Happy Thanksgiving !
Every year since 2016 , I ’ve occupy the week before Thanksgiving Day tolook back on a class of farmingand numeration afew things I ’m grateful for . Since we can never spend too much time counting our blessings , I ’m keep the trend rolling for an eighth straight class , sharing a smattering of thefarming - related successesI’m thankful for in 2023 .
If you experience like connect in , please do so and apportion your leaning with us online !
To kick thing off , I ’m thankful for …
Welded Wire to Keep Out Deer
It ’s been a challenge to keep deer out of my orchard this year . One stubborn cervid haslearned how to horn in underneath the shameful plastic fencethat surrounds the orchard on three sides . And when I seek to pin down the bottom of the fencing more firmly , the cervid read how to break out holes in the plastic and climb correctly through .
Fortunately , the quaternary side of my orchard — the front side — is protect by an heavy barrier of wood and welded telegram . There ’s no crowd through or underneath welded wire , so I spent much of fall add welded wire to the other three side of my orchard fencing .
It ’s a time - eat up project , but well worth the effort . I have n’t polish off yet ( there ’s a plenty of ground to cover ) , but by center on fencing subdivision where cervid were repeatedly entering and exiting , I ’ve dramatically reduced instances of cervid infiltrating my plantation . And for that , I ’m very grateful .
Hoses for Watering Distant Garden Beds
My woodlet is locate about 600 feet away from the nigh water source , which cause get magnanimous quantities of water system to the orchard a second tricky . A 35 - gallon leg tank has taken honorable upkeep of my trees for years ( once they ’re established , they do n’t postulate much water ) , but my raised garden beds filled with corn and pumpkins are another matter whole .
This twelvemonth , Ipurchased enough garden hoses to cross the 600 feetand deliver all the water I need to my orchard garden layer . Since the orchard is located downhill from the water source , water pressure is first-class , even over such a lengthy distance . With more water than in the past , my maize beds produced copiously and my pumpkin vine bask their good year ever . I only wish I ’d commit in hose sooner .
Planting New Fruit & Nut Tree Varieties
After a duo of quiet planting years , I add several fresh varieties of fruit and nut trees to my orchard . Two hazelnut tree . Gala , Firesideand SnowSweet apples . A Sweet Cherry Pie cherry red . Plus more Hazen and Prairie Magic apple trees , which are two of my favorite varieties .
Ipurchased the Fireside apple in a powerful 25 - gallon pot , and it was such a large tree it already had an apple — which taste first-class , by the way . I wo n’t be surprised if it fruit again next year , and down the route I ’m delirious to enjoy yield and nuts from all these novel mixture .
An Awesome Apple Tasting Party
My Fireside apple was n’t the only Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that fruited this twelvemonth . Many of the older tree diagram in my orchard had their good years to date , so my orchard apple tree harvest was memorable .
To celebrate , I ask over household and friend to anapple tasting party in my orchard . We take a hay ride to the entry , enjoyed a pleasant base on balls to confabulate each tree , and then settle down at a picnic table to outrank the taste of a twelve different Malus pumila varieties . It made for a wonderful good afternoon .
What farming experience are you grateful for this year ?
