Sunday, April 24, 2011

The End of the Cedar Era

Fig secured at the bottom and bamboo tied in at the top - well packed.
Negronne fig
Green Bamboo / zone 5 hardy - we will see.
With the cedars gone, the space will sure get the sun, but how to fix the view.
This is the before
This is the after.
Later we will cut and split for the summer fires of the future.
Waiting for the city to chip at the curb and take away.

Dare I mention that the snow is gone and the daffodils are again blooming and looking quite spring-like. The weather was good enough to send the fig tree outside I hope for good.
I got my new fig tree and some bamboo and a Passion vine from One Green World on Saturday morning. Great packaging, I was very impressed as the plants were nice sized, and very well tied down in the box - nothing moved or slid on top of one another. I got them potted within in the hour after they arrived. The fig was still dormant but the other two were leafy and ready to keep growing.
I did some seeding this week but the biggest job was the removal of the winter damaged arborvitae in the back yard. The winter pictures show how badly the snow bent them and what you could not see was the way the roots pulled causing them to need removal. I probably planted them way back in the late 70's but their present condition meant that I either cut them down now or after they died in few years. So my wife, youngest son, and I did the deed today. Took most of the afternoon and I only broke the Saws-All blade close to the end of the job. We cut the branches off, piled them to the street and cut the trunks in long lengths to be cut and split later and used in the metal fire circle that we bought this spring. We have the cut up rails from the fence that we took down last summer before the new fence was put up. Now we have another large pile of logs that will take some time to burn in the fire pit. Summer nights will have a new activity like the evenings we have spent around a campfire in Wyoming in the past.
Hopefully we will be able to cut the stumps out and then this will be a new growing place as this is full south exposure and plans are already in the making for grapes and maybe apricots - new space for more edibles and just maybe a few flowers.
I have my permit for my chickens! I got it early in the week and have already ordered chicks so now I must get their pen ready. I have the dog crate to use as an early place for them but a coop is essential. We are thinking about housing them in the garden shed with an outside run and some sort of chicken tractor for moving them around the yard. I am getting Black Australorps as they good producers, friendly, calm and take cold weather well. They are due to arrive in early June so I am looking at coop plans while getting the garden ready. Spring is that busy time but what excitement - chickens...
Happy Gardening

4 comments:

  1. I'm interested in your entire chicken experience. Looking forward to future posts.

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  2. Hi Carl,
    I am going back to the Protection and Welfare committee meeting tomorrow night for I hope the last time to listen to just what the final ordinance will be. Then I will appear at the next city council meeting to hopefully to speak in favor of the rewritten ordinance and then on to an Urban Chicken Workshop on June 1st at the UW Extension in Brown County and hopefully the next day my chicks will arrive.
    Happy Gardening

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  3. I am interested in the chickens as well. would like to have some of my own but am a little intimidated. Maybe I will see you at the workshop?

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  4. Hi ARK,
    I do think the workshop will be very informative and helpful in answering questions and gathering like minded individuals that everyone can learn from and share with. Plus the City Council meeting on May 3 should bring to a conclusion the ordinance issue and make the obtaining a license for chickens in the city much easier than the permit process has been.
    Happy Gardening

    ReplyDelete