Rob Smith has more fruit trees!
Back in autumn I decided I wanted to plant a few more fruit trees in the garden; I’m not sure where I thought they’d go, or even bothered to consider this fact when flicking through websites and making a list of all the fantastic varieties available.
In fact, I’d promised myself I wouldn’t buy any more trees but, like many of us, I failed at this miserably!
In the meantime, I forgot I’d ordered them and was pleasantly surprised when they arrived at the door this week. Thankfully, there’s still time to plant them out for a few weeks, so it’s time to get them in the garden. I decided on a red ‘Bramley’ apple called ‘Crimson Bramley’ and two quince, ‘Rea’s Mammoth’ and ‘Meech’s Prolific’. The latter two will go in the mini orchard on the damper side as they like a moist position and should grow well. The apple will make its way to the small lawn at the side of the house, away from the kitchen garden, hopefully liking its sunny position and settling in well.
I’m digging a hole twice the size of the rootball, adding a spade of manure and planting the tree back up to the level it grew at before it was dug up. After backfilling and firming the soil gently, I put a tree stake in at a 45-degree angle and tie the young tree to it so the wind won’t damage or snap it. I’m also removing any inward-facing branches and reducing the growth by a third to an outward-facing bud to give a better shape. I’ll also look at the existing fruit trees, making sure the grass isn’t growing up to the trunks, keeping it 30cm (1ft) away and weeding well so that it makes it easier to get sufficient water to the tree in dry spells.
The parsnip seeds I put in a ziplock bag with some damp kitchen paper back in February have started to sprout; it’s now time to start planting them out into the bed they’ll grow in. I plant two per station to make sure at least one will survive, removing the smaller one when they begin to put on a few leaves. Even if all the seeds haven’t germinated, it’s best to plant the ones that have before the new root gets too long, or you can damage it while planting out. Leave the others for a couple more weeks and plant them out as they germinate, until you have your required number of plants.
The large, unheated greenhouse has a few things growing in it
already in small pots and trays, but before all the large pots and troughs are filled with compost for my tomatoes, peppers and aubergines, I’m going to give it a good clean with Citrox and make sure any detritus or leaves that have blown in over winter are removed and that there are no slugs or snails hiding in there. I’ll then make sure all the auto vents are working and oil them
and the runners for the door, as it’s become a little stiff over winter.