I am slowly starting to notice subtle changes as spring moves along that I never would have thought about before. On the 18th when we planted our first orchard trees two existing mystery-fruit trees were barely staring to blossom. Today all three of them were totally covered in flowers (and at least one of our baby trees got in the spirit too!). I’m not really sure why the scraggliest looking tree in the soggy dip at the north end blossomed first.
The white tents are rows cover material over the paw paw trees. They like to be in shade for the first two years and then full sun thereafter.
Another huge change that has happened in just the last few weeks is in the angle of the sun. The south facing window where our inside “greenhouse” was used to get nice direct sunlight. Now it pretty much doesn’t get any.
So this weekend we made a new makeshift contraption (Anna’s design)! It’s like a coldframe/greenhouse thing. It is on a southfacing slope. The back and sides are hay bales (came with the house; will absorb heat during the day); the front is a double-paned glass door; the top is made from three old windows from our apartment in Manhattan. There are big gaps for ventilation so it doesn’t get too hot. The row cover material is to protect the seedlings from direct sun. It’s going to be cold in there at night (we’re doing a test this week to see if the seedlings can stand it), but because it is on such an extreme slope we’re hoping cold air sinks right past it and there is no frost.
