Our Vermont mini-orchard
Hi, friends! I hope you are all having a good start to your week. Today is a bit rainy in Vermont but we really could use it so I am not going to complain yet. I won't even complain that it rained on my birthday yesterday although I feel I have every right.
We are continuing to settle into our new home and are starting a few projects on the property. First up is a small orchard. We had three apple trees on the property that were quite old and dying, if not dead. We had them cut down and removed the other day to make room for some new fruit trees! Our tiny orchard will be in our side yard and currently we have a nice raspberry patch there too.
The raspberry patch confounds me. I started reading up on growing raspberries last year and the more I read the more confused I became. Fruiting canes, primocanes, biennial shoots- yikes! Stop with all the science! I just want delicious raspberries to eat! We are going to take a very unscientific route with the patch and just cut it to the ground this year and see what happens. It needs to be thinned out anyway so we figured what the heck. I will keep you posted if it survives. (I've tried to warn you I have a somewhat unorthodox approach to gardening.)
We purchased our fruit trees this past weekend from Horsford Nursery. They are located North of us in Charlotte, Vermont. While it is a bit of a hike to get there for us, it is absolutely worth it. They have a stunning nursery. Their plant selection is extensive and the plants are incredibly healthy looking and well maintained. If you are anywhere in Vermont I would highly recommend taking a trip there to either simply admire all the beautiful plant material, or to embark on an unchecked buying spree-budget be damned. I did the latter.
We ultimately decided on 3 of each: apple, pear, and peach. The apples are Macoun and Honeycrisp. The peaches are Reliance and Madison. The pears are Barlett and
Shinseike. Fancy! I was pleasantly surprised that there were peach varieties that were hardy here in Vermont.
I'm not going to pretend that I've planted these trees. Alas, I have not-it was all J. Digging large holes in rocky New England soil is not for the faint of heart. I know what I am capable of and this is not it. It's important to know one's strengths.
They are set up in a 3 x 3 grid going up a little hill towards the woods. Each of the rows contain one apple, one peach, and one pear. Easy. They came with collars which we are leaving on since it will help protect them from being munched on by various critters.
I'm looking forward to watching our little orchard grow. The trees seem so little now but I am always amazed how quickly things grow and how quickly time passes. They'll be bearing fruit before I know it.
I've got more projects on the horizon that I look forward to sharing with you. Stay tuned.
Cheers!