Hard to resist stretching out on this sunny day...
You know how I've been talking about pruning the fruit trees and spraying dormant oil...well I got that done yesterday. Sure did. Pruned the rose bushes too.
Folks would probably laugh at these fruit trees...this little orchard of mine...consisting of one struggling little apple tree, three peach trees, a wispy switch of an apricot tree, which surprised me with eleven little apricots last summer, two very small plum trees, and two tall lanky pear trees that don't look strong enough to support a pear. Frail, that pretty much describes them all.
So, Late February...prune
Late February or early March...spray dormant oil
Early March...fertilize each little tree with 1 cup of
10-10-10
Bound and determined to grow fruit...I will keep you posted on how we're doing. Keep your fingers crossed!
Why did the guineas cross the path?
Would you believe, Poppy found two ticks crawling on him when we came inside! He sure did! Mighty early to be getting tick bites.
Thank you for visiting. Hope to be back real soon.
Love,
Henny
My goodness, you are so far ahead of us poor 'ol Canadians. At least in the Ottawa area. We are still digging out up here. That Smokey. His profile is exactly like our Audrey. They really are twins. Love seeing all around your farm as the weather improves and everything is coming back to life. I'd love to be lying outside, in the sun, with my hat on my face.
ReplyDeleteThank you Deb. Hope you are getting over the flu. Smokey just doesn't have that special "lion" face that Audrey has. :) Audrey is very special.
DeleteAn absolutely wonderful post. Did my soul a world of good. Always enjoy seeing the guineas. You are a patient person to put up with their nonsense but I do love guineas. Fun seeing little Rosie again. She is growing up too fast. Got to see a bit of Ezra. I love goats. Eli and the cats are all looking well. First time I've seen Poppy but he looks well enough. Now about those fruit trees. Are you sure you want all the work those trees can cause you? I still remember peeling peaches as a teenager with the juice dripping off my elbows. I hated canning days. This was a fun post.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Rosie is growing fast! I seriously doubt my fruit trees ever produce enough to fruit to can. :) I too remember peeling peaches for mama to can. We didn't have fruit trees, but she bought bushels of peaches.
DeleteTicks or mosquitoes? Hard choice. Neither would be best.
ReplyDeleteIt's always fun to see your farmyard friends, and the big guy too.
Thank you Linda. Oh gosh! I hate mosquitoes too...probably more than ticks.
DeleteWe reached seventy degrees here today, sadly I couldn't enjoy it ;)
ReplyDeleteYour animals always looks so happy and contented.
I'm smiling at your husband, soaking up those sunny rays.
~Jo
~Jo
Oh Jo, I've thought about you and spring coming on, and how much you love being outside. Hope that ankle heals really fast. Falling is so dangerous. I really need to be more careful, out trying to do too much.
DeleteSure looks pretty at your place, warm here too, can spring be far away.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Sounds like it will be cold again by the weekend.
DeleteIt looks like here in our part of Canada in southwestern Ontario . We had lovely sunshine and temps hit 50F today . Robins are back now as are our Grackles and Red wing black birds . Rain for us over night . Loved all your sunny photos . Loved seeing around your little farm brings back good memories of the farm I was raised on . Ticks are not here yet that we know of , Miggs is protected from them with meds as we live in a valley full of wild animals . Thanks for sharing , Have a good day !
ReplyDeleteThank you. I saw Robins along side the road yesterday. It's looking like spring! Yes, we keep flea and tick meds on all the pets here too.
DeleteMy Elli got some sunshine too, his shoulders hurt, we both did some gardeining our daffys are bloomin and our crocuses too???!!! I fratured my right shoulder went into a restaurant and tripped on a mat and flew a header and fractured my right shoulder bruised like Ronda Rousey beat me up..So not using my right arm and or shoulder but I do get around and feeling better did this on 2/12/16...But our unseasonably warm weather has made it somewhat bearable..Your area is lovely but undertstand the snow is not like it was supposed to be a hot hot spring and summer eh? Take care, your hubs looks good the animals too & I know you are sewing and making beautiful garments...!
ReplyDeleteOh I am so sorry about your shoulder. That must have been painful!Hope it heals soon so you can work in the garden.
DeleteA beautiful day-----it really looks like spring there. Everything is looking really nice. We had a high of 66 which isn't bad at all but with a roaring wind all day long. I pruned back another shrub today (viburnam) so that is three down and 5 more yet to go. The rest won't be as severely pruned as these first ones so I will give them about three go arounds through the season so they don't look so bushwacked. I'm hoping they all survive my ministrations since this is the first time I have really done any real pruning. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteIt was a beautiful day! Trying to think what viburnam is. I have several spirea that should have been cut back in spring after blooming...which I didn't do. My pruning is all guess work...even on the fruit trees.
DeleteI noticed on my walk this morning that the Forsythia is blooming. I wonder if it grows out your way. It is said that the time to prune Roses is when the Forsythia is in bloom so I better get cracking! Everything seems to be early this year. Although now we're in for a week of rain. Blah!
ReplyDeleteWe do have Forsythia too. That was one of mama's favorite flowers. She loved yellow flowers. Ours are not blooming yet.
DeleteAll your tribe looks like they enjoyed the sunny day breaking out, especially Poppy. We have just a few buds here and there, but rain predicted again. Guess we need to enjoy the sun while it lasts.
ReplyDeleteThe sun made Poppy sleepy. :) Yes, we have more rain coming tomorrow night and cold again by next weekend. :(
DeletePoppy had the right idea! but then he stayed still too long and the ticks found him:( I just read that opposums are good to have around for ticks. They collect quite a few and then eat them as they groom them off. http://www.inquisitr.com/2106782/opossums-the-unsung-heroes-against-lyme-disease-and-other-tick-borne-diseases/
ReplyDeleteNever thought about that before. While he stretched out, I was moving around. :) I've never heard that about opposums. We do have them around. I'll check that out. Thank you.
DeleteOh I was just joking about him laying around, and the ticks finding him:) The opossum link is quite interesting though.
DeleteIn spite of all the wet you get things done. Just think, where I live our annual precipitation is 12 in.
ReplyDeleteIs that right! For here, or the Raleigh area, annual precipitation is 46 in.
DeleteYou seem to get the rain coming down in big amounts, I think we get smaller amounts, but more rainy days. Our average here is 60 inches.
DeleteTicks!! Ugh! Since I developed Lyme disease I am scared of ticks. I am trying to learn how to care for my few little fruit trees also. Good luck with your little orchard! Eli and Rosie are my two favorite animal pictures! Nancy
ReplyDeleteThank you Nancy. I am so afraid of catching Lyme disease and surprised that neither of us have. Most of our problems here with growing fruit trees is too much shade. Too many other trees.
DeleteYour sun shine looks great, we are in the middle of a dry sunny period in South Wales. The soil is drying nicely and I have a new fruit bed planted up, Rhubarb that I grew from seed and some Cambridge Favourite strawberries, an old variety but one of the best for flavour. My fruit trees are making fat buds and 2 of the apples need a little pruning once it warms up a bit more. Eli seems to be enjoying the sun as much as Poppy.
ReplyDeleteHey Pam. Sounds like you have a good start on gardening, and with your fruit trees too. Sure hope my little apple tree puts out buds.
DeleteSpring is definitely in the air...such a beautiful post. I need to make a start on my garden, I have just got the seed boxes out.
ReplyDeleteIt sure is! Thank you! :)
DeleteIt feels like perfect place for living and for dreaming :) You have the wonderful team. Your photos makes me smile with pleasure.
ReplyDeleteThank you Chloe. I appreciate that!
DeleteTicks! One part of spring I don't like. A friend of our kept guineas because he said they were great tick eaters. Your guys better step up their game.
ReplyDeleteEli and his bear! A sweet picture that I can never get enough of.
Hey Marty. Guineas are the best defense against ticks that we have found. The first few years we lived here, we could not even sit on the front steps without tiny ticks crawling up our legs. It was horrible.
DeleteWe had a nice sunny day yesterday but today its lots of rain.
ReplyDeleteHope your little orchard does well. I think is sounds delightful. : ) I'd love to have some fruit trees. I wonder which ones would do well in my area. Something to look into.
Love to see all your pictures - such a lovely place you live.
Your yard looks like it's just bursting to take off for spring. I did the same thing as Poppy yesterday but I borrowed the neighbor's dock because they weren't here this weekend. Today I'm trimming the trees and bushes at the water's edge in my polka dot boots so we can have a little better view.
ReplyDeleteWe enjoyed a sunny, warm day yesterday too. All your critters look so happy! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThe ticks are out here too - scary to think what they will be like in the warm months. Your property looks so charming with the brick edging and wooden bridge and benches - and the critters all look happy! I'd love to have fruit trees - maybe some day....ill see how yours do first. What zone are you in?
ReplyDeleteIt is looking good there and sunny too Lucky you! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I cannot believe ticks this early!!!! (They love me! I don't love them.)
ReplyDelete