One Potato, Two Potatoes, Three Potatoes!

Spring so far has been unusually cool and rainy for southwest France.  I am not complaining.  Much time is saved because I don't need to water, the soil is a pleasure to work, and everything looks and smells so freshly green.

Main part of the potager viewed from a second-story window

The pansies may actually last for another month or so before getting done in by heat.

Some of the pansies started from seed last autumn enjoying a cool breeze

Les Fruitiers are just starting the next stage of their cyclic growth.  Their tiny but perfectly formed fruits never cease to delight.  Despite their minuscule size, details like individual grapes, fuzz on peaches, and the distinctive silhouette of figs can be seen clearly.

Grape vines provide both fruit and veggies as I use the leaves to make dolmades

Our fig tree has two crops, one in spring and a larger one in autumn

Garden-grown potatoes (pommes de terre in French=apples of the earth) are stupendous, out-of-this-world tasty, so different from store bought that with my first taste last season, I decided it was a new vegetable, one that the rest of the world greedily had succeeded in hiding from me!

Certified seed potatoes are the surest way of not starting with already diseased potatoes.  Note well that seed potatoes are chemically treated and therefore are not edible.  The seed potato itself eventually shrivels into a dark, hard mass making it easy to discard when harvesting.

Sprouting or chitting increases the number of planted potatoes that will grow into plants, while making that growth quicker.  It takes about six weeks to chit potatoes so keep that in mind when ordering them.  If there is no time to properly sprout them, they can still be planted as most of them will grow.  Place them with the sprouts facing up in a warm, sunny place.  The appearance of the desired, dark-coloured sprouts is triggered by sunlight.  Remove any long, white, brittle sprouts which may have grown because of lack of light.  Sometimes the skin harmlessly wrinkles during sprouting because of dehydration.  They are still fine to plant.

Desiree, a red-skinned, late-season variety happily sprouting on a sunny window sill

When sprouts are about an inch to two inches long, the potatoes can be planted outdoors.  If seed potatoes are large enough, they can be cut into chunks containing one or two sprouts.  Let the cut surface dry for a day.

Planted potatoes can take a light frost, and if necessary horticultural fleece can be used to protect them.  In my climate, I plant early ones by mid March, mid-season varieties by end of March, and the late-season main crop by mid April.  This schedule enables successive harvesting for both fresh eating and storage.  Also choose varieties that lend themselves to the kind of recipes you do--firmer ones for steaming and salads, drier or mealy ones for baking, and an in-between texture for all-purpose.

Loosen and aerate the soil deeply with a spade and fork in some compost if you have it.  Then make an six-inch-deep and a spade-wide trench.  Sprinkle the recommended amount of bonemeal at the bottom.  Bonemeal supplies a big hit of phosphorus (the second number in an NPK formula) which promotes root development.  It is considered suitable for organic gardens.  As cats go nuts over bonemeal be careful you do not bury a small, beloved pet along with the seed potatoes.

When bonemeal is cruelly denied to Dayo, he settles for a nice snack of apple blossoms

Cover the bonemeal with an inch of soil, then place seed potatoes about fifteen inches apart with sprouts pointing upwards.  For chunks, put the cut end on the soil.  Three potato plants fit crosswise in my block beds.

This variety is mid-season Mona Lisa

Using a rake, pull the soil piled on the side down over the potatoes, filling in the trench.  A small plank can be used to firm the planting.  Place it where needed and gently step on it.

About two weeks later:  lusty, emerging potato plant

When my motivation ebbs during digging trenches, I take a break under the pergola and think of herb and sour-cream onion/potato/saucisse de Strasbourg soup or potatoes au gratin or the Calm One's speciality, kitchen-sink potato salad containing herring, apples, cornichons, hard-boiled eggs, salami, tons of mayo, and oh yes, some potatoes, cleverly cut into perfect, itsy-bitsy cubes via an egg slicer.  I then hobble from the comfort of my seat and manage a few more goes with my spade.

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Some Like It Hot

Spring here in southwest France is continuing at a brisk pace.   The fresh green of young leaves along with the calming blues and mauves of lilacs, bluebells, irises, and sweet violets  contrast with the snappier yellows of pansies and the whites of tulips.

Lovely, oh so fragrant lilacs

White Tulipa Fosteriana, a species tulip, drenched in rain

However, I have to guard against any surprise, overnight cold snap.  For a few nights, the flowering strawberry beds needed a cosy fleece cover to guard against frost.

Dayo can't tell the difference between a strawberry bed and his bed

Though gardening can be very relaxing, it is also demanding, offering windows of opportunities that are often short.  The onions planted in mid February are now about five inches tall and need to be fertilised so a good harvest in July is ensured.  

Though onions are bulbs, rather than using a fertiliser high in phosphorus which promotes root development, it is thought better to use either a high nitrogen or a balanced one.  In order for each layer of an onion to be formed there needs to be a corresponding leaf--those tasty, blade-like things are leaves!  Nitrogen boosts green growth and therefore in this case green growth boosts bulb development.  Nice, fat onions please!  Yum.  I gently hold back the rather brittle leaves with the back of my hand as I go down rows, scratching the fertiliser into the soil with the side of the cultivator so as not to break off any of the leaves.

A side dressing of 10-10-10 fertiliser is gently worked into the soil

Meanwhile, heat-loving veggies/herbs like tomatoes, bell peppers, basil, melons, courgettes, and cucumbers need to be started indoors about six weeks before the last frost day which is about mid-May here.

A special soil-less mix for sowing is best.  As it is very fluffy, light, and airy which is perfect for delicate roots, it is necessary to add water and get it very moist before putting it into flats in order to fill the containers adequately.

Moistened commercial sowing mix, transplants, recycled food containers

Fill up clean flats almost to the top with the well moistened mix and press down lightly.  Seeds sparingly spaced will cut down on later thinning. Larger ones like melon/squash seeds can be individually spaced and smaller ones can be placed using a moistened toothpick.  Label rows of different varieties as you sow.  Cover lightly with a bit of dry mix and then press down again, this time more firmly, to let the moisture seep up into the dry mix.  This method prevents seeds from moving about which would disturb spacing and confuse identification. 

The flats now have to be kept warm.  I use an enclosed electric incubator but the flats can be kept on a heating pad also as long as a makeshift tent of plastic is kept over the containers and the flat is fitted with a drainage tray.  

Incubator has a vent as to prevent mould formation if it gets too moist inside

As soon as green growth is spotted, get them out of the incubator and onto a sunny windowsill or under artificial lights.  Days here are usually warm enough for me to take them outside as long as I remember to bring them back indoors in the evenings.  A gentle wind also strengthens their stems.  Some people blow on their tomato seedlings or use a fan indoors to toughen them up!  Any delay in getting light to them will stress them, and when stressed, plants tend to race forward in an desperate attempt to go to seed so as to pass the next generation on.  Instead of developing into sturdy, bushy plants, they will become leggy and fragile.

When you spot the first set of leaves, it is time to snip off some seedlings at the level of the mix with scissors to establish good spacing.  This way, none of the remaining seedlings' roots will be disturbed as they would be if you pulled out the rejects.  Choose the most vigorous ones.  A good spacing is when there is enough room between plants to be able to separate them when transplanting into separate little pots without injuring their roots.  Each seedling should  have a nicely defined though small root ball, a root ball of their own so to speak.

Four varieties of duly marked tomato seedlings in their recycled food tray.

Once the plants have a second pair of leaves, that is, true leaves--second pair of leaves resemble the leaves of the mature plant, unlike the first pair--and are about two to three inches tall, transplant them. A re-potting mix which has been lightly moistened will encourage good growth.  I use an old teaspoon as a mini-trowel and a small knife to get them out of the flats into separate small pots.

Rows of sturdy seedlings are cut like slices of brownies with a small knife

Make a small hole in prepared pot and place root ball into hole

 When handling delicate seedlings, pick them up via a leaf and not by their stems.  If the stem breaks, that's it, it dies.  If just one leaf comes off, you still have a living plant.  Put tomato seedlings deeper into the pot then they were in the flat. Tomato stems can sprout roots, hence your transplants will be supported by a robust root ball when setting out into the garden.  Carefully firm the mix around the plant.  Label and water them until the water runs out the bottom, and then re-water when the surface goes almost dry.  Keep them under good light, whether artificial or natural. 

Roma tomato seedling safely set in its new home

Think you are done?   I am afraid not!  Go ahead and get ready the outside area for your seedlings as it is best to let prepared soil to settle for a few weeks before the actual transplanting is done.  If you find your motivation flagging a bit, think of all those red, ripe, juicy tomatoes you will eventually gobble up. 

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Hills of Strawberries

Here in southwest France, spring is going at a breakneck speed.  In fact, it is rapidly morphing into early summer as our summertime lasts about six months.

Rhubarb waking up

Bearded Irises going at full throttle

The strawberry plants are beginning to flower which means I will need to fertilise the two beds.

Two-year-old plant forming tiny yellow berries in the flower's centre

However, I have some transplants to do first.  Placing the crown just at the right level is important because if planted too high, roots will dry out, if too low, the crown will rot.  Hilling accomplishes the correct placement very nicely.  Start by loosening the soil with a spade or a fork to a depth of five to six inches depending on the length of the roots.  Very long roots can be trimmed.

Using a trowel, dig a circular trench, depositing most of the soil outside the trench and some on the centre mound which needs to be an inch or two above level ground.  Firm the mound lightly.

Voilà!  A little moat.

Spread gently the roots over the mound, tucking any extra length around the trench.

Crown is the light-green, fleshy, triangular part just above the roots' top

Fill in the circular trench with soil, firming the planting by cupping your hands around the crown while pressing down.  Plant should not wobble, that is, the crown should be securely supported by soil while not being completely buried.  The carrot seed packet shows the slant of the hill, otherwise not very visible in the below photo.  To accommodate hilling in my block beds, I space the strawberries farther apart (about 15 inches) than the usual denser planting.

On to fertilising which consists of sprinkling the recommended amount around each plant about a few inches away from the crown, and then lightly scraping the granules into the soil, being careful that the shallow roots will not be disturbed.  Water well.

Using the cultivator's side instead of the prongs avoids damaging roots

Though a basic 10-10-10 will suffice, one with an NPK number where phosphorus and potassium (second and third numbers) are higher than the first number (nitrogen) would be better as phosphorus and potassium are needed for root and fruit development.  The first application is done as soon as the flowers appear and the second one is after harvest.  As soon as the season's first mowing of grass clippings dry, I will mulch the strawberry beds to keep the berries off the soil and to conserve moisture.

This natural 5-6-8 fertiliser can be used also for raspberries and currants

Strawberry plants are productive for about three years.  However, there will be no berries the first year if you follow the recommendation by the experts and pinch all flowers off to promote strong root development, and even if you don't pinch them off, there will be just a light harvest.  It is the second year where the biggest production occurs.  Third year is heavier than the first, but not as generous as the second.

Second-year strawberry bed followed by a first-year planting

There are efforts to produce an annual strawberry which would simplify their care.  But until then, if you want a satisfying crop of berries (they are the Calm One's favourite fruit), you need to plan each spring for there to be plants entering their second year.  Happily, once you buy your initial plants--usually shipped as bare roots and planted either in the fall or early spring--they will produce enough runners which can be used for propagation.  Some gardeners sell their extra baby plants for a bit of pocket money.

Strawberries, along with tomatoes, are one of the commercial crops containing the highest level of pesticides because of their susceptibility to disease. In home gardens, however, meticulous rotation works wonders in keeping them mostly disease and pesticide free.  Also, the taste of home-grown strawberries and tomatoes are incomparable as so many delicious varieties are available which can not be found in markets.

Unblocking Food Potential of Small Gardens

Bearded Irises will be in full bloom in several weeks

Young pea shoots are one of the earliest harvests of all.  About two/three weeks later after sowing, thinning out the pea bed results in a good amount of succulent three-inch-high shoots.  

Though they can be eaten raw in salads, my favourite way is to sauté two cups of loosely packed, sliced, and washed pea shoots (shoots pinched off at the ground usually are entirely edible, however check for any fibrous lower stems requiring trimming) with minced garlic and some red pepper flakes in about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in an omelette pan for about five to seven minutes till tender.  Scoop out the greens and reserve in a small bowl.  The residual olive oil should suffice.  Pour into the skillet three beaten eggs.  

While omelette is setting (lift up the perimeter bit by bit with a spatula to let liquid egg seep underneath), spread evenly the tender pea shoots and grated Gruyére on top, leaving about an inch around the edge free of topping.  Cover and leave on low heat for about a minute or two till the cheese melts, and then fold one half over the other with a spatula and slide onto a plate.  Cooked shoots taste somewhat like oriental greens. However, when consumed raw, they retain a fresh pea taste.

Pea shoots turn dark green resembling spinach when cooked

A rough estimate is--if we could even find veggies/fruits of similar quality and variety--it would cost us about ten thousand dollars annually to buy what we grow.  Might as well toss in the equivalent of a gym membership and weekly therapy sessions as gardening keeps me both physically fit and mentally sane.  Well, at least, a bit saner. 

Block-bed style, whether raised or not, is advantageous for small gardens because more can be grown, crop rotation is made simple, and preparation/maintenance of planting areas can proceed gradually and orderly.  Block beds can still be framed but not raised.  I have framed my level, thirteen 4-foot-by-12-foot beds with terracotta roofing tiles.  There was a small mountain of them heaped next to a dead cherry tree.  I began with just one bed off in a corner and gradually through two years, with the help of the Calm One, there is a good portion of our garden in a food-producing state.  Framing the beds this way is borrowing from the French approach of parterre, lending a pleasing structure to our garden.

The Calm One devised this string template to guide shaping rectangular beds

Tiles keep oak-leaf mulch neatly in place in centre bed

Paths between the beds need to be wide enough--at least a width of two feet--to allow for the passage of wheel barrows and to be able to kneel easily between beds.  Various weeds and grasses covering the paths are kept trimmed with my blue buddy, an lithium-battery-powered line strimmer.

Taking a much deserved rest

Horticultural fleece can be tucked easily under the tiles.  Fleece is so useful.  It protects crops from surprise frosts, extends the growing season, stops birds and other animals from eating/disturbing seeds, and protects against insects, especially carrot fly.  Fleece allows both sunshine and water to pass through.  I use the biodegradable form which lasts about two to three years, and then can be composted.  Tiles hold down flattened cardboard when I sheet compost (using the weeds already growing in place as a source of compost).

Living in a small city is convenient for finding discarded large cartons

The tiles act as slug traps.  Slugs crawl under them during the day to escape the sun.  I go down the sides of the beds, partially lifting up tile by tile, scrapping the slugs into a can of water.  Once drowned, they go on the compost pile.  But the real reason for the tiles is that Dayo insists on having a solid, dry surface to walk on.

Dayo strolling between the garlic and onion beds

Since veggies are grown so close together in block beds, the plants themselves act like a mulch, conserving moisture and retarding weed growth while looking attractively bushy.  Because I usually fill a bed with an particular veggie, it is not necessary for me to label the plantings. Each year, I make a rotation plan of what will grow in which bed covering three main harvests each year as my focus is intensive gardening, that is, getting the most food out of our garden.

One drawback so far is when hilling plants, like potatoes and strawberries, there is not enough spare soil since block beds are planted so densely.  Spacing strawberries a bit farther from each other than usual works a treat, and for potatoes I use compost and grass clippings to ensure that the growing potatoes will not poke up and turn green because of light exposure.  Another drawback is when initially weeding--before the bed can fill out and act as a living weed-suppressing mulch--it is best to forgo long-handled tools and get at the weeds up close with smaller tools.

Monsieur M often says when he spots me lightly spading a block bed, use the spading fork, it will be easier.  I tell him in my broken French that because I never walk on the beds, the soil is loose and it is easy using a spade.  He always looks puzzled and doubtful--no idea if it because of my badly spoken French, or he just does not believe me, or what is most likely, he is teasing me.  In any case, the frequent fork suggestion has become a precious part of my gardening routine, never failing to leave a smile on my face.

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Sowing Peas

Ready, Set, Onion!

Dayo has the greatest knack of settling down into places providing both security and good views.

He is checking out if I will harvest something interesting, like pork, fish, or milk.

The garden guides my activity.  It says it's time to harvest the last of the winter crops to make room for warm-weather varieties.

Garden-fresh Brussels sprouts have a delectable nutty, slightly sweet taste

Solid honey or carrots? 

Leeks ready to be thoroughly washed

The last of the mâche (superb fresh greens all through winter)

Home-grown onions are wonderful.  Though proper carmelizing of onions is essential for a really good French Onion soup, home-grown onions take it to another level.  The main types are regular (Allium Cepa) and potato/multiplier onions (Allium Cepa var. aggregatum, that is, perennial onions once used in home gardens and fast becoming popular again).  Onions can be grown via seeds, transplants, and sets.  Seeds need more time from sowing to harvest, while transplants and sets take less time. However, there are usually many more intriguing varieties available as seeds. 

For regular onions, I prefer to use sets which are just tiny immature onions.  If planted thickly, some can be harvested as scallions/green onions before reaching maturity, allowing more space for the rest to mature fully.  Onions planted in early spring will be ready for harvest by July.

Block bed containing around 250 Stuttgart onion sets

With my trusty rake, I make short furrows down the whole bed, placing the sets around four inches apart (for harvesting some immature onions as scallions, place closer together) and about one inch deep.  If a bit more depth is required for some of the huskier ones, deepen the furrow with a finger tip and gently place the set, taking care not to press down, as the basal plate can get damaged.  I discard any soft, damaged, rotten sets.  

With the back of the rake I first cover the rows with soil, then tamp down the bed, and finally water well.   If the birds consistently pull out the baby onions by their tops, I cover the bed with horticultural fleece.  So far,  just one set was yanked out (and dutifully replanted). There is no need for labelling as the entire bed is filled with onions.

Onions putting out green growth about a week later

The rather bossy lettuce seedlings are telling me to transplant them now.  Off I go! 

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The Little Things in Life

The daffodils are giving me some confidence that this time spring will stick around.

A bit tattered by the wind

Hence, sowing seeds directly in the soil will become a major focus for several weeks.  Peas, onions, lettuce go first, then spinach, carrots, beets, most annual herbs, and potatoes follow along with annual flowers like Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima).  At the same time, seeds needing warmth to germinate, such as tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, basil, melons, summer squash, and annual flowers like Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata) will be sowed indoors. 

Seeds are awe inspiring.  Annual vegetable/flower seeds are small, but packed with all they need to develop into plants producing more seeds to make the next generation.  A tiny beefsteak tomato seed takes about five months from sowing to harvest to yield many huge and luscious tomatoes. Though this information is commonly known, it is nothing short of astounding actually witnessing this rapid growth in your own garden.  Using seeds rather than store-bought transplants is economical and allows greater choice. 

Some of the pansies started from seed last autumn

Seeds lose their freshness along with their germinating ability within a few years.  Since most packets contain more seeds than can be used in a single season, any surplus is stored in airtight containers in a cool, dark place.  In late winter, germination tests need to be done.  A few seeds are placed on wet paper towels which are folded over, labelled, put in a shallow container (like recycled jar lids), and kept moist.  In several days, the results are checked.  Once an inventory has been made of viable seeds, any necessary purchases may be added to your existing collection.

Pea seeds got a top grade on their test

My pea seeds from last season tested positive for viability.  There are two kinds of shelling peas, smooth and wrinkled.  Both kinds can come either in vining or bush form.  I sow smooth, bush peas because they are considered rustique (able to withstand cold) and requires no staking therefore fitting nicely into my block beds. Wrinkled are more heat resistant, but in general shelling peas like to stay cool, that is, within a range between 50 and 60 degrees F.

I sow in early spring and again in late summer for two annual crops.  The variety I sow, d'Annonay, takes about two and a half months after sowing to become harvest size.  If a surprise frost does happens, I just whip out some horticultural fleece and the pea plants remain snug under its protection.   Using fleece also prevents birds from eating the seeds.

Fleece tucked under the terracotta roof tiles framing the block bed

Soil preparation consists forking in some fertiliser (N-P-K of 10-10-10) and compost.   Since the block beds never get walked upon, there is no impaction of soil and no need for additional spading once they have been initially dug by the Calm One.  During winter, the soil was protected from erosion due to rain, snow, and wind by being heavily mulched with dead oak leaves.  I try to disturb the soil only when incorporating compost, transplanting/sowing, and weeding.

Dark-brown compost and fertiliser granules on the left, ready to be forked in

After raking the bed level and free of clods (such clods are taken to low spots in paths to level them out), I make two-inch-deep furrows about five inches apart with the end of the rake.  I plop down the peas about an inch from each other.  If the planting is crowded, young pea shoots can be harvested as they are delicious in stir fries and salads. The back of the rake is used to fill in and tamp down the little trenches, ensuring the seeds are firmly surrounded by soil. I finish with a thorough watering. Labelling is usually not required as just one crop fills each block bed. 

Note the row covered and firmed down in the lower right

Garden peas have a delicious after-taste of buttery caramel, though this may be my particular reaction to them.  Regardless, the difference between store bought and home grown is stupendous.  

Pea shoots about two weeks later

Vegetable gardens generally have a compelling green presence, but young pea shoots are particularly lovely, as in the words of Nathaniel Hawthorne:  

I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation.  It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green.

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Pruning Prune Plums

When first seeing the neglected state of various fruit trees in this forty-year-old garden, I was sure I could gradually restore them to robust production.  Two years later:  4 thriving, 5 languishing, 5 dead.

Wood pigeon resting on the Golden Delicious apple tree

The largest casualty was a thirty-foot cherry tree.   It was chopped down by a trio of rough-and-ready workers who entered our quartier last spring to work bomb it.  It was a case of my will against theirs:  Chop down the cherry tree, nothing else, yes, just the cherry tree.  That's right,  see the cherry tree over there, the big, dead tree, chop it down, no, don't prune the pear tree, it's the wrong season, chop down the cherry tree.  No, I don't want the shed painted, chop down the cherry tree.

On their bill, under the reason why the work was done was this quaint phrase: a la fin de vie (at the end of its life).  I felt comforted the fact it had a life was recognised. 

Pile of cherry tree limbs obscuring the thick, forked trunk

Pruning fruit trees and bushes assures a good harvest.  Chez nous, there are figs, apples, pears, peaches, plums, gooseberries, blackberries, raspberries, red/black currants, and grape vines.

Avocado filled with grape jelly (last jar!) made from previous season's grape harvest

Prunier d'ente is a plum tree bearing egg-shaped, deep-purple plums.   The one in our front garden, other than for an annual bout with mites which I successfully hose off each spring, is flourishing.  Its ample harvest provides enough jam lasting most of the year, along with plum leather which disappears within a few weeks because it so delicious we just can't stop until it is all gone.  However, this variety of plum is grown mainly for making prunes, that is, pruneaux (dried plums), as prune means fresh plum in French.  Perhaps this season, I will try my hand at drying some.

Prunier d'ente and lavender in front garden

An essential element of pruning is apical dominance.  I use the analogy of an leader training her replacement.  The bud forming the branch tip is the strongest.  However, it is necessary at times to reduce a branch's length, so if an apical bud is cut off, make sure that the cut reaches just above an lateral bud that is going in the right direction, usually outfacing.  This lateral bud will then develop into a branch with an apical bud, keeping the general growth robust, in other words, in the hands of good leadership.

Apical dominance guides an crucial aspect of pruning, dropped crotches.  I love that phrase and will go around the week or so I do all the pruning saying dropped crotches to anyone who will listen.  A tree's height and width is lessened using this technique.  While envisioning giant wish bones, I remove the longer of the two branches down to the wish bone's angled joint, leaving the branch collar (slightly swollen area where a branch joins another) intact as it contains wound-healing chemicals.  Note that the shorter branch remaining retains its apical bud. 

Besides reduction of width and height, the inner space of the tree needs to be opened to sunshine, and any limb rubbing against another is removed along with dead/diseased/injured wood.  Most pruning jobs are done in late winter/early spring when the sap has not yet risen and the bareness allows for thorough inspection of the tree's structure. However, dead wood can be removed any time.  Since spring-flowering bushes bloom on the previous season's growth,  they usually need to be pruned following flowering so as not to eliminate this season's flowers.

Besides grasping that pruning is not shearing, using the proper tools safely is also important.
  

Retractable straight saw, curved saw, secateurs, lopers, leather gloves

There are extensible versions of the basic pruning tools, so climbing onto a ladder or up a tree usually is not necessary.  The goal for small home orchards is to keep the tree at the right height allowing adequate pruning and harvesting with ease.  Nowadays, there also is a great selection of dwarf and semi-dwarf fruit trees.  If interested in more information regarding setting up and caring for home orchards check out Dave Wilson Nursery's YouTube channel.

I am off to prune the pear tree, because those work bombers promised to come back this spring to tame its unruly top with a chain saw.  They obviously know nothing about dropped crotches.