Winter/Almost Spring Activity: Plant Those Bare Roots!

Bare root apple tree--four types of apples!

Here in my part of the world, we planted bare roots several weeks ago--but I'm being sensitive to my Back East friends who are just now maybe experiencing a spring thaw so you can dig a hole in your frozen tundra to plant something, so I'm posting this now. So, let's go! Kids love to dig holes.

Peach tree really trying.

A year ago we put in some bare root fruit trees that may actually have fruit this year. That is so intresting to watch, and whenever you've grown a fruit or vegetable yourself it tastes so much better, of course. Our apple has four different types of apples, we'll see how that works out. The tree is now full of blossoms and happy bees (it has been
generally in the seventies here during the day, 50s at night; that can go up or down. We'll see.) The care is pretty basic, and bare root trees grow about as many inches in a year as a kid--so there's kind of a competition. With a bare root, or any tree, we're in it for the long haul. The memories are like, 'Remember when I was in second grade we planted that apricot tree, now it is as tall as you, mom?' says the fifth grader.

Really, really bare root rose tree.

Two raspberries and a blackberry.

There are other bare roots to be patient with, too. There are berries and
rose bushes. I haven't ever grown berries, so we'll see what we will see. I am going to try to train them up a wall. Roses are old family friends, but I've never had a rose tree or effectively trained a rose bush up a trellis. Something to strive for.

Just imagine...

St. Francis-he's so patient with those birds.

 The winter garden also has potatoes going in, onion, garlic all year. We just put in mint for the bees. The flower bulbs are coming up, i.e., daffodils, iris, tulip, narcissus, hyacinth. It's a late winter/early spring convention of color and scents.

St. Francis tolerantly feeds the birds the seed we provide. I've noticed since the weather changed that many of the seeds the birds kicked out of the feeders are now germinating around the open garden where Francis is--the birds essentially planted a garden for him! Well, poetically, anyway.

The dormant garden is waking up. Pretty soon it will be vibrant, busy spring for 

critter, plants and people.

Here is our narcissus being photobombed!