Spring 2020 update
Well it's the Spring of 2020 and it's just over one year since I planted my first trees!
I didn't put a fence or winter protection around me trees because we have no deer or rabbits. Our little oasis is totally surrounded by huge fields and larger wildlife seems to not make the jump. Unfortunately, this was the wrong decision. Mid winter a large snowshoe hare moved into the area and ate my cherries right to the snow line, most of one apricot, and large chunks of the other apricot, cherry plum and currants. I rushed to cover what I had left with tree guards and he didn't cause anymore damage. I started walking the dogs in a big loop around the property so he couldn't come back as well. The good news is that this spring, even the little 6 inch sticks left of the cherries has leaf buds. It make take them a bit to recover, but it looks like they are going to try! phew. Stupid rabbit.
This spring my focus was to get the rest of the food forest area mulched before the grass could really start to actively grow for the year. So over the course of a weekend we moved 20 yards of mulch into the food forest and completed it!
This year I will be adding shrubs and herbs into the area. I just received my order of shrubs and this weekend will be planting: Haskap, Blueberries (Low and high bush), Lingon Berries, Wolfberry, Jostaberry, 3 varieties of Gooseberries, Aronia, Saskatoons, Thimbleberry, and Chokecherry. I know the chokecherry is a tree, and this variety is sort of an ornamental with purple leaves, so it may go beside the food forest rather than in it.
That's the update for now. More as the season goes on! Pics below.
I didn't put a fence or winter protection around me trees because we have no deer or rabbits. Our little oasis is totally surrounded by huge fields and larger wildlife seems to not make the jump. Unfortunately, this was the wrong decision. Mid winter a large snowshoe hare moved into the area and ate my cherries right to the snow line, most of one apricot, and large chunks of the other apricot, cherry plum and currants. I rushed to cover what I had left with tree guards and he didn't cause anymore damage. I started walking the dogs in a big loop around the property so he couldn't come back as well. The good news is that this spring, even the little 6 inch sticks left of the cherries has leaf buds. It make take them a bit to recover, but it looks like they are going to try! phew. Stupid rabbit.
This spring my focus was to get the rest of the food forest area mulched before the grass could really start to actively grow for the year. So over the course of a weekend we moved 20 yards of mulch into the food forest and completed it!
This year I will be adding shrubs and herbs into the area. I just received my order of shrubs and this weekend will be planting: Haskap, Blueberries (Low and high bush), Lingon Berries, Wolfberry, Jostaberry, 3 varieties of Gooseberries, Aronia, Saskatoons, Thimbleberry, and Chokecherry. I know the chokecherry is a tree, and this variety is sort of an ornamental with purple leaves, so it may go beside the food forest rather than in it.
That's the update for now. More as the season goes on! Pics below.
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