A Surprise Orchard

Dad surprised me with nine fruit trees that he found on sale half-price. He found two of my favorite apple variety HoneyCrisp, and a Granny Smith and a Gala for variety and pollinators. He got three peach trees, two Elberta and one Georgia Belle. And finally, two plum trees, a Blue Damson and a Santa Rosa.

We spent all day digging the holes for the trees on a sunny south facing bank in the back yard.

I have always wanted fruit trees so to finally be able to plant an orchard is a dream come true. I can't wait to see these beauties leaf out this year and in a few more years we will have fruit! My mouth is watering in anticipation of fresh homegrown peaches picked at the peak of ripeness.

We still need to install a heavy mulch around the base of the trees to keep the soil moist and to keep weeds down. For right now, we have used grass clippings, but I plan on putting some straw down to make a thicker mulch. Two things you want to keep in mind when mulching your fruit trees:

1. Keep mulch away from the bark of your trees. Mulch harbors insects, keep it at least six inches away from the trunk . 
2. The area being mulched grows with the tree, the mulch should extend to the drip line at the end of the trees branches.