A.T.Hagan
Inactive
I bought all these fruit trees and vines months ago and for a variety of reasons still haven't gotten them planted. They sit out there under the sycamore tree giving me reproachful looks when I come out to water them every day.
Today I decided that sinuses be damned I was going to get the process started! So I loaded up on Sudafed and Benadryl and off I went. Got out in the orchard and decided the growth needed mowing before I started doing the layout work needed to decide where the new trees would go so I fetched out the mower and went at it. Got the orchard mowed then decided while I was there I'd go ahead and mow the unmulched areas of the garden since it was looking pretty ratty too. Got that done then decided the grass over the drain-field was too high so I took care of that too. Hasn't rained enough lately for the rest of the yard to be a problem yet.
On the way back to the workshop I decided that damned old Cogon grass in the blueberry patch really needed to be dealt with before it go so high as to become a problem. It's an invasive exotic here in Florida and I have to fight the stuff to keep it under control. While there I noticed the brush and weeds in the low area near to the gate were getting to be waist high and would present a major problem if not cut soon so I started on it too. Haven't gotten the barb-wire cut out of the bush hog yet so it had to be the push mower. Got maybe half of that done before I over heated and decided the rest of it could wait. The back porch thermometer said our high today was 92.
Came in, had lunch, rehydrated and cooled off. Put away the mower and got out the rototiller. Ran some hose down to the blueberries to get some water on them since it hasn't rained enough to lay the dust here in over three weeks. Got them going then tilled up sufficient area to plant the new blueberries. Still damn hot so I spent a little while watering the rest of the blueberries. Looks like we'll pick the first of them next week.
That done I ran the tiller up to in front of the house and tilled up about twenty feet to plant the new camellias. They are at the top of a small retaining wall the original owner had put in to level the building area for the house. Unfortunately, he backfilled it with dirt that he hauled in which turned out to be black muck that damn near turns to stone when it's dry. Dropped the drag bar on the tiller to its deepest depth and started in on it. Had to go over the twenty foot long by five foot wide area five times to get it in a halfway acceptable condition. That area is going to take a sight of sphagnum moss to make it right and about six inches of oak leaves to keep it moist. I didn't amend it enough when I planted the first three camellias two years ago which explains why they've been so slow to grow.
Next came the row for the new blackberries. Just the typical DunHagan sandy soil there, but fairly heavily sodded so took about four times over to get it the way I wanted. Then tilled up four small areas for trees and have about another four to go, but I have to take out some failed experiments from those spots first.
Back to the shop to clean up the tiller and put it away. Six p.m. and I haven't gotten the first blessed thing into the ground, but the heavy work is done so now it's just a matter of digging the holes and putting them in. I'll do one or two tomorrow and one or two more the next day and so on across the week.
I am beat.
But satisfied. I like planting stuff and seeing it grow.
.....Alan.
Today I decided that sinuses be damned I was going to get the process started! So I loaded up on Sudafed and Benadryl and off I went. Got out in the orchard and decided the growth needed mowing before I started doing the layout work needed to decide where the new trees would go so I fetched out the mower and went at it. Got the orchard mowed then decided while I was there I'd go ahead and mow the unmulched areas of the garden since it was looking pretty ratty too. Got that done then decided the grass over the drain-field was too high so I took care of that too. Hasn't rained enough lately for the rest of the yard to be a problem yet.
On the way back to the workshop I decided that damned old Cogon grass in the blueberry patch really needed to be dealt with before it go so high as to become a problem. It's an invasive exotic here in Florida and I have to fight the stuff to keep it under control. While there I noticed the brush and weeds in the low area near to the gate were getting to be waist high and would present a major problem if not cut soon so I started on it too. Haven't gotten the barb-wire cut out of the bush hog yet so it had to be the push mower. Got maybe half of that done before I over heated and decided the rest of it could wait. The back porch thermometer said our high today was 92.
Came in, had lunch, rehydrated and cooled off. Put away the mower and got out the rototiller. Ran some hose down to the blueberries to get some water on them since it hasn't rained enough to lay the dust here in over three weeks. Got them going then tilled up sufficient area to plant the new blueberries. Still damn hot so I spent a little while watering the rest of the blueberries. Looks like we'll pick the first of them next week.
That done I ran the tiller up to in front of the house and tilled up about twenty feet to plant the new camellias. They are at the top of a small retaining wall the original owner had put in to level the building area for the house. Unfortunately, he backfilled it with dirt that he hauled in which turned out to be black muck that damn near turns to stone when it's dry. Dropped the drag bar on the tiller to its deepest depth and started in on it. Had to go over the twenty foot long by five foot wide area five times to get it in a halfway acceptable condition. That area is going to take a sight of sphagnum moss to make it right and about six inches of oak leaves to keep it moist. I didn't amend it enough when I planted the first three camellias two years ago which explains why they've been so slow to grow.
Next came the row for the new blackberries. Just the typical DunHagan sandy soil there, but fairly heavily sodded so took about four times over to get it the way I wanted. Then tilled up four small areas for trees and have about another four to go, but I have to take out some failed experiments from those spots first.
Back to the shop to clean up the tiller and put it away. Six p.m. and I haven't gotten the first blessed thing into the ground, but the heavy work is done so now it's just a matter of digging the holes and putting them in. I'll do one or two tomorrow and one or two more the next day and so on across the week.
I am beat.
But satisfied. I like planting stuff and seeing it grow.
.....Alan.
