Thinking of redoing whole yard | Page 2 | Food Production and Preservation | Forums

earthenstead said
Fantastic half hour episode on moss here: http://www.growingag.....s-gardens/

sweet,thanks

well that was easier than expected, didn't even get a chance to really show her much, she just asked if this was the last time I am going to change my mind, lol

next thing I know, she's ripping out beds!

Looks like I got some shoveling and wheel barrow work to do

The chickens started getting into it

Just have one more bed to rip out, she stacked the boards on top of it, so I got to get them moved today

We threw the really rough boards into the fire pit

I ripped out the dead trees

and moved the roost

I was going to remove this little cherry, the top is dead, but it has one little sign of life

So I trimmed off the top, live little buddy! live!

I grabbed the trees I got the other day

and started spacing them out

the crabapples are going to be on each side of the entry for the gazebo, should be beautiful when they bloom

hope to get a lot done today

Well I got the trees planted yesterday, I was finally able to dig a hole with out filling with water immediately 

After setting them in place where I wanted them, I cut into the sod about double the width of the root ball

I cut the sod up into 3 or 4 smaller sections

I then start digging out the bottom

And break up the bottom soil a little

I check the hole for height

Now most people recommend digging a whole twice as deep and then filling the bottom with compost, I don't like doing that, most trees comes packed in pretty fertile soil and I am always afraid of over doing on the nutrients for the trees, So instead I break up the root ball and set the soil it comes in in the bottom and spread the roots out, packing in soil so there are no air spaces in the roots

I then take the soil that I had dug up and break it up and finish filling in hole

I then take the pieces of sod I had dug up and flip them over to form a ring around the root graft

And gently compact it down forming a nice sturdy base with no need for spiking the tree, I don't like spiking a tree anymore so that the trees have a chance to move with the wind allowing the roots to work in the soil better and establish a sturdier connection with the soil

I then cover with a layer of mulch, again making sure the root knot is not buried

Now fertilizing is still important, instead of putting it in the bottom of the hole, I utilize fruit tree spikes

I bury one in the lower edge of the hole so that rainwater will release the nutrients down to the roots, we usually put one in the spring and one in the fall

And the trees are planted

Going to knock out the blueberries today and redo the grape trellis hopefully. Talked to a earth work guy today, the major yard transformation should start in a couple weeks, can't wait.