It's looking really gorgeous out there! My mother's "living fence" has a row of hawthorns (you can see some of their berries) on one side, and a mix of caragana and oak on the other. I got a picture of a larger oak at the far end of the row of trees, with elms above … Continue reading Fall colours
crab apple trees
Look what I found
While tending the garden beds where we have the beets and carrots, I was looking into the area behind it. It had been part of the plan for this past summer to clean up further into there, and I was thinking of what I might still be able to manage this year, while we have … Continue reading Look what I found
Wasps, fire and other things
Yesterday was a day of running into town a couple of things, but I did manage to get one important - if rather late - job done in the evening. I burned a fungus. I really should have done it earlier in the year, but just didn't have the chance until last night. Mostly because … Continue reading Wasps, fire and other things
Crab apple status
Since the wind broke the one crab apple tree, and I ended up tying it off, rather than cutting it away, I've been keeping a close eye on it since. Check it out. Can you tell which part was broken? There isn't even a single wilted leaf on it! It still might not survive the … Continue reading Crab apple status
Wind damage and salvaged apples
Yesterday's high winds knocked quite a few branches down. This one would have landed on the tent, if it had still been there. We haven't figured out what to do with the tent yet (other than keep the canvas parts). You can see two of the metal pieces that broke. On the table is the … Continue reading Wind damage and salvaged apples
Crab apple picking
Today, I headed out to pick the apples off of one of our crabapple trees. This is the one that has such bright red, sweet apples. It also ripens earlier than the other trees. Last year, most of the apples disappeared before I had a chance to harvest them, so I wanted to get them … Continue reading Crab apple picking
Crabapple status
One of the things I've been checking every morning of late, is how the crabapples are doing. In the row of trees by the spruce grove, there are really just two trees that we can use. The others have such small apples, they'll be left for the birds and the deer. One of these two … Continue reading Crabapple status
Fungus fire
Yesterday afternoon, we had a constant, light rain. The perfect time to light a sketchy fire! Of the several fungus infected tree stumps we need to burn out, I started with the only one that isn't cut flush to the ground. I figured I should get the bigger one done first; the rest will get … Continue reading Fungus fire
Clean up: deadwood
It's a hot day today, but it's going to get even hotter throughout the week, hitting above 30C/86F in a few days. Plus, I'll be doing a lot of driving throughout the week. I figured if my brother could be out baling hay in this heat today, I can prune some deadwood! There were two … Continue reading Clean up: deadwood
The (crab)apples of my eye
It looks like we're going to have lots of crabapples this year! The trees seem to be happy with both their pruning, and the increased rains we have had this year. The Re-Farmer