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Pennsif's Progress #611 - Letting nature do its thing

79
6 years ago
in#steempress

I hadn't visited the old orchard for two or severathree months now.

I moved the chickens from there to the new compound before Christmas.

We did some winter pruning in late February then I left it.

This old orchard has not been very productive for a more than a decade.

It was overcrowded, rather shaded, poorly situated, and suffered badly from a goat attack several years back when we were out one day.

We had rather abandoned it as fruit producing territory and been busily planting new fruit trees in more favourable locations around the homestead.


But there are still around 18 fruit trees in this old orchard - mainly apples but also a few plums, pears and greengages.

Two winters ago we began a program of restorative pruning. The big old holly tree that was blocking so much sunlight getting in was cut down to size.


Then we left this old orchard to its own devices.

This evening we happened to be walking with the puppy around the area and wow...


All the apple trees are heavily laden with fruit, there are greengages en masse, the plums look promising and only the pears have failed to prosper this year. But to compensate for the lack of pears we did find some blackcurrant bushes bursting with ripe and juicy blackcurrants.


Now we just dearly need some good rain to help swell up the fruits and we will have an orchard of true abundance.

The place looks abandoned and unkempt. I have not done my gardeners duty to keep it in good order.

But nature has done its job.

Nature is wonderful, nature is resilient, nature is what we need, nature is what we must respect.

While you are here check out these to see what else I do :
steempressfoodgardeninghomesteadingnature
6 years ago
pennsif79
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