Growing anything other than weed?

[Amarok]

I did a small veggie garden last year and it just wasn't for me.

This year I'm converting the vegetable garden to flowers and berries and adding some other vegetation. I've planted an Arborvitae and a Gold Threadleaf and will be adding a few more Arborvitae along the fenceline. I've seeded some wildflowers and sunflowers for the birds and bees and also planted a pair of Honeyberry bushes.

Going to add a few more Honeyberry and going to try some cloning as well. A Saskatoon and a Thimbleberry are also on the to-buy list. I want sufficient variety that something is producing fruits and flowers for as much of the year as possible.

 

[webeblzr]

We covered the Montmorency Cherry tree, a few days ago.
My netting, is tired and used a few years now. I poked a tennis ball on a length of 3/8's steel hydraulic pipe, that is about 10' long, the simply lift it as best I can and lay it over the the branches.
It is not covered perfect at ALL. It does it's job, and freaks the birds out when they start picking cherries.
Maybe today, we pick our first batch.
I love our tree!





I'll lay out a painters tarp, under the tree, set my ladder on the tarp, and do the pick and drop onto it.
Still will be hours on the ladder, but so worth the tired legs afterwards.

 

[Hugh Jass]

We covered the Montmorency Cherry tree, a few days ago.
My netting, is tired and used a few years now. I poked a tennis ball on a length of 3/8's steel hydraulic pipe, that is about 10' long, the simply lift it as best I can and lay it over the the branches.
It is not covered perfect at ALL. It does it's job, and freaks the birds out when they start picking cherries.
Maybe today, we pick our first batch.
I love our tree!
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I'll lay out a painters tarp, under the tree, set my ladder on the tarp, and do the pick and drop onto it.
Still will be hours on the ladder, but so worth the tired legs afterwards.

Wow! Cherry preserves are the bomb! Bet those would flavor up some beer, too!
I feel you on the ladder work, too... have to wear knee braces just to climb one now.

 

[Amarok]

We covered the Montmorency Cherry tree

Nice!

I've been looking at the catalogues, deciding if I want a cherry tree. Like I'm discovering with so many types, the variety is ridiculous.

A cool thing I'm learning about that is helping my decisions are the various Western Canadian university programs that are working on creating cold-weather-adapted versions of a range of plants usually associated with warmer climates.

 

[webeblzr]

When I was still working steel, and as I got older, my fingers, hands, knee's, started to become hurtful. Not a severe pain, not disabling, just painful each morning, and like we all do, started taking an over the counter, pain relief.
Seemed to me, it was not true relief.

I read an article about some folks finding relief for joint pains, with Tart Cherry Juice, a few ounces in the am, and pm, and over time, would bring some relief.
Being a person, who shun's (as much as possible) chemical relief over something natural, IF possible, I thought what the heck.
I bought a case of TCJ in quarts as a concentrate. from Michigan. Each cup, would make gallon or so after dilution.
We both started to use it 2 x's a day. WOW! It is Really tart!
We almost gave up on it, after the first case. But after reading, and knowing somethings need to build a foundation, before some relief comes.

Just like it took 5 years of taking vitamin D3, a 5000 IU, getting 2 blood tests per year, to get in the 50% range!

So, somewhere in the 2nd case, I began to realize, (never got an Aha moment) my fingers were not throbbing after a hard physical use.
My knees, seemed fine, my back is a bit stiff after standing up for a few seconds, but not making me hobble about, like the year before.
The Montmorency Cherry tree, does not need a pollinator tree, one tree is all our small lot needs.
The 3rd year after planting it, we started getting fruit to eat, if you beat the birds off it first!
I'm not trying to sell the tarts, just offering our observation.

 

[Willie]

When I was still working steel, and as I got older, my fingers, hands, knee's, started to become hurtful. Not a severe pain, not disabling, just painful each morning, and like we all do, started taking an over the counter, pain relief.
Seemed to me, it was not true relief.

I read an article about some folks finding relief for joint pains, with Tart Cherry Juice, a few ounces in the am, and pm, and over time, would bring some relief.
Being a person, who shun's (as much as possible) chemical relief over something natural, IF possible, I thought what the heck.
I bought a case of TCJ in quarts as a concentrate. from Michigan. Each cup, would make gallon or so after dilution.
We both started to use it 2 x's a day. WOW! It is Really tart!
We almost gave up on it, after the first case. But after reading, and knowing somethings need to build a foundation, before some relief comes.

Just like it took 5 years of taking vitamin D3, a 5000 IU, getting 2 blood tests per year, to get in the 50% range!

So, somewhere in the 2nd case, I began to realize, (never got an Aha moment) my fingers were not throbbing after a hard physical use.
My knees, seemed fine, my back is a bit stiff after standing up for a few seconds, but not making me hobble about, like the year before.
The Montmorency Cherry tree, does not need a pollinator tree, one tree is all our small lot needs.
The 3rd year after planting it, we started getting fruit to eat, if you beat the birds off it first!
I'm not trying to sell the tarts, just offering our observation.

lifelong carpenter here.....I know that pain. Cool tree!

 

[webeblzr]

We are pickin n pittn like mad fools do, when the cherry season is in full on, like right now!!
8 quarts yesterday, 16 today!! Netting sucks....but does keep the birds away!
Now to the other side of our wee tree. I for got how ladders can make your feet and legs hurt, or I've become a retired softie!!

 

[webeblzr]

After cutting the sprig vegetables from the one raised bed, I had a packet of purple carrots. I planted them July 7th, and dug them up, the other day @ 80 days. I should have waited another week! Very tasty.