
Blossoms on my three-year-old peach tree. Fingers crossed.

Pear tree looking good—so far.
Spring Comes to the Ozarks
Last weekend at the farm wasn’t just a Food Fest, it was also a Work Fest. At this time of the year, I’m overcome by an urge to part the soil and sprinkle the contents of colorful seed packets into neat, little rows.

Robin and Lucy work on the newly created rock garden.

Robert gives some TLC to one of the new apple trees.
The Joy of Planting
Being even more ambitious this year, we made a nursery run and returned with a Gala and a Honeycrisp apple tree (two previous ones didn’t survive—obviously, I’m no Jeannie Appleseed.) We also picked up two, Serviceberries to replace the hundred-year old elms, that succumbed to disease a few years ago, leaving a sad, vacant space at the front of the house.

I know this looks like some ritual spring dance, but actually Robin and Robert are preparing to string netting over the new apple trees to keep wildlife at bay.
Buying Apples vs. Growing Apples
Buying trees is easy; planting and caring are the hard parts. But we all joined hand and spade and finally got the trees in the ground and mulched. (I use the “royal we,” since I mostly gave directions—-every job needs a project manager, right?
It occurred to me as we wrestled the heavy root balls into the ground, that I could buy bushels of apples for what it was costing me to plant those two fruit trees with the needed fertilizer, mulch, watering bag, and netting. But when planting, you develop a relationship with the tree bearing the fruit. I like that. It makes the work worthwhile.
As always, planting is an act of great hope and no little faith.