Work in progress

My little babies home and awaiting soil

Work in progress, these are the first of my bare rooted fruit trees- 12 different trees but only 7 varieties- planted in the same hole but not double grafted- this will in turn look as if its 1 tree with 2 fruits but has 2 root stock, so they stay strong and don’t compete with each other. I generally plant an eating fruit and a bottling fruit or cooking. Apples, pears, apricots, cherry, plum, peach, nectarine and a almond. I still have a few things to get. The idea is to provide as much of my food as possible on only a house block. The fruit trees are resting in my herb garden, the first thing you must build when you start a veggie garden or want to grow your own food. Herbs grow fast and will give you plenty from only a few weeks in. Most are perennial so will just give and give.

fruit trees

Below is generally what happens, you pay good money for a fruit tree then chop it in half- start the shaping process, this is integral if you wish to have a well shaped tree that will give fruit for all its life. Chooks have settled in and are doing their part of turning over the soil. Worms are much happier in their new compost pit. This for me is not about producing compost but about keeping all or the majority of rubbish or waste on my own property. Its a waste product is does not need another crack at producing carbon pollution just to get it to the local rubbish dump. Its valuable organic material and I can keep all the nutrients to feed my fruit trees later. I view my property as a closed loop, when I take food from the property I am exporting nutrients and goodness, so all waste/leftover/cuttings anything organic can play a role here and build other plants, animals or soils.