Spring break often feels like a ‘preview’ of summer. Last year, around this time, I was buzzing with excitement and nerves – I was under contract on my dream homestead, I had a decent plan for moving, and there was little else to do but wait for the whirlwind of new beginnings.
This year is special, because this summer will mark the beginning of status quo – I can already picture the gardening, the chickens, the projects… and the lived-in feeling of being at home. If all goes to plan, it will be the first in a long series of rewarding summers of living out my dream.
This spring break was true to form – it was the best weather week so far this year. I had a few good days of farm work, but I also hosted family from out of town and spent some time having fun, too. And then, immediately after spring break, I came down with a sinus infection that laughed in the face of my to-do list for the week that followed.
Food Production
My family from out of state wanted to participate in a farm project, so we planted five of my new fruit trees. I had completed the site work last week – beating back the multiflora rose and bittersweet to reclaim a small portion of the field – so the planting process was very smooth. I had forgotten that I actually ordered six trees, so I planted the final tree alone as I began to bounce back from my sinus infection.
Tree watering bags make this process possible. I fill mine with about 10-15 gallons of water that seeps out slowly to keep the nascent roots moist. I will refill them every 1-2 days over the next few weeks, and then once or twice a week through the summer.
I am awaiting some quotes on fencing for my garden, which will determine whether I will be installing fencing myself or hiring the job out. In the meantime, the tomatoes and pepper seedlings are starting to put out true leaves, completely ignorant to the fact that I am increasingly concerned that their permanent home might not be ready in time to plant them.
Wild (and “wild”) edibles are starting to show themselves – my feral asparagus patch produced one thick spear before a hard frost slowed everything down. I noticed this patch for its waist-high ferns in the fall, and I suspect it was planted by a bird sitting on the fence post. A similar but much more prolific pattern took place with the Japanese Knotweed infestation that abuts the roadside – spears grew nine inches in two days before the frost eliminated any evidence that they were ever there. I am not naive enough to think that they are gone for good; Japanese Knotweed is a horrific invasive that is sure to plague me until the end of time. The silver lining is that it is edible, so I look forward to trying it for the first time this year. There is also a widespread patch of onion grass; I doubt I’ll have time this season, but someday I’d like to try using it to make onion powder.
Aesthetic Utility
As I attempted to give visiting family a tour of my orchard, I found myself unable to confidently identify which varieties were located in each spot. The baby trees still wear their nursery plastic tags, but it won’t be long before they have outgrown them.
Last year, frustrated by the alternatives, I created stamped metal tags to keep track of my tomato seedlings. It worked very well and I look forward to doing the same this year. In the meantime, I stamped a batch for my fruit trees. I plan to use a large loop of metal wire to affix each tag to a lateral branch; not all of the trees have a branch that will support this just yet, but once they are more established I am hoping this will be a permanent solution to identifying each variety in the orchard.
In the absence of my own garden to work on, I spent an afternoon helping my adopted mom overhaul her garden. She built her original beds with concrete pavers, but after twelve years they had begun to disintegrate. We pulled out all of the concrete and instead lined each bed with planter wall blocks and wood planks, similar to the beds I installed last summer. There is plenty more to do, but it’s already a huge improvement. While most of my garden will be in the ground, I will probably add the same style of bed around the edges for better aesthetic appeal.
Moving Forward
There is much to be done regarding the new garden and a run for the chicken coop, along with general spring cleanup and landscaping. I’m feeling very motivated by the mild weather, which is dampened somewhat by the fact that I’m still experiencing daily sinus pressure. Still, though, the beauty of the blooms outweighs the detrimental effects of the resulting pollen.
Talk soon,
KC