At least I hope so. The weather this weekend, although a chilly 30º F when I woke up this morning, is heading into the low to mid 50s with some sun!! We haven’t seen the sun in what feels like a lifetime. Temps for the next 10 days are looking good as well, remaining in the 50s and 60s during the days, with most overnights in the low 40s.
Plants are beginning to arrive like crazy. The potatoes are here, although they won’t get planted for another couple of weeks. Shallot sets and horseradish root arrived yesterday, but it will be another week or so before I plant those as well.
N and I headed to St. Lawrence Nurseries early this morning to collect my bare root babies — 5 Amelanchier canadensis ‘Princess Diana’, 4 Prunus Americana (Native American Plum), 5 Ribes sp. ‘Red Lake’, and 3 Amelanchier stolonifera ‘Fergie’. They were all planted today.
The Ribes had a little more substance to them (see below), but still look like sticks stuck into the ground. I planted the fifth red currant near some of the fruit trees as part of the to-be added guild, as well as two of the ‘Fergie’s’.
Below, is the 1st row of fruit trees in the orchard with the asparagus bed and black currants to the right. I’m hoping this will area will look substantially different by August once the guild is in place.
Lastly, I planted the 4 Native American Plums and 1 of the ‘Fergie’s’ near the cherry grove. They’re planted 5′ apart and will eventually grow into a hedge that will serve as a screen to block the view of the fire pit and large compost piles from the road. I’m also going to “guild” this row of trees, so laid down the sheet mulch today (layer of wool from the sheep, covered with compost, then a layer of cardboard topped by more compost and garden soil). Ideally, it should be topped with some type of mulch, but I don’t have straw and I ran out of energy before I could top it with bark mulch. I’ll probably wait until after I plant to mulch anyway.
Back to the to-do list…I also received email notification that my new bare root roses are shipping this week from David Austin and will arrive on Thursday. They will go into the ground immediately upon arrival as well (well, at least by that evening when I return home from work).
Also on the agenda for this weekend: sheep hoof trimming; removal of insulation from hen and duck coops (done); unwrapping the roses (done); begin the hardening off process for the onion and leek seedlings (they will go into the garden next weekend); begin some much needed cleanup in the borders; and possibly plant some sweet peas, peas, and the first succession sowing of kale, lettuces, carrots, and beets (if the raised beds are not too wet).
Poppy seeds will get scattered into a few of the mixed borders as well. You can never have enough poppies!
If I still have time, and energy, I will begin the prep for the expanded Bee and Butterfly border in the front yard as well. And I have to start building the sheet mulch around the fruit trees for my guild…and, and, and…the list is a long one. If only I didn’t need to work full-time!
Lastly, managed to snap a few more photos late this afternoon. We actually have some blooms, and I saw the first bee of the year!!
The Wildlife Gardener 
Bare root? It seems very late! How cool that you could get American plum. I have never seen that in nurseries, although it is used as rootstock. Mine were actually suckers from trees that died years ago. Also, the saskatoons, or whatever they are called. They are rare here. No one knows what to do with them.
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Late for you in CA definitely 🙂 Our soil has barely thawed out! In fact, we still have mounds of snow in shady corners. But the warmer temps are arriving and it was so nice to see the sun all day yesterday. This is my first time growing the Native plum. Can’t wait to see how it grows. The fruit is supposed to be small, but delicious.
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I prefer the French prune because it grew in many of the orchards of the Santa Clara Valley. The blossom in the city flower of Campbell. For fresh eating, I prefer the big Japanese plums. However, the American plum makes excellent jelly and jam, and is good for cooking. I think that the small size and lack of variety are the only reasons it is not as popular as the Japanese plums. I want to grow it because it was a traditional plum before Japanese plums were introduced. There is a certain allure to growing and using the fruits that my ancestors grew. There are some that have naturalized around the neighborhood, both red and amber. I want to make jelly with them for the Harvest Festival this autumn!
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I agree about the poppies, and yours are very lovely, as is the sweet pea. It’s nice to see some sunshine in your photos Lyn. You have a lot of work ahead of you!
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Yes indeed I do, but it was so nice being outside in the sun yesterday! Another sunny day today with a high of 57.
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Ah, so glad you have blooms! Your orchard sounds so exciting – those whips will grow in no time!
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I know, although the older I get the more impatient I become!
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