Saturday, May 15, 2010

Humble Gardens

I splurged on two apple trees a couple weeks back. The closer one is a Honeycrisp and the one behind it is a Northern Lights. It feels so wonderful to have started our orchard after years of hoping for one! The third little tree in the line is actually one of two walnuts a friend gave me from her own ancient tree. Those are precious to me as well.
Clancy tilled up the old garden spot today. We had been dumping compost and ashes there for more than a year, and it has been two years since I've tried to plant anything there. Clancy is determined to put in some potatoes. And my peonies that we rescued from our old home have decided to live. Of course the chives came up just fine. Can anything really hinder chives? I doubt it. :) The rhubarb bed is further down the hill, closer to the lake.
I didn't take a picture of it, but Clancy also tilled up a nice area that has been underneath a tarp shed for the past decade. Not a weed seed left in the soil there! He is going to plant is special little yellow watermelons there. I think they are Yellow Doll.
I'll be putting several tomatoes and peppers in pots again. I traded a butcher lamb to a friend that grows heirloom organics for all the transplants I need. I don't know why, but life feels so abundant when I am able to barter. It makes me so much happier than buying something. :)

3 comments:

Tifany said...

9dohinder chives: the deer! I had some nice ones growing in an unfenced garden area, and they are no more. The deer ate them down to the dirt. Glad we have fence around the main garden! I wish you were closer, I have many, many heirloom cherry tomatoes that I started. Not sure where I'm going to put them all.

Sabrina Wille Erickson said...

Oh, that is good to know Tifany. I wouldn't have thought that. I guess the dogs sortof keep them at bay here...although the saplings suffer. Thanks for the tip.

My friend sells her extra transplants at the farmer's market. Might work?

Hope you and yours are all well. Finally some beautiful weather!

Karen Valley said...

I find the best way to keep deer from transplanted trees is simply to put a wire fence cage around them about three feet in diameter. I used welded wire 4' fencing and for some reason this seems to let them know they aren't available for munching even though the to of the tree will eventually be above the fence.