This post written May 23rd. This may be the last of the pleasant cool days of spring. I am sad about that because I love the feel of spring fresh breezes and and the smell of new earth turned in gardens, and lawns crisply mowed. Perhaps we will have tomorrow too, but after that I believe summer temperatures will be here in more force than spring temps. Already we have had several doses of what's to come: during the past three weeks we've had runs of several days each at 84* and above. Add humidity and that puts me inside, except to tend to the sheep, cats and the garden. I do a lot of work after 5 pm outside. Today I planted more vegetables: green beans, sugar snap peas, Swiss chard...a few herbs like dill and more chives. My potatoes that went in week before last are planted in the upper orchard, but today I worked in the 4 x 4 raised beds and the deck containers. Here in our garden, because of my great love for the mousing capability of barn cats and any cats they may have over for barn dances and the like who decide to stay on for the foreseeable future, we take precautions against my sweet collection of cats. I cut hardware cloth with tin snips to lay over the beds and containers until the plants have sprouted and gained a footing. This is because the cats just think that when I till the ground I am preparing a nice litter box for them. Our land is full of wooded area, fields, and dirt patches, but no, they must distribute gifts close to the house!
As I write, I sit in a section of the land we are cultivating into a forest. This connects with our pasture and the sheep graze around me and some wander out into the upper pasture. The trees we planted in this little spot are just as many as the number that God planted. We left whatever saplings or very young trees that were already growing here in place, cleared the weeds and brush around them, and then added 6 or 7 more of a few different varieties. To that we added some shrubs and let some wild Russian Olive bushes grow as they may. It has turned out to be what we hoped- a natural looking wooded area with some spots open here and there, ready for the next young hardwood I see sprouting up around the edges of the old forest land. I don't need to buy oak, hickory, maple dogwood, sycamore, pine, tulip tree, sweet gum, and holly among others. They take root and spring up along side the wild honeysuckle, blackberry, mountain laurel, and all sorts of other green goodies all over the place. Any of these are free for the taking and transplanting thanks to God's abundance. This little forest we are seeding changes frequently as we add to the mix.
I am a closet tree hugger (no really, I secretly hug trees 😏) and so I would plant one every two feet in a big mass of bark and leaves, but Mitch reminds me they need room to grow. So I patiently hone my patience (apologies English teachers) waiting for the future development of this beautiful bounty.
No comments:
Post a Comment