Orchard Work

We've been slowly continuing our work in the orchard, as the rain allows, and as leaf collection and rabbitry cleaning provide us with mulching material. Around the large Bing cherry tree, we've filled in the branches and garden debris with topsoil, planted black currant and gooseberry bushes we propagated in preparation for the move, and scattered snowdrop and daffodil bulbs where they'll get early spring light. Everything was covered with a good helping of bark mulch. Wayward deer, whose path goes clearly through and beyond the orchard trees, have been exploring and making a bit of a mess around the edges.....

The fruit bushes were spaced out in their pots before planting, to make sure they wouldn't be in deep shade, or close enough to encourage pests to congregate.

Some of the newly planted trees are now surrounded with their own hugels of compost, branches, soil, and mulch.  I'm  intending to plant divisions of horseradish under the 2 new cherry trees. which is supposed to be a good permaculture guild match. 

We'll finish up around the trees as the yard and animal clean up continues, taking things one day at a time.  In the background, you can see we've built another compost area, to allow us to collect debris from the orchard.  In the future, I plan to plant some comfrey in my composting areas, to encourage cutting of leaves to add to the layering process.

 The piles are still impressive, but we're working our way through our soil and mulch. Adrian was on wheelbarrow duty today, while I was laying down the last of the cardboard and tidying up the fallen leaves.