Orchard Install - Year 2 Additions

This is post #3 in a series of 3. Click here to read post #1, and here to read post #2.

This year we ordered 8 more fruit trees to go with the 6+ we ordered last year (more info here). The weather was beautiful this weekend and allowed us to get them in the ground just a couple days after we received them. We were much more ambitious than last year when they sat around for a couple weeks...after we got them delivered in February!

We planted them in the area we recently sheet mulched, which might I add is aging like a fine wine. It looks great!

BEFORE

The 'before' pictures show the sheet mulched area which hasn't been tidied for a couple weeks. No fruit trees in these shots.





AFTER

You'll notice little twigs in these shots - the bareroot fruit trees!

'All in One' Almond in the lawn


'Pink Lady' Apple in foreground, 'Double Delight' Nectarine + 'Early Autumn' Apricot in background (in the same hole in the ground)


Here is Chris digging out a huge rock for the Apricot/Nectarine hole!


'Laroda' and 'Santa Rosa' plums + 'Flavor King' Pluot in same fruit bush hole. For more info about planting fruit trees in the same hole, visit Dave Wilson Nursery's website page on the topic of Backyard Orchards.


You will notice that I cleaned up the edges of the sheet mulched areas. Some of the burlap became exposed over the last couple months, so I swept and raked the mulch down again. I tried to redistribute the mulch to areas like the edges that didn't get as much in the first go-round. It was easier to see how that it has tamped down some and isn't so fluffy.

I really like the way it looks!

We planted the pear in the backyard today near the fruit trees we planted last year (I will update you on those soon). I also spread some more mulch around and everything looks so tidy now.

Chris' back hurts. He's such a good and dutiful husband when I ask him to dig holes!

PS - There are lots more pictures from this weekend on my Flickr page.