Back to the yard, among other things.

Well it's a new year and even though my garden is as dormant as the blog as been of late, there is still much to do and even more to talk about doing. I am trying to piece the backyard together as time allows. So far I have planted a few long term items that will hopefully and literally bear fruit.

First off, one of the trees in the back yard was an apple. It looks very mature, probably over ten years old. However it wouldn't put out fruit by itself. Apple trees need pollinators, other apple trees, so I planted four other apple trees, a Golden Delicious, two Fujis and a Granny Smith. I am hoping that the new ones will flower and pollinate the older one giving us fruit. I will admit I did not do my homework on that, nor on what varieties grow best in the area. The latter being a very important consideration when spending money on expensive plants and expecting them to pay off. I just got so excited!

Luckily the other fruit bearing plants I put in the yard were freebies. I dug wild blackberry roots at my parents and put them along the little fence of the future herb/flower garden. Wild blackberries taste so much better than farm raised, and this is a truly local plant as it grows naturally along fence rows and in thickets in the region.


Last from my wife's parents I planted three purple plum trees. They have a couple in their back yard that have shot out roots into the wood pile nearby. Not being mowed every growing season like the shoots popping up in the yard, has allowed them to get big enough to keep, and my in-laws were happy to have them out of their hair. I planted these on the other side of the drive from the house so that any roots would be well away from beds and the foundation.


Also, at the local University I have begun a research type situation with a vegetable gardening class. I will help put together labs, and research pest preventative measures that gardeners in this part of the country might be able to apply to their own backyards. I will be looking at green methods as much as possible, like companion planting, as my own personal objective while we go through the motions on how to start and maintain a garden spot.

More backyard improvements are on the way in the weeks to come...