5 or more years late, but it got done today at last...

flowerbug

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i had planted some seeds from a bunch of different varieties of apples to get some saplings going in this garden inside the fence. the original plan was to move them the next year into the field out back on the other side of the large drainage ditch. then after some years we would have some cider apples and perhaps one or two that were more edible for fresh eating and then as the bug predator/prey and diseases all got going eventually i would add a few other more edible apple trees.

also it was planted to see how they would grow, how fast, what they were like. to evaluate the technique as a living fence because the trees were planted close together and after a few years they were tall enough and had enough thorny stems that no deer would be able to go through it easily.

after year two, not having moved them i cut them back to the ground level and then they regrew. hey, i can have as many sticks as i need from these, but i'd already buried the really nice first cuttings. none of those rooted or regrew, but the plants already with roots came back pretty well.

i needed to get those out of that garden. a lot of weeds (mostly oxalis trying to reclaim it) were hiding on the side along the edge and i was sick of not being able to weed it easily with the stirrup hoe. finally today i went out to put up gardens for winter and did the small garden next to that one and was looking at it and decided to just get it done at last. dig down expose enough of the roots to cut them out of there. not the easiest thing i've done, but now i have all the cut off chunks in a pile in the corner where they can be frozen and refrozen and dried out all winter. i'll bury them someplace in that garden next spring. the tomato plants that grew in there all got put in a trench along with any other sticks and old surface litter that had been on the uphill and weedy side for a few years. all good stuff to get buried.

i've been trying to figure out where to put the garlic for next season so i've decided to put it in there, that raised up part will help put it above any plants to the south, likely beans or peas.

feels good to have that done at last. :)
 

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