Excited by the selection of cold-hardy trees at a local tree farm, I ordered 38 root-bare saplings. Since all are specifically cold-hardy, I look forward to seeing how they do. I’m hoping for a half success rate, though I think they’ll do better than that.
When they arrived in the mail, they were in a surprisingly small package. I carried that bundle of sticks to my truck carefully, as each little stick held so much hope. If they do well, the yard will be starting to look incredible in 5-10 years, with trees full of blossoms along the driveway and more fruits and nuts than I’ll know what to do with. Fingers crossed.
Getting it Done
It is recommended that you plant them as soon as possible, so as soon as they arrived, it was my mission to get them all into the earth. It was a lot of work by myself, Curt was busy with another important project (more on that later), but after two exhausting, sunburnt and bug-bitten days, the trees are all in their forever homes.
Strategising
Over two days, I planted them all in strategic places around the yard. I wanted to keep most of them as close to the house as possible without crowding. This way I can keep an eye on them as they grow and deter wildlife from chewing on them. Deer and gophers are one thing, but bears pose a problem, too.
The main problem is that bears, with no foresight into the coming years, like to climb the trees for their fruit and break the branches. It’s a common problem around here, and you can bet that anywhere you see a dilapidated old fruit tree with very few branches, a bear has been.
Watering
Watering things has been a problem in the past, not this year though. As I put the last tree into the ground, it began to rain. Exhausted by the effort of the past two days, I could’ve cried as Mother Nature decided to give me a little break.
There is also a seasonal spring on the property, which dries up by summer. It runs downhill to the house and is awesome to use for the time being, as the little trees start to grow.
Staking and Cages
The gophers, hares, and deer like to nip the tops off of new growth. To prevent animals from nibbling on them, I made cages out of hardware cloth and carefully placed them around each tree. I’ll need to add to the height of the cages when time permits and the trees require it. Because of how deep the snow gets here, it was recommended that I stake the little trees well to prevent them from bending over and snapping under the snow. I used alder stakes, which we had from clearing the road and put them in using a post pounder.
Happy Little Trees
I wish I could have planted trees the first year here, but am glad to have done it now. The terrain was so wild, I wouldn’t have had a clue where to start, but now I’m thrilled. I couldn’t be happier to have cool, rainy days, it’s been the most ideal possible for little trees starting out. The saplings are waking up from hibernation, and their buds are opening.
The hazelnuts are particularly excited, while the Mulberries and Walnuts are taking their time to wake up. I completely forgot that certain trees will have red leaves, and others will be green! A funny oversight, which will be beautiful nonetheless. As I stand in the yard, I can envision what it might look like in the future.
It was a lot of work, and they won’t bear fruit for years. But my hope is that someday, when I’m old and grey, I can sit beneath one of the trees I planted long ago and enjoy the literal fruits of my labour in its shade.
Lots of hard work there. Back breaking to say the least. Congratulations on a job well done. Now, don’t let Curtis run over them accidentally.