!

I have my first order in the envelope and ready to be sent.  I concentrated my early efforts on ordering vegetables and berry plants.  This year I am branching out into fruiting bushes (again).  I had successful raspberry bushes on the south side of the garage.  I also had successful picking by my young daughter and the neighbor boys.  I did not see too many of the raspberries myself once they were aware of the treat.  
The patch was lost to moving of fenced areas for the dog and reallocation of the space to park our trailer.  The plants were diminishing with the increase of shade in this area, so I didn't bother saving any of the stock.  I also had no place to relocate them as the pool was still a large part of our backyard. 
Our nest is empty and my desire to grow more edibles is strong.  I plan on putting in a male and female hardy kiwi as well as a male and female honey berry.  I would also like to reestablish an asparagus patch and possibly get a dwarf fruit tree or two.  I will take it one plant at a time, though.  The literature is promising for the honey berries for our soil pH and heavy clay texture.  They even like a bit of light shade if the summers are hot.  I have all these things going for me.  
The kiwis will replace the spireas that now run on the west side of our fire pit area.  I plan on using the post I am digging out of the old deck area to create a sturdy trellis to grow them on.  My husband will be thrilled to hear I want to dig more post holes. There is still plenty of deck wood to create cross pieces on the horizontal.  I think I will use some strong wire to fill in the center.  More research is needed.
I have the onion seeds on the order and will be trying an Italian onion called Red Marble (which is a red storing onion) as well as Copra for a yellow storing onion.  I really liked the filet type beans last year.  Jung's has a pole filet bean which I am going to try instead of my usual purple trifiano.  I am also getting some pepper seeds to start this year as last year's seeds seemed to be a mixed bag.  The anchos didn't set as well as they did in 2011, so I have a variety which promises better set.
I still have to sit down with my daughter and pick out flowers suitable for a fall wedding.