A new orchard

Another busy couple of weeks...

The initial layout of the orchard area down at the field is done and almost half of the large fruit trees transplanted from the collection in large pots from at home.
A bit of a gamble with all the dry weather - but 2 weeks of watering almost every other day from a small tanker behind the Landrover has helped.
Up to now, only a sweet chestnut tree looks 'vulnerable' and not very green with it's leaves.



The plantings include: walnut, heartnut, sweet chestnut, 12 black mulberry trees, 1 white and 1 red mulberry, 5 quince, 1 medlar, 2 pears, 1 fig tree.
Apart from the fruit and nut trees - 7 elms (5 as part of the Great British Elm Experiment for monitoring Dutch elm resilience) have been planted along the west boundary line, as well as the second female black poplar I had in stock at about 1.5 meters tall.

With reasonable soil quality, not much digging was done, but some humus rich compost was added to the planting holes, with 'Rootgrow' mycorrhizal granules added against the roots. The soil around the plantings has been mulched with rotted horse muck and a generous spread of semi-composted woody vegetative chippings.

In the last couple of weeks there seems to have been an increasing number of folk straying across the land despite no path across it and plenty of obvious footpaths elsewhere near-by. Particularly dog-walkers and random strangers / teenagers thinking it's a handy area for a relaxed smoke.
I did however notice on the Cheshire Police rural crime page, that someone got lifted at the end of the access lane for possession of cannabis - so at least there is a police presence now and then.

I brought forward some fencing improvements, particularly along the near-by track-way and path - I think horses being in the field that has a riverside path on the other side of the road has tempted folk with dogs off the lead to use my field. (The middle aged woman kicking a football about for 2 hounds amongst the newly planted trees was a bit bizarre - the condescending "Oh, should I leave then?" didn't help her cause. A few days later a bloke managed to wobble over the barb-wire live-stock fence at the top of the field, twang a wire staple out from the post in the climbing process and seem to grumble at having to walk around the Landrover and Bowser near the gateway.
Being as any more transplanting is on hold of the large pot-grown trees until it starts to rain regularly, at least a bit of time was productively spent improving the older damaged and missing fencing around the gateway.

The grass doesn't seem to have as many weeds in it this year after last summer's mow and an early mow this year - the meadowsweet has survived well and if anything proliferated. It's flower-buds are just formed, so home-brew using a nettle ale recipe will commence in a couple of weeks.

Extra strimming of docks and a few thistles has taken place and a light selective chemical spray of Himalayan Balsam that was growing in the roadside hedge - although the aim is for that to have been a one-off.

Once it looks like rain with some regularity, then the collection of heritage apple trees can be transplanted from their pots at home.
Thanks are due to some handy assistance during the planting and watering schemes.

It seems a bit quiet on the wildlife front.
Some oddly coloured beetles in the grassland and nettles, the dog roses are almost over but some bramble flowers still out, the grass has grown quite quickly since the late April mow as well as some patches of sorrel coming into flower.
Another couple of self-set oak seedlings spotted as well as young ash trees in the roadside boundary.
A buzzard has been flying about overhead and calling - also it flew out of the hedgerow along the roadside at knee height in the area I had previously seen voles.
No sightings of any owls or evidence of the woodpecker lately, but the bees were seen in the hollow tree below where the tawny owl had been roosting.
Quite a bit of mole activity noticeable since the weekend rain (the ground had previously been rather firm and hard) - must make more of an effort to collect the mole hill soil, as it is quite a fine quality.